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- Nigerian humanist jailed for 24 years after pleading guilty to blasphemy
- Russian mercenaries and Mali army accused of killing 300 civilians
- Sudan militia leader denies war crimes at landmark ICC Darfur trial
- Dozens injured in fire at market in Somaliland
- ‘We feel safer’: how green energy is brightening refugee lives in Rwanda
- How war in Ukraine is affecting food supply in Africa and the Middle East
- Fuel protests prompt Lima curfew as Ukraine crisis touches South America
- El Salvador reels as 6,000 people arrested in unprecedented crackdown
- Victims of Brazil’s Mariana dam disaster seek compensation through UK courts
- Bird populations in Panama rainforest in severe decline, study finds
- Rodrigo Chaves wins Costa Rica election amid sexual harassment allegations
- Argentina criticises UK refusal to talk about future of Falklands
- Shanghai puts whole city on lockdown as Covid cases surge
- Ukraine war to slow growth and drive up poverty in Asia, World Bank warns
- North Korea would ‘annihilate’ South if provoked, warns Kim Jong-un’s sister
- Carrie Lam: a divisive leader in Hong Kong’s turbulent times
- Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says she will not seek second term
- Australia anxious to show it didn’t ‘drop the ball’ on Pacific after China and Solomon Islands deal
- Pregnant women increasingly left out of pocket by Medicare antenatal consultations, doctors say
- NSW principal’s Harvard scholarship paused due to school investigation
- Australian federal police demand parties commit to ‘far-reaching anti-corruption body’
- Coalition accused of sitting on environment report to avoid delivering ‘more bad news’
- Life after prison: Victoria expands jobs program for ex-offenders in bid to reduce recidivism
- Australia’s first-home buyers urged to ‘go in with eyes wide open’ about future rate rises
- Russia-Ukraine war latest: Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says mass graves are a ‘blatantly untruthful provocation’
- Ukrainian man accuses Russians and Chechen troops of mock executions and days of torture
- Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 41 of the Russian invasion
- Russia’s war in Ukraine: complete guide in maps, video and pictures
- EU allies expel 200 Russian diplomats in two days after Bucha killings
- ‘It’s a dream’: exoskeleton allows boy with cerebral palsy to walk and play
- Victim’s iPhone hacked by Pegasus spyware weeks after Apple sued NSO
- Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi faces plagiarism trial in Iranian court
- Yemen: two-month ceasefire begins with hopes for peace talks
- Biden rebuffed as US relations with Saudi Arabia and UAE hit new low
- Israel security forces kill three Palestinians in West Bank
- Yemen’s warring sides accept two-month truce starting with Ramadan
- Sri Lanka faces medical emergency as economic crisis hits drug supplies
- Pakistan’s supreme court delays verdict on fate of Imran Khan
- Sri Lanka’s cabinet resigns as protesters’ anger grows over economic crisis
- Tourists urged to avoid Myanmar as junta prepares to reopen to world
- Imran Khan appears to want to keep power in Pakistan at any cost
- Sri Lanka protesters defy curfew after social media ban
- Partygate: ministers refuse to disclose pictures taken by No 10 photographers
- LGBTQ+ conference cancelled over conversion practices furore
- ‘Heroic’ neighbour died in kettlebell attack saving two-year-old
- Tory ’revenge’ against Channel 4 could turn into bruising battle
- Ministers launch fracking study, paving way to end moratorium in England
- Channel 4 privatisation plans face Tory backlash – UK politics as it happened
- ‘Feels like the good old days’: Joe Biden welcomes Barack Obama back to White House – live
- Amazon to ban ‘union’ and other words from staff chat app
- Sacramento: second suspect arrested over mass shooting that killed six
- Fourth House Republican who voted to impeach Trump announces retirement
- Residents ordered to evacuate building near to site of Miami condo collapse
- Ivanka Trump to testify before panel investigating Capitol attack
| Nigerian humanist jailed for 24 years after pleading guilty to blasphemy Posted: 05 Apr 2022 09:37 AM PDT Mubarak Bala's case seen as part of a clampdown on critics of religious orthodoxy in a deeply conservative region A prominent Nigerian humanist has been sentenced to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to blasphemy charges, in a landmark case that has put a new focus on the threats to freedom of expression in the west African country. Mubarak Bala, the president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was sentenced on Tuesday afternoon, two years after his arrest at his home in the northern Kaduna state on 28 April 2020. He was then taken to neighbouring Kano, where calls for action against him had been made by members of the religious establishment in the majority Muslim and conservative state. Continue reading... |
| Russian mercenaries and Mali army accused of killing 300 civilians Posted: 05 Apr 2022 05:38 AM PDT Human Rights Watch says deaths during anti-jihadist operation in Moura 'the worst atrocity in Mali in a decade' Suspected Russian mercenaries participated in an operation with Mali's army in March in which about 300 civilian men were allegedly executed over five days, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says. Eyewitnesses and local community leaders said hundreds of men were rounded up and killed in small groups during the anti-jihadist operation on 23 March in the central town of Moura. The rural town of about 10,000 inhabitants is in the Mopti region, a hotspot of jihadist activity that has intensified and spread to neighbouring countries in the Sahel region. Continue reading... |
| Sudan militia leader denies war crimes at landmark ICC Darfur trial Posted: 05 Apr 2022 05:15 AM PDT Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman is accused of 31 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity A former militia leader in Sudan has denied committing war crimes and crimes against humanity as his landmark hearing opened at the international criminal court. Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman is accused of leading thousands of pro-government fighters on a systematic campaign of murder, rape and torture during the height of violence in the Darfur region of Sudan between 2003 and 2004. Continue reading...This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Dozens injured in fire at market in Somaliland Posted: 02 Apr 2022 09:10 AM PDT Cause of blaze at Waheen market in Hargeisa, which destroyed hundreds of businesses, is not yet known A massive fire tore through the main market in the city of Hargeisa in northern Somalia overnight, injuring about two dozen people and destroying hundreds of businesses, officials have said. Images posted on social media showed flames and huge billowing clouds of smoke in the night sky over the city, the capital of the breakaway region of Somaliland. Continue reading... |
| ‘We feel safer’: how green energy is brightening refugee lives in Rwanda Posted: 02 Apr 2022 12:00 AM PDT Solar panels and cleaner-burning stoves have reduced dangers faced by residents of three camps "The camp has come from the dark into the light," says Edson Sebutozi Munyakarambi, a refugee living in the Kigeme camp in southern Rwanda. "Before the solar-powered street lamps, the camp was dark. Some people would come and steal things from the houses," says Munyakarambi, who chairs the committee that represents the 16,000 people in the camp. "But now no one can rob people on the street corners and the children can study or play outside while they wait for their dinner." Continue reading... |
| How war in Ukraine is affecting food supply in Africa and the Middle East Posted: 01 Apr 2022 11:30 PM PDT Prices of basics such as oil and wheat are shooting up and shortages are showing on supermarket shelves in Lebanon, Somalia and Egypt
When Lebanon's Muslims sat down to their first iftar of Ramadan tonight, the meal in front of them will have cost significantly more than it did six weeks ago. Continue reading... |
| Fuel protests prompt Lima curfew as Ukraine crisis touches South America Posted: 05 Apr 2022 08:48 AM PDT Peru's embattled president takes drastic step as fertiliser and fuel prices soar and Brazil seeks to open Indigenous territory to mining Peru's embattled president Pedro Castillo has banned residents of the capital, Lima, from leaving their homes in an attempt to quell nationwide protests over soaring fuel and fertiliser prices caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In a televised address just before midnight on Monday, Castillo announced a curfew from 2am until 11.59pm on Tuesday, claiming the measure would "protect the fundamental rights of all people". Continue reading... |
| El Salvador reels as 6,000 people arrested in unprecedented crackdown Posted: 05 Apr 2022 03:30 AM PDT Authoritarian populist president Nayib Bukele has suspended rights in state of emergency justified as attack on MS13 gang Distraught families across El Salvador are searching for information on the fate of their loved ones after almost 6,000 people were arrested in an unprecedented security crackdown over the past week. Men, women and children have been rounded up across the Central American country since the government declared a state of emergency on 27 March, suspending constitutional rights including the presumption of innocence. Continue reading... |
| Victims of Brazil’s Mariana dam disaster seek compensation through UK courts Posted: 04 Apr 2022 11:00 PM PDT In one of the largest claims in English legal history, 200,000 people affected by the 2015 incident will have their case heard this week More than 200,000 victims of Brazil's worst environmental disaster are seeking compensation in a UK court this week, in one of the largest group claims in English legal history. The claimants, including representatives of Krenak indigenous communities, are fighting to get compensation for the devastation caused by the Mariana dam disaster in November 2015. The £5bn lawsuit is against the Anglo-Australian mining company BHP. Continue reading... |
| Bird populations in Panama rainforest in severe decline, study finds Posted: 04 Apr 2022 12:00 PM PDT Of 57 species sampled, 35 decreased in number by 50% over four decades, with climate crisis likely factor Bird populations in a Central American tropical rainforest are suffering severe declines, with likely factors including climate breakdown and habitat loss. Scientists from the University of Illinois tracked species of birds in a protected forest reserve in central Panama to determine if and how populations had changed from 1977 to 2020. Continue reading... |
| Rodrigo Chaves wins Costa Rica election amid sexual harassment allegations Posted: 04 Apr 2022 10:31 AM PDT Former finance minister was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women while working at the World Bank A former finance minister who surprised many by making it into Costa Rica's presidential runoff has easily won the election and is to become the Central American country's new leader next month while still fending off accusations of sexual harassment when he worked at the World Bank. With nearly all polling stations reporting, the conservative economist Rodrigo Chaves had 53% of the vote, compared with 47% for former president José Figueres Ferrer, the supreme electoral tribunal said. Continue reading... |
| Argentina criticises UK refusal to talk about future of Falklands Posted: 01 Apr 2022 10:00 PM PDT Argentine foreign minister calls for improvement in bilateral relations with Britain 40 years after conflict British-Argentine relations will be stifled so long as the UK refuses to engage in discussions about the future sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, or if both sides continue to act as if the war happened only yesterday, the Argentine foreign minister has said. Writing in the Guardian on the 40th anniversary of the Argentine invasion of the islands in April 1982, Santiago Cafiero called for an improvement in bilateral relations. Continue reading... |
| Shanghai puts whole city on lockdown as Covid cases surge Posted: 05 Apr 2022 06:22 AM PDT Residents of China's most populous city complain of government's lack of organisation Shanghai has put all its 26 million residents under lockdown in China's single-biggest city-wide imposition of the restrictions since the pandemic began as authorities admitted the difficulty in containing the fast-spreading Omicron variant. Until this week, the megacity – also China's most populous – adopted an approach of phased lockdown. Initially, the eastern side of the Huangpu River went into lockdown between 28 March and 1 April, then the western side followed suit for another four days. Continue reading... |
| Ukraine war to slow growth and drive up poverty in Asia, World Bank warns Posted: 04 Apr 2022 11:13 PM PDT Conflict adds strain to developing economies in east Asia and Pacific already struggling with Covid and inflation Russia's invasion of Ukraine has further dampened the economic prospects for developing countries in east Asia and the Pacific, meaning lower economic growth and higher poverty in the region this year, the World Bank has warned. The Ukraine factor came on top of the existing risks that the region – home to 2.1 billion people and stretching from China to Papua New Guinea – has been facing in recent years. They included the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the financial tightening in the US, and the pandemic resurgence amid China's zero-Covid policies. Continue reading... |
| North Korea would ‘annihilate’ South if provoked, warns Kim Jong-un’s sister Posted: 04 Apr 2022 09:17 PM PDT Warning points to a rise in tensions on the peninsula after the North conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile test in five years The influential sister of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, has said the country's nuclear forces would "annihilate" the South Korean military if it launched a pre-emptive strike against the regime. Kim Yo-jong, who holds several senior positions in the government and ruling party, said the North had no intention of starting a second Korean war, but would respond if provoked and leave the South's military in a state of "total destruction and ruin". Continue reading... |
| Carrie Lam: a divisive leader in Hong Kong’s turbulent times Posted: 04 Apr 2022 08:40 AM PDT Tenure of woman who rose through ranks to become governor marked by controversies and scandals Carrie Lam came to office pledging to unite Hong Kong, but she will leave accused of being a divisive leader of a politically turbulent city. Lam entered Hong Kong's civil service in 1980, with her colleagues labelling her a "houdadak", or "good fighter", because of her strong will in a bureaucratic battle. She eventually rose through the ranks to become the first female governor of the key financial hub in 2017. She announced on Monday that she will not seek a second five-year term of office. Continue reading... |
| Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says she will not seek second term Posted: 04 Apr 2022 03:51 AM PDT Chief executive to leave office at end of June after five years marked by upheavals of anti-government protests Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, who has governed the Chinese region since 2017, has announced she will not seek a second five-year term of office. Lam's tenure as the chief executive of one of Asia's most significant financial hubs has been marked by the upheavals of anti-government protests and, more recently, Covid-19. Critics have accused her of helping Beijing to curtail Hong Kong's freedoms. Continue reading... |
| Australia anxious to show it didn’t ‘drop the ball’ on Pacific after China and Solomon Islands deal Posted: 03 Apr 2022 11:46 PM PDT Canberra must walk a delicate line when responding to challenges presented by Beijing and Solomons' security agreement
As China makes progress on a security deal with Solomon Islands, the Australian government is anxious not to be seen to have "dropped the ball" in the Pacific region. That would be a tad embarrassing, given it has spent the past few years sounding the alarm about security threats from China while also trumpeting its own "Pacific Step-Up". The deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, has been one of the ministers on the defensive after leaked documents revealed the draft agreement between China and the Pacific island nation. Continue reading... |
| Pregnant women increasingly left out of pocket by Medicare antenatal consultations, doctors say Posted: 05 Apr 2022 01:45 PM PDT Peak GPs body calls for Medicare rebate to be extended to cover growing complexity of care for expectant mothers Expectant mothers are unable to afford some antenatal consultations, the peak body representing GPs says, as doctors call on the federal government to raise the Medicare rebate. Dr Karen Price, the president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, says there have been significant advances in antenatal care over the years but Medicare patient rebates had not kept pace with the costs of providing it. Continue reading... |
| NSW principal’s Harvard scholarship paused due to school investigation Posted: 05 Apr 2022 10:30 AM PDT Education department probes complaints about Katoomba high school's response to claims of harassment among students
The principal of a Blue Mountains high school has had a prestigious Harvard scholarship put on hold while her school is investigated by the New South Wales Department of Education. The internal departmental investigation comes on top of two court cases involving staff or students at the school. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading... |
| Australian federal police demand parties commit to ‘far-reaching anti-corruption body’ Posted: 05 Apr 2022 10:30 AM PDT Police say current anti-corruption regime is unequal and holds law enforcement to a higher standard than politicians Thousands of Australian Federal Police (AFP) members are demanding the next commonwealth government establish a strong anti-corruption commission that equally investigates politicians and law enforcement, saying police are being unfairly blamed for gaps in the nation's integrity system. The Australian Federal Police Association, which represents 4,000 AFP members, has placed the establishment of a "far-reaching anti-corruption body" among its highest priorities ahead of the federal election, alongside improved support for officers suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, greater resourcing, and stronger firearms regulations. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading... |
| Coalition accused of sitting on environment report to avoid delivering ‘more bad news’ Posted: 05 Apr 2022 10:30 AM PDT Calls for report to be released before election so voters know 'official state' of environment under Morrison government
The Morrison government has been accused of sitting on a major report card on the state of Australia's environment it received more than three months ago to avoid "more bad news". Labor, the Greens, the independent MP Zali Steggall, environment groups and scientists have called on the government to release the Australia State of the Environment report, which is produced by scientists and compiled every five years. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading... |
| Life after prison: Victoria expands jobs program for ex-offenders in bid to reduce recidivism Posted: 05 Apr 2022 10:30 AM PDT Inquiry has found unemployment a key compounding factor in people returning to jail Domestic violence and sexual assault survivor Grace* knows first-hand the discrimination experienced by ex-prisoners while job hunting. The 27-year-old floated between the criminal justice system and attempts to find work, having been locked up for theft and drug possession. Continue reading... |
| Australia’s first-home buyers urged to ‘go in with eyes wide open’ about future rate rises Posted: 05 Apr 2022 10:30 AM PDT The good news is more places on offer in the first home guarantee scheme. The bad news could be higher mortgage repayments Laura Valencic has never had the luxury of calling the "bank of mum and dad" to help her buy a home. After the federal government announced more places under the first home guarantee scheme in the budget, Valencic feels like she finally has an in. But she's wary of a potential pitfall in the future: will she be able to afford the mortgage repayments when interest rates rise? Continue reading... |
| Posted: 05 Apr 2022 01:50 PM PDT
In Zelenskiy's signature late-night national address he addressed Russian soldiers and military officers. "Nowadays people are not executed," Zelenskiy began. "But all skabeevas, evening loudmouths, frontline liars and their bosses in Moscow should remember: the end of your life will be behind bars. At best." Everything to punish them. This will be a joint work of our state with the European Union and international institutions, in particular with the International Criminal Court. All crimes of the occupiers are documented. The necessary procedural basis is provided for bringing the guilty Russian military to justice for every crime they commit... Continue reading... |
| Ukrainian man accuses Russians and Chechen troops of mock executions and days of torture Posted: 05 Apr 2022 11:38 AM PDT Petro Titenko was beaten, suffocated, shot at and left lying in a pit for hours after being captured Fresh allegations of atrocities by occupying troops have emerged as a Ukrainian man described three days and nights of torture, mock executions and the disappearance of fellow prisoners during his captivity by Russian forces in the town of Borodyanka. Petro Titenko, 45, told the Guardian of his three nights of hell at the hands of Russian and Chechen soldiers after he was picked up for breaking curfew, during which he was beaten, forced to kneel in what he was told was his grave and had bullets shot at his head and feet. Continue reading... |
| Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 41 of the Russian invasion Posted: 05 Apr 2022 11:10 AM PDT Zelenskiy calls for Nuremberg-style trials in address to UN security council; landmine danger in Bucha; EU proposes new sanctions Continue reading... |
| Russia’s war in Ukraine: complete guide in maps, video and pictures Posted: 05 Apr 2022 10:57 AM PDT Where is fighting happening and how did we get here? Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed the UN security council after videos and photos showed streets in the town of Bucha strewn with corpses, some with their hands tied behind their back. He gave a harrowing account of atrocities, of civilians "shot and killed in the back of the head after being tortured" and "women were raped and killed in front of their children", that he said were no different to the behaviour of the terrorist group Islamic State. He demanded that Russian leaders be "brought to justice for war crimes". Continue reading... |
| EU allies expel 200 Russian diplomats in two days after Bucha killings Posted: 05 Apr 2022 10:28 AM PDT More than 325 diplomats and embassy workers now expelled since Moscow invaded Ukraine Almost two hundred Russian diplomatic staff have been expelled from European countries this week in a direct expression of governments' outrage at the killings of Ukrainian civilians revealed as Moscow's military forces left. In what amounts to one of the biggest diplomatic breakdowns of recent years, 206 Russian diplomats and embassy staff have been told since Monday they are no longer welcome to stay by governments in Italy, France, Germany and elsewhere, in addition to more than 100 reported to have already been thrown out since the beginning of Russia's latest invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Continue reading... |
| ‘It’s a dream’: exoskeleton allows boy with cerebral palsy to walk and play Posted: 05 Apr 2022 10:23 AM PDT Boy, 12, takes Marsi Bionics-designed kit into Madrid school for first time Given the day's importance and the many long months he and his family had dreamed of it, Jorge would probably have preferred a special guest appearance by Tony Stark, Dr Bruce Banner or Marshall the fire pup from Paw Patrol. Or, better still, all three. But in the end he had to make do with a surprise visit from Pedro Sánchez. At 12.45pm on Tuesday, surrounded by friends and teachers – and Spain's prime minister – Jorge fulfilled the biggest ambition of his 12 years by standing up, walking over to his classmates, and playing with them. Continue reading... |
| Victim’s iPhone hacked by Pegasus spyware weeks after Apple sued NSO Posted: 05 Apr 2022 12:25 PM PDT Quartet targeted by clients – thought to be Jordanian government agencies – of Israeli company even after Apple sued in November New evidence has revealed that an Apple iPhone was successfully hacked by a government user of NSO Group's Pegasus spyware in December, weeks after the technology giant sued the Israeli company in a US court and called for it to be banned from "harming individuals" using Apple products. A report published on Tuesday by security researchers at Front Line Defenders (FLD) and Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto found that phones belonging to four Jordanian human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists were hacked by government clients of NSO – which appear to be Jordanian government agencies – from August 2019 to December 2021. Continue reading... |
| Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi faces plagiarism trial in Iranian court Posted: 05 Apr 2022 09:12 AM PDT Director and grand prix winner at last year's Cannes festival for A Hero was sued by former student for using story from her documentary without credit Asghar Farhadi, the Oscar winning director of A Separation and The Salesman, has been indicted in a plagiarism case brought by one of his former students, who had claimed he took the idea for his 2021 film A Hero from a documentary she had made for a film class. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Azadeh Masihzadeh brought the case after Farhadi had earlier sued her for defamation; in both cases the courts ruled in Masihzadeh's favour. The case will now pass to a second judge whose ruling will decide whether or not Farhadi will be convicted. This can then be appealed. This article was amended on 5 April 2022. It had been originally stated that Asghar Farhadi was convicted of the crime, following widespread misinformation, but has now been changed to reflect that he has been indicted and a trial will decide the outcome. Continue reading... |
| Yemen: two-month ceasefire begins with hopes for peace talks Posted: 03 Apr 2022 06:50 AM PDT UN special envoy Hans Grundberg stresses importance of building on truce in effort to end six-year war A UN-brokered two-month ceasefire in Yemen was broadly holding on its first full day with oil shipments reaching the port of Hodeida, including some ships that have been barred from entering for 88 days. The ceasefire is the biggest step forward in the six-year war and is intended to apply inside and outside the country's borders. Continue reading... |
| Biden rebuffed as US relations with Saudi Arabia and UAE hit new low Posted: 02 Apr 2022 10:00 PM PDT Analysis: As oil prices – and diplomatic tensions – rise, two of the biggest US allies are questioning the basis of their relationship As Joe Biden moved to open US strategic oil reserves, his two biggest oil-producing allies have kept their tanks firmly shut. The UAE and Saudi Arabia continue to rebuff the US president as he attempts to counter soaring oil prices prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And both countries have been unusually frank about their refusal to step in. The five-week-old war is bringing tensions to a head in several parts of the world, but perhaps nowhere is a regional order more under strain than the Middle East, where two of America's biggest allies are now seriously questioning the foundations of their relationship. Continue reading... |
| Israel security forces kill three Palestinians in West Bank Posted: 01 Apr 2022 05:28 PM PDT Israeli police say the men were armed and were 'killed in a shootout' after tensions rise in the past week Israeli security forces have killed three Palestinian gunmen in the occupied West Bank, Israeli police said. There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials. The Israeli police said the men were armed and were "killed in a shootout," in the pre-dawn incident on Saturday. Continue reading... |
| Yemen’s warring sides accept two-month truce starting with Ramadan Posted: 01 Apr 2022 02:15 PM PDT Agreement comes after significant escalation in bloody conflict between Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels Yemen's warring sides have accepted a two-month truce, starting with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to the UN envoy to the country. Hans Grundberg announced the agreement from Amman, Jordan, after meeting separately with both sides in the country's brutal civil war. He said he hoped the truce would be renewed after two months. Continue reading... |
| Sri Lanka faces medical emergency as economic crisis hits drug supplies Posted: 05 Apr 2022 07:58 AM PDT Union warns of complete breakdown of health system with hospitals 'all running out of medicines' Sri Lanka's economic crisis has deteriorated into a medical crisis, with the top medical union declaring a national health emergency over a life-threatening shortage of drugs. On Tuesday the country's most powerful trade union, the Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA), called a meeting and declared a medical crisis as doctors and hospitals reported a widespread lack of medicine. Continue reading... |
| Pakistan’s supreme court delays verdict on fate of Imran Khan Posted: 04 Apr 2022 11:45 AM PDT Country remains in political turmoil as it awaits ruling on PM's move to dissolve parliament and call election Pakistan remains without a government and engulfed in political turmoil after the supreme court delayed its verdict on whether the prime minister, Imran Khan, had violated the constitution by dissolving parliament rather than face a no-confidence vote. Khan's decision to call for parliament to be dissolved on Sunday, rather than allow a no-confidence vote on his premiership that was expected to oust him, had been justified by him on the basis that it was an alleged "foreign conspiracy" led by the west against his government. Continue reading... |
| Sri Lanka’s cabinet resigns as protesters’ anger grows over economic crisis Posted: 03 Apr 2022 05:04 PM PDT All 26 cabinet ministers aside from the president and the prime minister quit as unrest over the country's worst financial crisis in decades continues Sri Lanka's entire cabinet aside from the president and his sibling prime minister resigned from their posts on Sunday as the ruling political clan seeks to resolve a mounting economic crisis, with a social media blackout failing to halt another day of anti-government demonstrations. The south Asian nation is facing severe shortages of food, fuel and other essentials – along with record inflation and crippling power cuts – in its most painful downturn since independence from Britain in 1948. Continue reading... |
| Tourists urged to avoid Myanmar as junta prepares to reopen to world Posted: 03 Apr 2022 04:59 PM PDT Travel agents and aid workers raise issues of safety and note that tourism dollars will only benefit the ruling military Foreign tourists have been urged to avoid visiting Myanmar after the junta signalled plans to open up the country despite widespread ongoing rights abuses and violence including kidnappings and killings by the military, as well as food shortages and regular blackouts. More than a year after it seized power and ousted Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's military has announced it plans to reopen for tourism and resume international flights on 17 April. Continue reading... |
| Imran Khan appears to want to keep power in Pakistan at any cost Posted: 03 Apr 2022 09:51 AM PDT Prime minister cuts an increasingly isolated figure – and his dramatic dissolution of parliament is a very risky move Imran Khan's dramatic move to dissolve Pakistan's parliament on Sunday morning, ahead of a vote that almost certainly would have removed him from office, reads to many like the desperate actions of a prime minister who will try to hold on to power at any cost. While his repeated allegations of a "foreign conspiracy" and pressure from the US being behind the no-confidence vote has played well to his diehard supporters, most of whom are vehemently opposed to the west, it is still a very risky move for Khan. Continue reading... |
| Sri Lanka protesters defy curfew after social media ban Posted: 03 Apr 2022 08:49 AM PDT State of emergency imposed on Friday as country faces severe shortages of food, fuel and other essentials Armed troops in Sri Lanka confronted crowds protesting against a worsening economic crisis, after a social media blackout failed to halt another day of anti-government demonstrations. The south Asian nation is facing severe shortages of food, fuel and other essentials – along with record inflation and crippling power cuts – in its most painful economic downturn since independence from Britain in 1948. Continue reading... |
| Partygate: ministers refuse to disclose pictures taken by No 10 photographers Posted: 05 Apr 2022 01:27 PM PDT Cabinet Office won't confirm or deny existence of taxpayer-funded pictures of illegal gatherings after freedom of information request Ministers are refusing to disclose any pictures taken by official No 10 photographers of illegal gatherings held inside Downing Street, prompting Labour to call on Boris Johnson to "come clean and release these photos". The Cabinet Office refused to confirm or deny the existence of any photographs of events in the cabinet room, leaving parties, and a party in the prime minister's Downing Street flat, after official pictures of the gatherings were requested under freedom of information laws. Continue reading... |
| LGBTQ+ conference cancelled over conversion practices furore Posted: 05 Apr 2022 12:31 PM PDT Organisations pulled out of Safe to Be Me after government failure to ban conversion practices for transgender people The government's flagship LGBTQ+ conference is to be cancelled after it fell into disarray with more organisations pulling out and a key government adviser accusing ministers of waging a "woke war". With Downing Street under fire for watering down its commitment to ban conversion practices, the Safe to Be Me event due to be hosted in June has now been scrapped. Continue reading... |
| ‘Heroic’ neighbour died in kettlebell attack saving two-year-old Posted: 05 Apr 2022 11:44 AM PDT Milton Keynes coroner rules highways officer Richard Woodcock was unlawfully killed A "heroic" neighbour who sacrificed his life to save a two-year-old boy died after being repeatedly hit with a kettlebell, a coroner has said. The body of Richard Woodcock, 38, a highways officer, was found by Thames Valley police when they forced their way into a property in Milton Keynes on 26 June last year. Continue reading... |
| Tory ’revenge’ against Channel 4 could turn into bruising battle Posted: 05 Apr 2022 11:28 AM PDT Analysis: why ministers are risking political capital pushing ahead now with privatisation plan is unclear According to one key individual involved in the battle for Channel 4's future, the broadcaster is a "wonderful company doing a fantastic job", it is performing well financially and plays a crucial role in supporting the British television ecosystem. Curiously, that individual is Stephen Parkinson, a government minister arguing that the only solution to secure Channel 4's future is to rapidly privatise it and sell it off to a commercial owner, possibly one based overseas. Continue reading... |
| Ministers launch fracking study, paving way to end moratorium in England Posted: 05 Apr 2022 10:43 AM PDT Conservatives seek to examine latest techniques, citing rising energy costs Ministers have paved the way for a reconsideration of the moratorium on fracking in England by commissioning a new study to examine safety concerns about the controversial practice. In an effort to decrease Britain's reliance on imported energy given spiralling costs, the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, said it was "absolutely right that we explore all possible domestic energy sources". Continue reading... |
| Channel 4 privatisation plans face Tory backlash – UK politics as it happened Posted: 05 Apr 2022 10:06 AM PDT This live blog is now closed. You can find our latest stories on Channel 4 below:
DCMS select committee chair Julian Knight has questioned if the government's plans to forge forward with the privatisation of Channel 4 are "revenge", adding that many Tories believe the move is "payback time" for "biased coverage". Knight said Channel 4 could succeed if it was privatised and managed well, but it's "a big risk" and "must be done as part of a thorough overhaul of all public service broadcasting". It is certainly true that Channel 4 will have greater freedom to compete once privatised and if managed well it should be able to continue to innovate and crucially appeal to young audiences - a real USP in today's broadcast landscape. However, this is a big risk. The question has to be, do you think a restricted but brilliant small state broadcaster will part compete with the likes of Apple and Amazon or does it need to be able to borrow and grow in a way only privatisation can unlock? Continue reading... |
| ‘Feels like the good old days’: Joe Biden welcomes Barack Obama back to White House – live Posted: 05 Apr 2022 02:00 PM PDT
Ivanka Trump will testify before the January 6 committee this afternoon. The Guardian confirmed that former president Donald Trump's oldest daughter, and former senior White House adviser, will speak to the panel virtually. |
| Amazon to ban ‘union’ and other words from staff chat app Posted: 05 Apr 2022 01:12 PM PDT Planned social media app would also prevent workers from using terms such as 'fire', 'slave labor', 'diversity' and 'injustice' Amazon reportedly plans to block the word "union" and other related keywords from an internal messaging app the company is developing for workers. The list of banned words includes "union", "fire", "compensation", "plantation", "slave labor", "diversity", "robots", "grievance" and "injustice", among others, according to leaked internal messages seen by the Intercept. The news came days after Amazon workers in New York made history by voting to form a union, the first successful US organizing effort in the company's history. Continue reading... |
| Sacramento: second suspect arrested over mass shooting that killed six Posted: 05 Apr 2022 12:23 PM PDT Smiley Martin, 27, brother of first suspect Dandrae Martin, facing gun-related charges but neither brother charged with homicide Police in Sacramento arrested a second person in connection with Sunday's mass shooting in a bustling stretch of California's capitol. Six people were killed in the shooting and at least 12 were injured. On Tuesday the department announced Smiley Martin, who was also injured in the shooting, would be booked in Sacramento's county jail once his medical care is complete. Martin, 27, is facing charges of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun. His brother Dandrae Martin, 26, was arrested on Monday and charged with assault and illegal firearm possession offenses. Continue reading... |
| Fourth House Republican who voted to impeach Trump announces retirement Posted: 05 Apr 2022 12:00 PM PDT Ex-president issues mocking statement after Congressman Fred Upton of Michigan says he will not stand in midterms The Michigan congressman Fred Upton has become the fourth of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump over the Capitol attack to announce his retirement in November. The others are Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a member of the January 6 committee, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio and John Katko of New York. The retirements are seen as further boosting Trump's power and influence with Republicans. Continue reading... |
| Residents ordered to evacuate building near to site of Miami condo collapse Posted: 05 Apr 2022 10:57 AM PDT Second building ordered evacuated in North Miami Beach since collapse of Champlain Towers South last June in nearby Surfside, which killed 98 people Residents of a five-story apartment building in North Miami Beach were ordered to evacuate after officials deemed the building "structurally unsound" during its 50-year recertification process, officials said. The residents of Bayview 60 Homes were ordered out on Monday by city officials. It was the second building ordered evacuated in the city since the collapse of Champlain Towers South last June in nearby Surfside, which killed 98 people. Continue reading... |
| Ivanka Trump to testify before panel investigating Capitol attack Posted: 05 Apr 2022 10:23 AM PDT Donald Trump's eldest daughter, a former senior White House adviser, to speak virtually to committee about events of January 6 Ivanka Trump will testify before the January 6 committee on Tuesday. The Guardian confirmed that former president Donald Trump's oldest daughter, and former senior White House adviser, will speak to the panel virtually. Continue reading... |
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