Seoul says 300 North Korean soldiers killed, 2,700 wounded fighting Ukraine
Casualties among North Koreans assisting Russia 'have surpassed 3,000', according to South Korea's intelligence agency.
Business confidence falling in UK and eurozone, recruiters warn
Fears over UK growth and political uncertainty in France and Germany making firms reluctant to hire staff
Recruitment companies have warned about declining confidence across Europe and the UK, as political uncertainty adds to concerns about economic growth.
The FTSE 250 recruiter PageGroup said on Monday that profits had dropped by nearly a quarter in Germany and 17% in France during the last three months of 2024, compared with the same period in 2023. Its UK profits fell by 14%, as companies grew more nervous about taking on new staff.
Continue reading...Rehearsal and walkthrough for Donald Trump’s inauguration
A rehearsal with stand-ins is held at the Capitol before the inauguration of US President-elect Trump.
Apple asks investors to block proposal to scrap diversity programmes
Conservative thinktank wants firm to end its DEI efforts because they create ‘litigation, reputational and financial risks’
Apple has asked shareholders to vote against a proposal to scrap its diversity, equity and inclusion programmes, as tech rivals scale back similar schemes before Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
The National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative thinktank, wants the iPhone maker to end its DEI efforts because they expose companies to “litigation, reputational and financial risks”. The proposal will be voted on at Apple’s annual general meeting on 25 February.
Continue reading...Woman alleges rape by 64 men over five years
Police say that the woman was alleged sexually abused and gangraped when she was a minor.
Dramatic showdown looms in South Korea as Yoon faces impeachment trial and possible arrest – CNN
- Dramatic showdown looms in South Korea as Yoon faces impeachment trial and possible arrest CNN
- With South Korea in Crisis, Eight Justices Will Decide President’s Fate The New York Times
- Suspended South Korean President Yoon to skip first day of impeachment trial over safety concerns The Hill
- Yoon Suk Yeol to miss start of South Korea impeachment trial on safety grounds The Guardian
- South Korea's Yoon to skip impeachment trial opening DW (English)
IDF says it hit Hezbollah sites after ceasefire monitors failed to address threats – The Times of Israel
- IDF says it hit Hezbollah sites after ceasefire monitors failed to address threats The Times of Israel
- IAF strikes Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon The Jerusalem Post
- Watch: Israel strikes 'targets posing threat to Israeli home front' deep within Lebanon Ynetnews
- Israeli says it attacked 'suspects' in Shebaa Middle East Eye
- Funeral of Hezbollah fighter killed in Israeli strike on south Lebanon village The Associated Press
Mystery syndrome killing rainbow lorikeets and flying foxes leaves scientists baffled
‘The animals that don’t die need total nursing care,’ wildlife rescuer says, ahead of a potential spike in cases in coming weeks
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Thousands of rainbow lorikeets and hundreds of flying foxes have been hospitalised in Queensland in the past year with a mysterious paralysis that can affect the animals’ ability to fly, swallow and even breathe.
Lorikeet paralysis syndrome has struck birds in Queensland and New South Wales since at least 2012, and a similar syndrome was identified in flying foxes five years ago.
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Continue reading...India kicks off a Hindu festival touted as the world’s largest religious gathering – NPR
- India kicks off a Hindu festival touted as the world's largest religious gathering NPR
- One of the world’s greatest religious spectacles is underway and the numbers are staggering CNN
- Foreign devotees add to the divine charm of Maha Kumbh Deccan Herald
- Kumbh Mela, explained: Its mythology, history, astrology, and why millions flock to it The Indian Express
- Rs 2,000,000,000,000: The Revenue Maha Kumbh Is Likely To Generate For UP NDTV
NBN’s $3bn fibre revamp is great news but don’t Australians now care more about price than higher speeds?
The demise of NBN’s fibre-to-the-node technology is welcome but making the internet more affordable would have a much bigger impact
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The announcement of the demise of NBN’s fibre-to-the-node technology will be welcomed by those who have endured poor speeds and service for the past few years, but making the internet more affordable would have a much bigger impact.
When Tony Windsor sided with Labor in the 2010 election, he put the NBN as one of the key issues, saying famously: do it once, do it right, and do it with fibre.
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Continue reading...In photos: World’s biggest religious festival begins in India
The Maha Kumbh is a colourful religious festival where millions gather in Prayagraj city to take a holy dip.
Pope’s pick for Washington archbishop sets stage for conflict with Trump, experts say
Appointment of progressive Robert McElroy comes as rightwing Catholics wield significant influence in US capital
When the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, sought to shut down a Catholic charity that was was providing shelter and aid to undocumented migrants at the border, the San Diego cardinal, Robert McElroy, took a robust public stand against the attempt.
“The state of Texas is using governmental pressure to curtail the work of the Church in one of its most fundamental obligations: to feed the hungry, to shelter the homeless, and to provide drink to the thirsty,” McElroy said in a statement at the time. “No government can morally tell us to abandon or limit this mission.”
Continue reading...Tory police cuts are only part of the ongoing crisis affecting victims of crime
Austerity affected courts, prisons and public services while rates of poverty surged, creating the conditions for more crime
The period in which clear-up rates for the most serious crimes collapsed coincided with big cuts to police budgets, and the subsequent fall in police officer numbers of about 20,000.
The last Conservative government, responsible for the cuts after 2010 in the name of austerity, spent its time denying they would have any damaging effect on crime fighting in England and Wales. Then, in its final years, it started to reverse the cuts, and pretended “wokery” among law enforcement had diverted officers’ attention.
Continue reading...Lloyds bankers could face bonus cut if not in office two days a week
Group reviews office attendance as part of performance-related bonus targets forsenior employees
Senior bankers at Lloyds could be at risk of having their bonuses docked if they fail to follow company orders to be in the office at least two days a week.
Lloyds Banking Group – which owns the Halifax, Lloyds and Bank of Scotland brands – has confirmed it is reviewing office attendance as part of performance-related bonus targets for its most senior employees. That includes hybrid staff who, in 2023, were ordered to be in the office at least 40% of the time, which typically amounts to two days a week for those on full-time contracts.
Continue reading...South Korea’s impeached president gets pay rise
Yoon Suk Yeol's annual salary will rise to 262.6 million won, as South Korea remains in turmoil.
Biden says he was the steady hand the world needed after Trump, who’s ready to shake things up again – Yahoo! Voices
- Biden says he was the steady hand the world needed after Trump, who's ready to shake things up again Yahoo! Voices
- Biden to emphasize NATO and other foreign partnerships in final foreign policy speech CBS News
- Biden to give prime-time farewell address to nation ABC News
- Biden to highlight foreign policy legacy in State Department speech WBAL TV Baltimore
- Daywatch: President Biden prepares to say goodbye Chicago Tribune
Climate activist who graffitied Tanya Plibersek’s office says he stands by his actions
Environment minister said vandalism and intimidation were ‘completely unacceptable’
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A climate activist who graffitied the word “liar” on the federal environment minister’s office has stood by his highly publicised actions, urging the public to stand up for their beliefs.
Zachary “Zack” Edward Jaworowski Schofield took a can of red spray paint to Tanya Plibersek’s Sydney electorate office in December.
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Continue reading...Democrats warm to Laken Riley bill as Senate to take up measure – The Washington Post
- Democrats warm to Laken Riley bill as Senate to take up measure The Washington Post
- House Passes Bill to Deport Unauthorized Immigrants Charged With Minor Crimes The New York Times
- Senate Republican News Conference on the Laken Riley Act C-SPAN
- A new immigration bill named for Laken Riley gives states unprecedented veto power MSNBC
- Polzin: What I liked and didn't like from the Packers' playoff loss to the Eagles Madison.com
What to know about the latest effort to bring an end to Turkey’s 40-year Kurdish conflict – The Associated Press
- What to know about the latest effort to bring an end to Turkey’s 40-year Kurdish conflict The Associated Press
- Efforts to end Kurdish militant conflict in Turkey face Syria test Reuters.com
- Demirtaş gives 'full support' to PKK leader Öcalan's peace efforts Duvar English
- The Kurdish dilemmas facing Erdogan Kathimerini English Edition
- What to know about the latest effort to bring an end to Turkey's 40-year Kurdish conflict Livingston Enterprise
India’s Maha Kumbh Mela festival gets under way for first time in 144 years
The grand version of the 12-yearly Hindu pilgrimage is expected to draw more than 400 million devotees
The world’s largest religious gathering kicked off on Monday as millions of Hindu devotees gathered on the banks of Ganges in India to mark the beginning of the Maha Kumbh Mela.
The Kumbh Mela pilgrimage takes place every 12 years and is widely seen as the “festival of festivals” in the Hindu religious calendar in India, attended by a vibrant mix of sadhus or holy men, ascetics, pilgrims and tourists. This year’s celebration is particularly significant as the Maha or grand Kumbh Mela only takes places every 144 years, marking the 12th Kumbh Mela and a special celestial alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter.
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