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- Former head of Louvre charged in Egyptian artefacts trafficking case
- Médecins Sans Frontières apologises for using images of child rape survivor
- Europe silent on plight of detainees in Libya, says migration chief
- Eleven newborn babies die in Senegal hospital fire
- Russian mercenaries accused over use of mines and booby traps in Libya
- Pfizer to offer all its drugs not-for-profit to 45 lower-income countries
- Outrage in Brazil as mentally ill Black man dies in police car ‘gas chamber’
- Ancient cypress in Chile may be the world’s oldest tree, new study suggests
- World’s most violent cities: Medellín crime surge helps Latin America top list
- Cramped ship carrying more than 800 Haitians lands in Cuba
- Quebec moves to protect French language and restrict use of English
- Brazil: at least 21 people killed during police raid in Rio favela
- Antony Blinken says US is not seeking ‘cold war’ with China
- Hong Kong judicial independence under systematic attack, legal figures warn
- Penny Wong tells Pacific nations ‘we have heard you’ as Australia and China battle for influence
- European fishing fleets accused of illegally netting tuna in Indian Ocean
- Deal proposed by China would dramatically expand security influence in Pacific
- Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand ‘ready to respond’ to Pacific’s security needs as China seeks deal in region
- ‘Highly implausible’ that new Galilee Basin coalmines would be profitable, study finds
- Lawyers call on NSW premier to urgently review thousands of Covid fines
- Youpla: how Aboriginal funeral fund evaded regulators despite 30 years of complaints
- Culture wars, renewables and what the federal Liberals could learn from NSW
- Jim Chalmers banks on capital spending to help ease cost-of-living crisis
- Australian police renew calls for national firearms database following mass shootings in the US
- Russia-Ukraine war: shelling intensifies in Kharkiv as Ukrainian general warns of Russian advantage in Luhansk – live
- Office for Students chair didn’t know he was sharing platform with far-right journalist
- Kharkiv hit by fresh strikes amid fears city is still on Russian agenda
- IT glitch creates turmoil for easyJet passengers across Europe
- ‘No humanity whatsoever’: pleas for UK to grant visa to autistic Ukrainian boy
- Russian forces have ‘upper hand’ in Donbas fighting, Ukrainian officials say
- Israeli forces deliberately shot Shireen Abu Aqleh, Palestinian probe finds
- Iran says one dead in ‘industrial accident’ near military complex
- FBI says it foiled Islamic State sympathizer’s plot to kill George W Bush
- Sudan security forces clash with protesters against military coup
- Iran vows to avenge killing as it buries Revolutionary Guard colonel
- Sole survivor of 2009 Comoros plane crash recalls terrifying ordeal
- ‘It seems this heat will take our lives’: Pakistan city fearful after hitting 51C
- Male Afghan TV presenters mask up to support female colleagues after Taliban decree
- Afghan female judge awarded prestigious human rights prize
- Joe Biden: invasion of Ukraine shows need for free and open Indo-Pacific
- Sisters allegedly murdered by husbands in Pakistan ‘honour’ killing
- Top official at Foreign Office called upon to resign over Kabul withdrawal
- Sunak U-turns on ‘energy profits levy’ in £15bn cost of living package
- More Tory MPs call for PM to go as No 10 tries to limit Partygate report fallout
- Scottish Labour seizes Edinburgh council with Lib Dem and Tory help
- BP to review North Sea investments following windfall tax announcement
- Alan White, drummer with prog rock band Yes, dies aged 72
- Police officer in Gaia Pope search ‘missed opportunities’, jury told
- Texas officials deflect questions on ‘missing hour’ when gunman was in school – latest updates
- ‘Infuriating and horrific’: Sandy Hook parents lambast gun violence inaction
- Amber Heard tells jury of death threats during trial as testimony ends
- ‘More could have been done’: Texas police under scrutiny over response to school shooting
- Trump and two of his children must testify in tax fraud case, court rules
- Ray Liotta, star of Goodfellas and Field of Dreams, dies aged 67
| Former head of Louvre charged in Egyptian artefacts trafficking case Posted: 26 May 2022 08:17 AM PDT Jean-Luc Martinez is accused of conspiring to hide origin of works taken out of Egypt during Arab spring The former president of the Louvre museum in Paris has been charged with conspiring to hide the origin of archaeological treasures that may have been taken out of Egypt during the Arab spring uprisings, in a case that has shocked the world of antiquities. Jean-Luc Martinez was charged this week after he was taken in by police for questioning, a French judicial source told Agence France-Presse. Martinez ran the Paris Louvre, the most visited museum in the world, from 2013-21. Continue reading... |
| Médecins Sans Frontières apologises for using images of child rape survivor Posted: 26 May 2022 07:18 AM PDT Medical charity's president calls publication of controversial photographs 'a mistake' and says guidelines will be tightened The international president of Médecins Sans Frontières has apologised for publishing photographs of a teenage rape survivor from the Democratic Republic of the Congo on its website, following criticism that the images were unethical and racist. Dr Christos Christou also announced that the medical charity had tightened its guidelines on photographing vulnerable minors, such as survivors of sexual abuse, requiring that they should not be identified visually or by name. Continue reading... |
| Europe silent on plight of detainees in Libya, says migration chief Posted: 26 May 2022 05:17 AM PDT Federico Soda said there needed to be 'more condemnation' of the conditions in state-run detention centres in Libya Europe has been accused by a senior international official of acquiescence over the plight of thousands of migrants in Libya held in arbitrary detention in "deplorable conditions". Federico Soda, chief of mission at the International Organisation for Migration's mission in Libya, said not enough was being done by outside actors to try to change the war-torn country's "environment of arbitrary detention and deplorable conditions" for migrants. Continue reading... |
| Eleven newborn babies die in Senegal hospital fire Posted: 26 May 2022 01:12 AM PDT President Macky Sall announces deaths of infants after blaze at hospital in Tivaouane Eleven newborn babies have died in a hospital fire in Tivaouane, western Senegal, the country's president has said. Macky Sall tweeted on Wednesday night: "I have just learned with pain and dismay about the deaths of 11 newborn babies in the fire at the neonatal department of the public hospital. To their mothers and their families, I express my deepest sympathy." Continue reading... |
| Russian mercenaries accused over use of mines and booby traps in Libya Posted: 25 May 2022 09:15 PM PDT Exclusive: UN investigators say Wagner Group fighters did not mark mines' positions and may have rigged bomb to teddy bear Russian mercenaries in Libya systematically broke international law by laying mines in civilian areas without any attempt to mark their location or remove the lethal devices, UN investigators have found. According to a confidential UN report that will be made public in the coming weeks, fighters from the Wagner Group, a private military company that has been repeatedly linked to the Kremlin by western officials, also rigged booby traps to powerful explosive anti-tank weapons that were responsible for the death of two mine clearers working for an NGO. Continue reading... |
| Pfizer to offer all its drugs not-for-profit to 45 lower-income countries Posted: 25 May 2022 08:04 AM PDT Company launches 'healthier world' accord in Davos and speaks to other pharma firms about similar steps Pfizer has announced it is to supply all its current and future patent-protected medicines and vaccines on a not-for-profit basis to 45 lower-income countries and is talking to other big drugmakers about similar steps. Announcing an "accord for a healthier world" at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, the New York-based pharma firm pledged to provide all its products that are available in the US and Europe on a cost basis to 1.2 billion people in all 27 low-income countries such as Afghanistan and Ethiopia, plus 18 lower-middle-income countries including Ghana. Continue reading... |
| Outrage in Brazil as mentally ill Black man dies in police car ‘gas chamber’ Posted: 26 May 2022 11:55 AM PDT Genivaldo de Jesus Santos dies of asphyxiation as video shows officers forcing him into vehicle then releasing gas grenade Brazilians have responded with outrage to the death of a mentally ill Black man who was bundled into the back of a police car by officers who then released a gas grenade inside the vehicle. Genivaldo de Jesus Santos, 38, was stopped by the federal highway police in the city of Umbaúba on Wednesday. Video footage of the incident shows two officers in helmets holding the car boot closed on his thrashing legs, as clouds of gas billow out of the vehicle. Continue reading... |
| Ancient cypress in Chile may be the world’s oldest tree, new study suggests Posted: 26 May 2022 02:00 AM PDT The tree, in Chile's Alerce Costero national park, is known as the Great-Grandfather and could be more than 5,000 years old Scientists in Chile believe that a conifer with a four-metre-thick trunk known as the Great-Grandfather could be the world's oldest living tree, beating the current record-holder by more than 600 years. A new study carried out by Dr Jonathan Barichivich, a Chilean scientist at the Climate and Environmental Sciences Laboratory in Paris, suggests that the tree, a Patagonian cypress, also known as the alerce milenario, could be up to 5,484 years old. Continue reading... |
| World’s most violent cities: Medellín crime surge helps Latin America top list Posted: 26 May 2022 12:15 AM PDT Region has two-thirds of world's most dangerous cities, with Bogotá, Rio, Mexico City and San Salvador also named in study When police found the body of Marcela Graciano, a 31-year-old Colombian DJ, last Thursday, the brutality of the crime shocked even them. Her body, found in a house in a suburb of Medellín – Colombia's second city – revealed signs of torture and her hands had been tied behind her back. "The body was in an advanced state of decomposition," the local police chief, Col Rolfy Mauricio Jiménez, said. The Valle de Aburrá municipality has had 11 murders this year, authorities said. Continue reading... |
| Cramped ship carrying more than 800 Haitians lands in Cuba Posted: 25 May 2022 11:18 AM PDT Group includes children and pregnant women as exodus from crisis-hit Haiti grows A ship carrying more than 800 Haitians who were apparently trying to reach the US has landed instead in central Cuba, in what is thought to be the largest group yet in a swelling exodus of people from the crisis-stricken Caribbean country. The Communist party newspaper Granma quoted Red Cross officials in the province of Villa Clara as saying the 842 people crammed on to the vessel had been given medical attention and were being housed at a tourist campground. Continue reading... |
| Quebec moves to protect French language and restrict use of English Posted: 25 May 2022 08:42 AM PDT Premier says 'we are proud to be a francophone nation in North America' but English-speaking critics threaten legal action Quebec's government has successfully passed sweeping French language protections that critics warn will reshape all aspects of public life. Bill 96, which passed on Tuesday afternoon in the province's national assembly, will require new immigrants and refugees to communicate with provincial officials exclusively in French six months after arriving or face a loss of services. The bill also limits the use of English in the legal system and caps enrolment at the province's English-language schools. Continue reading... |
| Brazil: at least 21 people killed during police raid in Rio favela Posted: 24 May 2022 02:40 PM PDT Death toll puts the incident among Rio's deadliest police operations in recent history At least 21 people have been shot dead and seven wounded during a police raid on a Rio de Janeiro favela to capture the leaders of a drug-trafficking organization. The deaths included a woman who was hit by a stray bullet in the exchange of gunfire between gang members and police in the Vila Cruzeiro favela. Continue reading... |
| Antony Blinken says US is not seeking ‘cold war’ with China Posted: 26 May 2022 09:00 AM PDT US secretary of state vigorously defends existing global order but admits Washington sees Beijing a 'long-term challenge' The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has called for a vigorous defence of the existing global order, but stressed that Joe Biden's administration did not seek a "cold war" with China. "President Biden believes this decade will be decisive," Blinken said in a China policy speech on Thursday. "The actions we take at home and with countries worldwide will determine whether our shared vision of the future will be realised." Continue reading... |
| Hong Kong judicial independence under systematic attack, legal figures warn Posted: 26 May 2022 06:56 AM PDT Signatories of legal opinion say territory's government is using continued presence of overseas judges as 'vote of confidence' International judicial figures including the former UK attorney general Sir Robert Buckland have warned the remaining British, Australian and Canadian judges operating in Hong Kong that they are working in an environment where judicial independence has been wholly undermined and the Chinese Communist party can dictate the outcome of cases. The group has backed a legal opinion that says the systematic threats to Hong Kong's judicial independence will continue to intensify, and that the continued presence of overseas judges is being used by the territory's government as a vote of confidence. Continue reading... |
| Penny Wong tells Pacific nations ‘we have heard you’ as Australia and China battle for influence Posted: 26 May 2022 02:14 AM PDT Foreign minister uses speech in Fiji to declare 'this is a different Australian government' that will act responsibly on climate change
The new foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has promised to treat Pacific island countries with respect, telling an audience in Fiji that Australia is "a partner that doesn't come with strings attached" and won't "impose unsustainable financial burdens". Wong promised to respect Pacific priorities and institutions as she set out an implicit contrast with China, which is pursuing a sweeping regional economic and security deal with Pacific nations that would dramatically expand Beijing's influence and reach into those countries. Continue reading... |
| European fishing fleets accused of illegally netting tuna in Indian Ocean Posted: 26 May 2022 01:56 AM PDT Reports handed to EU claim vessels likely to have entered coastal states' waters where stocks are dwindling European fishing fleets have been illegally netting tuna from dwindling stocks in the Indian Ocean, according to data presented to EU authorities and analysed by expert groups. EU purse seine (a type of large net) fishing vessels were present in the waters of Indian Ocean coastal states, where they were likely to have carried out unauthorised catches, and have reported catches in the Chagos archipelago marine protected area and in Mozambique's exclusive economic zone. Continue reading... |
| Deal proposed by China would dramatically expand security influence in Pacific Posted: 25 May 2022 04:46 PM PDT Leaked copy of draft shows Beijing wants more involvement in policing, cybersecurity and marine mapping China is pursuing a sweeping regional economic security deal with Pacific nations that would dramatically expand its influence and reach into those countries, in a pact that has western countries and some Pacific leaders deeply worried. The wide-ranging deal lays out China's vision for a much closer relationship with the Pacific, especially on security matters, with China proposing it would be involved in training police, cybersecurity, sensitive marine mapping and gaining greater access to natural resources. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 25 May 2022 04:40 PM PDT Prime minister says 'the Pacific is our home' as Beijing plans a regional security pact with almost a dozen island nations Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand is "ready to respond" to security needs in the Pacific, after it emerged China is planning a Pacific-wide security deal with almost a dozen island nations. The prime minister, who is touring the US, said she believed the Pacific could meet its security needs internally, implying it should do so without intervention from China or elsewhere. "On anything related to security arrangements, we are very strongly of the view that we have within the Pacific the means and ability to respond to any security challenges that exist and New Zealand is willing to do that," Ardern said. Continue reading... |
| ‘Highly implausible’ that new Galilee Basin coalmines would be profitable, study finds Posted: 26 May 2022 10:30 AM PDT Report says Adani's Carmichael mine in central Queensland seems 'rather a political decision, not an economically driven one'
Any new coalmines in Australia's Galilee Basin, including Adani's Carmichael mine, will not be economically viable in the long run under even the most generous assumptions about the future of the fossil fuel, according to an analysis by German academics. The study, developed in conjunction with Australian experts, found it was "highly implausible" that mines in the central Queensland basin could run profitably and there was a high chance they would end up as stranded assets. Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Lawyers call on NSW premier to urgently review thousands of Covid fines Posted: 26 May 2022 10:30 AM PDT Law Society argues many fines issued to vulnerable residents are invalid, unfair and could trap disadvantaged people in debt The Law Society of New South Wales has called on the premier, Dominic Perrottet, to "urgently" review thousands of Covid fines issued to the state's most vulnerable, warning many were invalid, unfair, and have caused the disadvantaged to amass "debt they are unable to pay". Earlier this year, the Guardian revealed that small towns with high Indigenous populations and western Sydney suburbs home to the city's most socioeconomically disadvantaged residents bore the brunt of Covid fines during the ramp-up in enforcement in the Delta outbreak. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading... |
| Youpla: how Aboriginal funeral fund evaded regulators despite 30 years of complaints Posted: 26 May 2022 10:30 AM PDT State and federal authorities raised concerns periodically, but fund continued to target vulnerable people until its final collapse in March Federal and state authorities expressed concerns about the conduct of the now-disgraced Aboriginal Community Benefit Fund (ACBF) from its very first year of operation, but failed to bring it into line despite several opportunities. Both New South Wales Fair Trading, which oversees funeral expenses insurance funds, and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, which oversees financial products, including insurance, raised issues with the fund, which later traded as Youpla, on a number of occasions over the past 30 years. Continue reading... |
| Culture wars, renewables and what the federal Liberals could learn from NSW Posted: 26 May 2022 10:30 AM PDT Analysis: Dominic Perrottet may be conservative, but he is not a populist, and understands the benefit of governing from the centre
The New South Wales minister for multiculturalism, Mark Coure, was blunt in his assessment of his party's election day text message spruiking the interception of an asylum seeker boat. "Acts of desperation like this unfairly hurt parts of our community … time to rise above this kind of campaigning," he wrote on Twitter. Continue reading... |
| Jim Chalmers banks on capital spending to help ease cost-of-living crisis Posted: 26 May 2022 10:30 AM PDT New treasurer says Labor is 'not contemplating' extending fuel excise cut or low and middle income tax offset
The new treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is banking on a surge in capital spending to boost productivity in the economy and ease a "cost-of-living crisis". After the Australian Energy Regulator on Thursday lifted standard power prices by as much as 20% for some customers, Chalmers said the increase revealed "a very serious situation" and was just one of several challenges left by the Morrison government. Continue reading... |
| Australian police renew calls for national firearms database following mass shootings in the US Posted: 26 May 2022 10:30 AM PDT Existing information on gun ownership and tracking undermined by inaccurate, inconsistent and incomplete data across multiple jurisdictions Federal police have renewed their plea for a proper national firearms database in the wake of the Texas school shootings, a reform that successive Australian governments have struggled to implement since it was first recommended 30 years ago. Australia's gun control laws, introduced by the Howard government after the Port Arthur massacre, have been widely celebrated for their effectiveness at reducing gun deaths, massacres, and suicides using firearms. Continue reading... |
| Posted: 26 May 2022 01:45 PM PDT Authorities in Kharkiv say at least seven civilians have been killed and 17 wounded after Russian shelling
Maksym Kozytskyi, the governor of Lviv, has posted a status update for the day. He said that there was one air alert overnight, but there were no strikes reported. He also said that for the first time since Lviv started accepting displaced people from elsewhere in Ukraine, there was not a single person who registered for temporary accommodation yesterday. The impact of the war in Ukraine has been a strong theme running through the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos this week. Today, in about half-an-hour, Vitaliy Klitschko, mayor of Kyiv, will be speaking about how to rebuild the Ukrainian capital after the war, and what aid will be needed. My colleague Graeme Wearden is there, and he will be covering that live on our business blog. I'll bring you the top lines here. Continue reading... |
| Office for Students chair didn’t know he was sharing platform with far-right journalist Posted: 26 May 2022 01:06 PM PDT James Wharton says he didn't know Hungarian talkshow host Zsolt Bayer was speaking at rightwing event The chair of England's university regulator, who was criticised for participating in a conference in Hungary on the same platform as a notorious far-right journalist accused of antisemitism, has said he did not know who he was appearing alongside. James Wharton, chair of the Office for Students (OfS), addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) via a video message last Friday, on the same day as Zsolt Bayer, a talkshow host who has called Jews "stinking excrement", referred to Roma as "animals", and used racial epithets to describe Black people. Continue reading... |
| Kharkiv hit by fresh strikes amid fears city is still on Russian agenda Posted: 26 May 2022 11:32 AM PDT Life had begun to return to normal in Ukraine's second city after Moscow's troops were forced to retreat • Ukraine-Russia war – latest updates Artillery has pounded the city of Kharkiv for the first time in two weeks, just as life in Ukraine's second city was starting to return to normal after Russian troops were pushed back from its outlying towns and villages. Kharkiv's regional governor, Oleh Synehubov, said at least seven people had been killed and 17 injured in the attacks on the northern part of the city. Continue reading... |
| IT glitch creates turmoil for easyJet passengers across Europe Posted: 26 May 2022 10:10 AM PDT Airline forced to scrap 200 flights due for early afternoon takeoff and delay many others as a result Airline passengers faced fresh disruption on Thursday after an IT glitch forced easyJet to cancel about 200 flights around Europe. The airline scrapped a stream of flights due to take off between 1pm and 3pm, affecting dozens to and from UK airports, including its biggest base at Gatwick. Continue reading... |
| ‘No humanity whatsoever’: pleas for UK to grant visa to autistic Ukrainian boy Posted: 26 May 2022 09:05 AM PDT Timothy Tymoshenko was sent to Poland because of his distress but does not qualify for Homes for Ukraine scheme A British man who has turned his Polish castle into a makeshift hotel for Ukrainian refugees has accused the UK government of showing "no humanity whatsoever" for not allowing a severely autistic teenager to come to live with an approved foster carer in Lancashire. Pleas are mounting for compassion to be shown to Timothy Tymoshenko, 16, who fled the war in Ukraine without his parents. He is living with his 17-year-old brother, Yurii, in what was once a private palace for the prince-bishop of Wrocław in Piotrowice Nyskie, a tiny Polish village near the Czech border. Continue reading... |
| Russian forces have ‘upper hand’ in Donbas fighting, Ukrainian officials say Posted: 26 May 2022 08:02 AM PDT Governor of Luhansk says Ukrainian troops retreating in some areas, as city of Lyman reportedly captured Officials in Ukraine have admitted that Russia has the "upper hand" in fighting in the country's east, as Ukrainian forces fell back from some of their positions in the Donbas region. Amid reports that Lyman, the site of an important railway junction, had largely been taken by Russian forces, Ukraine's general staff reported that Russian forces were also advancing on Sievierodonetsk, Bakhmut and Avdiivka. Continue reading... |
| Israeli forces deliberately shot Shireen Abu Aqleh, Palestinian probe finds Posted: 26 May 2022 09:55 AM PDT Israel claims the Al Jazeera journalist was killed during a battle between its soldiers and Palestinian militants A Palestinian investigation into the shooting death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has concluded that she was deliberately killed by Israeli forces as she tried to flee, the Palestinian Authority has announced. The conclusion echoed the results of a preliminary investigation announced nearly two weeks ago and were widely expected. Israel rejected the findings, with the defence minister, Benny Gantz, calling them, "a blatant lie." Continue reading... |
| Iran says one dead in ‘industrial accident’ near military complex Posted: 26 May 2022 01:38 AM PDT Parchin facility has previously come under scrutiny from UN nuclear watchdog One person has been killed in an "industrial accident" near an Iranian military complex that has previously come under scrutiny from the UN nuclear watchdog, according to state media reports. "An industrial accident took place [on Wednesday evening] in one of the factories in the Parchin area, leading to the death of one person and injuries to another," Iran's official IRNA news agency said. It gave no details of the cause of the accident. Continue reading... |
| FBI says it foiled Islamic State sympathizer’s plot to kill George W Bush Posted: 24 May 2022 12:03 PM PDT Bureau says in warrant that Ohio man Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab planned assassination out of revenge for Iraq war The FBI claims an Islamic State sympathizer living in Ohio plotted to assassinate George W Bush, but confidential informants helped federal agents foil the plan, according to court records. Details of the alleged scheme to kill the former president are laid out in a warrant that the FBI obtained in March to search the accused operative's cellphone records, a 43-page document that was unsealed only in recent days. Continue reading... |
| Sudan security forces clash with protesters against military coup Posted: 24 May 2022 04:17 AM PDT Police open fire on demonstrators as protest organisers detained in fierce crackdown by regime Security forces in Sudan have mounted a fierce crackdown in recent days to crush remaining unrest, six months after a coup that brought a military regime to power in the unstable strategic country. Police fired teargas and shotguns at protesters as thousands took to the streets in the capital, Khartoum, and twin city of Omdurman on Monday. The violence followed a similarly harsh response to demonstrations over the weekend. In all, 113 people have been injured and one killed in recent days, according to doctors. Continue reading... |
| Iran vows to avenge killing as it buries Revolutionary Guard colonel Posted: 23 May 2022 10:22 AM PDT Finger of blame pointed at Israel after Hassan Sayad Khodayari shot dead in Tehran An Iranian colonel shot dead in Tehran by assailants on motorcycles has been buried as officials vowed to avenge an assassination that they continue to lay at the feet of Israel. The murder of Col Hassan Sayad Khodayari is the highest-profile killing of an Iranian official since the violent death of top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November 2020 and appears to fit a pattern of assassinations that began more than a decade ago. Continue reading... |
| Sole survivor of 2009 Comoros plane crash recalls terrifying ordeal Posted: 23 May 2022 08:23 AM PDT Bahia Bakari, who was 12 at the time, tells French court of the moments leading up to crash in which 152 died A woman who was 12 when she became the sole survivor of the 2009 Yemenia Airways crash in the Comoros islands that killed all 152 others on board has described the terrifying moments leading up to her plunge into the ocean and subsequent rescue as part of the French trial against the airline. Bahia Bakari, 25, has sat through several hearings with her father but had not testified or spoken to journalists attending the trial, which opened this month. Continue reading... |
| ‘It seems this heat will take our lives’: Pakistan city fearful after hitting 51C Posted: 25 May 2022 06:10 AM PDT Residents of Jacobabad say loss of trees and water facilities makes record-breaking temperatures unbearable Muhammad Akbar, 40, sells dried chickpeas on a wheelbarrow in Jacobabad, and has suffered heatstroke three times in his life. But now, he says, the heat is getting worse. "In those days there were many trees in the whole city and there was no shortage of water and we had other facilities so we could easily beat the heat. But now there are no trees or other facilities including water, due to which the heat is becoming unbearable. I'm scared that this heat will take our lives in the coming years." Continue reading... |
| Male Afghan TV presenters mask up to support female colleagues after Taliban decree Posted: 24 May 2022 06:46 AM PDT #FreeHerFace campaign gathers force as high-profile men rebel against crackdown on face coverings in Afghanistan Male TV presenters in Afghanistan are wearing face masks on screen to show solidarity after the Taliban issued an order that all women on news channels must cover their faces. In a protest dubbed #FreeHerFace on social media, men on Tolo News wore masks to mimic the effect of the face veil their female colleagues have been forced to wear after a Taliban crackdown. Continue reading... |
| Afghan female judge awarded prestigious human rights prize Posted: 24 May 2022 05:40 AM PDT Fawzia Amini advocates for rights of Afghan women and girls from London hotel room she's been stuck in for nine months One of Afghanistan's top female judges has been honoured with an international human rights award while she continues her work to advocate for her country's women and girls from a London hotel. Fawzia Amini, 48, fled Afghanistan last summer after the Taliban takeover of the country. She had been one of Afghanistan's leading female judges, former head of the legal department at the Ministry of Women, senior judge in the supreme court, and head of the violence against women court. Continue reading... |
| Joe Biden: invasion of Ukraine shows need for free and open Indo-Pacific Posted: 24 May 2022 01:14 AM PDT Leaders of US, India, Japan and Australia meet in Tokyo for Quad summit Beijing claims is an attempt to contain China The turmoil caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine has underlined the need for a free Indo-Pacific region, Joe Biden has said at a meeting with regional partners that Beijing has condemned as part of a US-led attempt to contain China. Biden and the leaders of a loose alliance known as the Quad – India, Japan and Australia – reaffirmed their commitment to a "free and open" Indo-Pacific during talks in Tokyo on Tuesday. The comments came one day after the US president said Washington would be ready to intervene militarily to defend Taiwan, prompting China to accuse him of "playing with fire". Continue reading... |
| Sisters allegedly murdered by husbands in Pakistan ‘honour’ killing Posted: 23 May 2022 10:30 PM PDT Six men arrested after Pakistani-Spanish women tricked into travelling to Gujrat where they were shot Two sisters with dual Pakistani and Spanish citizenship were allegedly killed by their husbands, uncle and brother in a so-called "honour" killing a day after they were tricked into travelling to Pakistan. Aneesa Abbas, 24, and Arooj Abbas, 21, were strangled and shot dead on Friday after arriving in the eastern city of Gujrat with their mother, Azra Bibi. Continue reading... |
| Top official at Foreign Office called upon to resign over Kabul withdrawal Posted: 23 May 2022 04:01 PM PDT Sir Philip Barton castigated along with Dominic Raab in damning report by MPs into UK's chaotic exit The senior civil servant in charge of the Foreign Office should consider his position after presiding over a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan that betrayed UK allies, put lives in danger, showed a total absence of planning and was chaotically managed, MPs have concluded in a damning report. The report from the foreign affairs select committee said the absence of leadership – both ministerial and official, including the permanent secretary, Sir Philip Barton – when Kabul fell was inexcusable and a grave indictment on those supposedly in charge. It added that Barton failed to give candid evidence to the committee, and says as a result it had lost confidence in him. The committee also accused him of covering up political interference in the fast-tracking of some individuals out of Afghanistan. Continue reading... |
| Sunak U-turns on ‘energy profits levy’ in £15bn cost of living package Posted: 26 May 2022 01:21 PM PDT Chancellor's measures, including tax on oil and gas companies, criticised as too late and a 'drop in the ocean' Rishi Sunak bowed to months of pressure over the cost of living crisis with a £15bn package of support, part-funded by executing a remarkable U-turn to impose a windfall tax on energy companies. Announcing the measures in a bruising week for the government, the chancellor said his "significant set of interventions" would help the poorest in society, with a one-off £650 payment for 8 million families on means-tested benefits, alongside an extra £200 for all energy bill payers that will not have to be repaid. Continue reading... |
| More Tory MPs call for PM to go as No 10 tries to limit Partygate report fallout Posted: 26 May 2022 11:41 AM PDT Boris Johnson's allies rally to his defence as one former minister says he 'will not defend the indefensible' Four more Conservative MPs called for Boris Johnson to resign on Thursday over lockdown-breaking parties, as Downing Street sought to contain the political aftermath of the Sue Gray report. The prime minister's allies reiterated the defence that his attendance at a series of gatherings for departing staff was permitted as work duties. His official spokesman argued that Covid guidelines did not specifically rule out leaving drinks. Continue reading... |
| Scottish Labour seizes Edinburgh council with Lib Dem and Tory help Posted: 26 May 2022 11:39 AM PDT Labour installed as minority administration in capital with Lib Dem and Tory help, to the outrage of SNP The Scottish National party has failed to take all Scotland's largest cities after Labour won control of Edinburgh with Liberal Democrat and Tory help. The SNP had hoped to retain power in the Scottish capital after winning the most seats and brokering a coalition deal with the Scottish Greens which left them three seats short of overall control. Continue reading... |
| BP to review North Sea investments following windfall tax announcement Posted: 26 May 2022 11:20 AM PDT Company says it will look at levy's impact after CEO previously stated no projects would be mothballed BP has said it will review its investments in the North Sea after the government unveiled a windfall tax on oil and gas operators. The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, laid out plans on Thursday for a 25% tax increase to taxes on North Sea energy companies, in a move that is expected to raise £5bn. Continue reading... |
| Alan White, drummer with prog rock band Yes, dies aged 72 Posted: 26 May 2022 11:16 AM PDT Drummer who joined in 1972 also played on albums by John Lennon and George Harrison Alan White, longtime drummer for prog rock band Yes, has died at home aged 72 after a short illness. Announcing the news, the band said they were "shocked and stunned". White was one of the longest-running members of the group, having joined in 1972, replacing Bill Bruford (who joined King Crimson). Continue reading... |
| Police officer in Gaia Pope search ‘missed opportunities’, jury told Posted: 26 May 2022 11:13 AM PDT Sean Mallon tells inquest he made mistakes on night Dorset teenager went missing A police officer who was disciplined over the search for the Dorset teenager Gaia Pope has told her inquest jury that he made a number of mistakes on the night she went missing. Sean Mallon was acting up as a sergeant when he was made aware the 19-year-old had been reported missing on 7 November 2017, Dorset coroner's court heard. Continue reading... |
| Texas officials deflect questions on ‘missing hour’ when gunman was in school – latest updates Posted: 26 May 2022 02:00 PM PDT
Chris Murphy, the Democratic Connecticut senator who delivered a powerful "What are we doing?" gun law plea to the chamber in the immediate aftermath of the Texas shooting, will address the media a little later this morning with progress report on bipartisan talks. Murphy is leading his party's efforts to get enough Republican senators on board to pass some kind of firearms control measures, and met last night with Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, as well as a group of fellow Democrats, Politico reports. Continue reading... |
| ‘Infuriating and horrific’: Sandy Hook parents lambast gun violence inaction Posted: 26 May 2022 11:16 AM PDT Nicole Hockley and Mark Barden founded Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit organization to protect kids from gun violence The parents of children who died in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting – the deadliest school shooting in US history that left 26 people dead, 20 of whom were children under the age of eight – on Thursday spoke out against inaction on gun violence after a mass shooting at Robb elementary in Uvalde, Texas, this week. In the wake of the tragedy that killed their children, Nicole Hockley and Mark Barden co-founded Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting American children from gun violence. Continue reading... |
| Amber Heard tells jury of death threats during trial as testimony ends Posted: 26 May 2022 10:49 AM PDT Actor also details 'unspoken rules' about how friends can touch her and says 'Johnny has taken enough of my voice' Testimony ended Thursday in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation case with Heard telling jurors that she suffers minute-by-minute harassment, including death threats, and daily trauma requiring special "rules" in her life to prevent anxiety attacks. "My friends have to live with a set of unspoken rules about how they can touch me," the 36-year-old Aquaman actor told the court in what amounted to the final reel of the hearing in the long-running case. Continue reading... |
| ‘More could have been done’: Texas police under scrutiny over response to school shooting Posted: 26 May 2022 10:16 AM PDT Gunman remained barricaded inside a classroom for up to an hour before his rampage was brought to an end Texas law enforcement agencies are facing escalating criticism over their response to the mass shooting at Robb elementary school in Uvalde, after it emerged that the gunman remained locked inside a classroom for up to an hour while large numbers of police officers were amassed outside the room without taking any action. At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Texas authorities confirmed that the shooter had been locked inside a classroom for an hour before he was confronted and killed. He committed all his 21 murders inside that room – including 19 children and two teachers. Continue reading... |
| Trump and two of his children must testify in tax fraud case, court rules Posted: 26 May 2022 10:12 AM PDT Ex-president, Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump must testify under oath, says New York attorney general Letitia James Donald Trump and his children Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump have been ordered to testify in a New York state civil investigation of their business affairs. The state attorney general, Letitia James, said: "A court has once again ruled in our favor and ordered Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump to appear before my office to testify under oath." Continue reading... |
| Ray Liotta, star of Goodfellas and Field of Dreams, dies aged 67 Posted: 26 May 2022 10:03 AM PDT The actor, whose films also include Something Wild, Marriage Story and Hannibal, died in his sleep while shooting his latest project in the Dominican Republic Ray Liotta, star of Goodfellas and Field of Dreams, has died at the age of 67. According to his representative who confirmed the news, the actor died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic while shooting his latest film Dangerous Waters alongside Saffron Burrows. Continue reading... |
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