One killed in largest Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow, authorities say

Posted on by

At least 91 drones descended on Russian capital, forcing flights and train services to be suspended

Ukraine targeted Moscow early on Tuesday in what authorities said was its largest ever drone attack on the Russian capital, killing at least one person, sparking fires and forcing the suspension of flights and train travel.

The Russian defence ministry said 337 drones were launched at Russia over Monday night, with 91 of them targeting the Moscow region. The Moscow city mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said it was the largest Ukrainian drone attack on the city. The governor of the wider region, Andrei Vorobyov, said: “At the moment, one person is known to have died and three were injured.”

Continue reading...

Backlash in Brisbane as New Order gig gets go ahead in storm-damaged city

Posted on by

Ticket holders for the Tuesday night concert at an outdoor riverside venue have complained about the decision to go ahead in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred

Live music promoters TEG Group and British band New Order are facing a public backlash after announcing they would go ahead with a scheduled concert in Brisbane as the city grapples with major flooding in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

The concert, part of the Manchester synth-pop pioneers’ Australian tour, is set to take place Tuesday night at Riverstage, a 9,500-capacity outdoor venue located on Brisbane river, within the city’s Botanic Gardens.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Toilet training and cutlery use key part of England’s ‘school-readiness skills list’

Posted on by

Checkpoints backed by education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, follow complaints from teachers of children arriving in nappies

Toilet training and the ability to use cutlery are two key checkpoints in a new list of “school-readiness” skills developed by a coalition of early-years educators and endorsed by Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary.

The group said the guidance was the first of its type, intended to help parents to prepare children starting in reception classes in England from the age of four and came after complaints from teachers of children arriving at school in nappies, lacking basic skills and unable to play with others.

Continue reading...

K-pop singer Wheesung found dead at home aged 43

Posted on by

Tributes have been paid to singer who had a string of hits in South Korea including a cover of Craig David’s Insomnia

The South Korean singer Wheesung has died aged 43, with police reportedly planning to conduct an autopsy to determine his cause of death.

The singer, whose name was Choi Whee-sung, was found unconscious in his apartment on Monday night by emergency responders after his mother called for help, local media reported.

Continue reading...

Police admit arrest of anti-monarchy heckler in Oxford was unlawful

Posted on by

Symon Hill paid £2,500 by Thames Valley police over his arrest at proclamation of Charles III’s accession in 2022

Police have admitted acting unlawfully in arresting a trainee Baptist minister who called out “Who elected him?” at a local proclamation of the accession of King Charles III.

After a two-and-a-half-year battle, Symon Hill, 47, has been paid £2,500 in compensation from Thames Valley police over his arrest in September 2022.

Continue reading...

Taoiseach must tread carefully amid tensions before Trump meeting

Posted on by

Defence, the Palestinians and Irish-American trade will all be on the agenda as Micheál Martin heads to Washington

St Patrick’s Day has long been one of the sacred moments of the Irish-American calendar with more than 200 years of parades in New York and a shamrock reception at the White House launched by Dwight Eisenhower in 1953 to cement political ties between the two nations.

But this year’s annual meeting between the taoiseach and the US president, a week early because of a congressional recess on 17 March, is laden with anxiety over the future of Ireland’s economy, which is heavily reliant on US multinationals Donald Trump wants to repatriate.

Continue reading...

Portugal set for snap general election as PM faces confidence vote

Posted on by

MPs prepare to debate a motion of confidence that looks likely to topple centre-right government

Portugal is bracing for its third snap general election in as many years as MPs prepare to debate a motion of confidence that looks set to topple the centre-right government and trigger a return to the polls in May.

Luís Montenegro, the prime minister, who heads the Democratic Alliance (AD) platform that has governed Portugal since its narrow victory in last year’s election, called the vote of confidence, which is due to take place on Tuesday, in response to growing questions over his family’s business activities.

Continue reading...

The list of the world’s top 20 most polluted cities is out. All but one are in Asia – CNN

Posted on by
  1. The list of the world’s top 20 most polluted cities is out. All but one are in Asia  CNN
  2. Only seven countries met WHO air quality standards in 2024, data shows  Reuters
  3. Only seven countries worldwide meet WHO dirty air guidelines, study shows  The Guardian
  4. 13 Of World's 20 Most Polluted Cities In India, Delhi Most Polluted Capital  NDTV
  5. Majority of the world’s population breathes dirty air, report says  The Associated Press
Posted in Uncategorized

Duterte flown to The Hague after arrest over Philippines drug war killings

Posted on by

Ex-president to face charges of crimes against humanity over ‘war on drugs’ that rights groups say left 30,000 dead

The former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has left Manila on a plane headed to The Hague, hours after he was served with an arrest warrant from the international criminal court over the killings resulting from his “war on drugs”.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr told a press conference that a plane carrying Duterte took off at 11.03pm local time on Tuesday. “The plane is en route to The Hague in the Netherlands, allowing the former president to face charges of crimes against humanity in relation to his bloody war on drugs,” he said.

Duterte’s youngest daughter, Veronica Duterte, said on social media that the plane had been used to “kidnap” her father.

Continue reading...

Dalai Lama says his successor will be born outside China in the ‘free world’

Posted on by

New book by spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism will raise the stakes in a dispute with Beijing over control of Tibet

The Dalai Lama’s successor will be born outside China, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism says in a new book, raising the stakes in a dispute with Beijing over control of the Himalayan region he fled more than six decades ago.

Tibetans worldwide want the institution of the Dalai Lama to continue after the 89-year-old’s death, he writes in Voice for the Voiceless, which was reviewed by Reuters and is being released on Tuesday.

Continue reading...

Trump vows to take ‘hundreds of billions’ in tariffs as Australia’s hopes of getting exemption fades

Posted on by

Australia unlikely to escape US president’s global steel and aluminium tariffs despite intense lobbying to be carved out

Australia’s chances of escaping America’s global steel and aluminium tariffs appear all but extinguished, with the US president reconfirming his commitment to a comprehensive tariff regime he argues will be “the greatest thing we’ve ever done as a country”.

“We’re going to take in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs, and we’re going to become so rich, you’re not going to know where to spend all that money,” Donald Trump told reporters on board Air Force One flying from Florida to Washington DC.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...