Vehicle carrying 35 people came off road and fell into canal in Aga, 70 miles north of Cairo
Nineteen people were killed and six others injured when a bus drove into a canal in northern Egypt on Saturday, the country’s health ministry said.
The bus was carrying 35 people when it came off a highway and fell into the Mansoura canal in Aga, in the northern Dakahlia region, according to security sources.
Continue reading...Town halls and finance firms say they support LGBT rights but send money to World Cup host where homosexuality is illegal
The rainbow flag flew above the Bourne Corn Exchange as South Kesteven council embraced LGBT history month.
A year after voting against such a gesture the Lincolnshire local authority declared itself pleased “to celebrate and recognise the […] rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people”, hoisting the flag outside its headquarters in 2019.
Continue reading...Course thought to be world first agreed after university bowed to pressure from seven-day End Fossil protest
All students at the University of Barcelona will have to take a mandatory course on the climate crisis after the establishment agreed to meet the demands of activists conducting a sit-in occupation.
In a move thought to be a world first, all 14,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students will have to take the course from the 2024 academic year. It will also devise a training programme on climate issues for its 6,000 academic staff.
Continue reading...António Guterres says it’s vital a peace plan agreed with the junta, but so far not enforced, takes effect
UN chief António Guterres has urged the Myanmar junta to immediately return to democracy, saying it was the only way to stop the “unending nightmare” engulfing the country.
Myanmar has spiralled into bloody conflict since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government in February last year, with thousands killed.
Continue reading...Temperatures in Canada dropped by as much as 20C below normal this week
Significant cold is spreading widely across North America this weekend, having already affected northern and western parts so far this week.
During the night of 9 November, temperatures across central and western provinces of Canada, as well as many western states of the US, plummeted to at least 10C (18F) below normal, with some parts of Canada seeing temperatures as low as 20C (36F) below normal.
Continue reading...Graffiti artist appears to confirm presence in war-torn country after unveiling latest work on Instagram
Banksy appears to have confirmed he is in Ukraine after revealing his latest artwork on Instagram.
Speculation had been mounting that the anonymous graffiti artist was in the war-torn country after a series of murals appeared in the town of Borodianka, near Kyiv.
Continue reading...Video apparently shows crowds marching in Zahedan to condemn 30 September massacre of activists
Thousands of Iranians protested in the restive south-east to mark a 30 September crackdown by security forces known as “Bloody Friday” as the country’s rulers faced persistent nationwide unrest.
Amnesty International said security forces unlawfully killed at least 66 people in September after firing at protesters in Zahedan, capital of flashpoint Sistan and Baluchistan province. Authorities said dissidents had provoked the clashes.
Continue reading...Deputy ambassador summoned after Met police warns of credible threats to journalists reporting on Iran protests
The Foreign Office has summoned the Iranian deputy ambassador over allegations that two London-based journalists have faced death threats from Tehran-backed agents over the reporting of the country’s protests.
The news channel Iran International took precautionary steps to protect its reporters after being informed by the Metropolitan police earlier this week that it believes there were credible threats to the journalists’ lives. The two reporters have not been named nor the precise threats detailed.
Continue reading...Former president, who is still expected to announce candidacy, posts diatribe against possible White House contender and others
Donald Trump has lashed out at other high-profile Republicans after the failure of the predicted “red wave” in the US midterm elections, which has chilled enthusiasm for his promotion of extremist candidates and a possible new run at the White House.
At Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday night, as Democrats had a better election than expected, the former US president was seen to be in a mood ranging from subdued to exasperated, but later in the week he became angry, attacking fellow Republicans including two popular governors.
Continue reading...Quarantine periods shortened by two days but Beijing government ‘will not waver’ from strict zero-Covid policy
China has eased some of its strict Covid rules in an apparent attempt to alleviate economic pressures and cool escalating discontent, though authorities insist their “war” against the pandemic remains unchanged.
The changes include shortening quarantine periods by two days for close contacts of infected people and for travellers arriving in the country, as well as scrapping a rule that penalises airlines for bringing in too many cases.
Continue reading...San Casciano dei Bagni’s fortunes expected to change after opulent Etruscan-Roman sanctuary found
Since she was a child, Martina Canuti has been venturing down the steep hill flanking the Tuscan town of San Casciano dei Bagni, known by residents as “the sacred mountain”, to take a dip in the two ancient hot springs famed for their therapeutic benefits.
Little did she know that just a few metres away lay a sanctuary built by the Etruscans in the second century BC, containing a trove of treasures that could now reverse the fortunes of this relatively isolated town of 1,400 inhabitants near Siena.
Continue reading...Socialist-led coalition to rename offence ‘aggravated public disorder’ and reduce maximum sentence to five years
Spain’s Socialist-led coalition government has announced plans to overhaul the archaic sedition law that was used to prosecute the Catalan leaders who tried to secede from the rest of the country after the illegal and unilateral referendum held five years ago.
Under the Spanish penal code, the offence of sedition – which dates back to 1822 – is defined as “rising up publicly and tumultuously to prevent, through force or beyond legal means, the application of the law”. It carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.
Continue reading...This live blog has now closed, you can read more on Ukraine’s recapture of Kherson here
The absence of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in connection with announcements about his forces’ retreat from key areas of Ukraine is being discussed by commentators.
The distance has been deliberate, writes New York Times national correspondent Neil MacFarquhar, who adds:
With each new pronounced setback in Ukraine, however, it is getting harder for Mr. Putin to separate himself from the whiff of failure, which is gradually eroding his image as a decisive, indomitable leader.
There is a withdrawal of Russian troops to more fortified positions. But there were still populated points where we saw battles.
They withdraw because they suffer losses, very heavy losses. What’s more, they don’t even take the bodies of their soldiers and leave the wounded behind.
Continue reading...Full live results of the Congressional midterms, seat by seat, as electors across the US vote to decide whether the Republicans or Democrats will control the House of Representatives and Senate
US midterm elections 2022 – latest live news updates
All 435 seats in the lower chamber of the federal congress, the House of Representatives, are re-elected every two years. (There are no term limits, and incumbents are often returned, so there is substantial continuity in the membership). House seats are broadly proportional to population, so California has lots of seats but Montana only a few.
Continue reading...Volodymyr Zelenskiy hails ‘historic day’ as locals raise Ukrainian flags around Svoboda Square
In extraordinary scenes, crowds of jubilant residents greeted Ukraine’s armed forces as they reached the centre of Kherson, as Russia’s retreat from the key strategic city appeared to have descended into chaos.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, hailed a “historic day” as he confirmed on Friday evening that special units of armed forces were already in the city and others stationed on its approaches. “We are in the process of taking Kherson back,” he said in a video address.
Continue reading...French government calls Italy ‘inhumane’ for refusing vessel but Italian PM hits back as rift deepens
France and Italy have intensified their bitter row over migration after a charity-operated ship carrying hundreds of asylum seekers rescued in the central Mediterranean docked in the French port of Toulon after almost three weeks during which Italy’s far-right government failed to give it safe port.
The French government called Italy “irresponsible” and “inhumane” for not coming to the aid of the ship, which had been stuck in Italian waters for weeks carrying sick passengers who had been rescued at sea between Libya and Italy.
Continue reading...Airport vows passengers will not face daily cap during biggest festive getaway in three years
Heathrow airport has said it is prepared for the biggest Christmas getaway in three years and promised that passengers will not have to face a return of the daily cap that was introduced as summer holiday travel descended into chaos.
Europe’s busiest airport, which said last month that on the busiest travel days over the festive period travellers may have to fly outside peak times to manage the festive rush, said it was working on contingency plans for potential strike action over the period.
Continue reading...Founder Sam Bankman-Fried races to find funds to fill multibillion-dollar hole in exchange
The Bahamas securities regulator has frozen the assets of the Bahamas subsidiary of FTX, as the world’s second largest cryptocurrency exchange struggles for survival.
The Securities Commission of the Bahamas said on Thursday it had frozen the assets of FTX Digital Markets and related parties, as well appointing a liquidator for the unit.
Continue reading...Remembrance services to be held across country as foreign secretary hits out at ‘Russian aggressor’
People across the UK will fall silent on Friday to mark Armistice Day – as the foreign secretary condemned Russia for bringing back war to Europe.
Poignant services will be held nationwide for the anniversary of the end of the first world war, and a two-minute silence will be observed at 11am to remember those who have died in military conflicts.
Continue reading...UN calls for international action as regime announces public trials for protesters and Iranian lawmakers seek harsh punishment
Three weeks after he was violently arrested at his home by Iran’s security forces, Saman Yasin, a young Kurdish artist and rapper, is facing execution. He has been charged with waging war against God after posting his support for anti-regime protesters on social media.
His fate, which will be decided in the coming days by the Iranian courts, could be shared by thousands of other young protesters being held in detention as human rights organisations warn that the regime may unleash a bloody campaign of revenge in an attempt to quash continuing protests.
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