Northern Ireland power-sharing system not fit for purpose, says Irish PM

Micheál Martin says electoral system ‘should not be one that constantly reinforces polarisation’

Ireland’s prime minister has said the system of sharing power between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland is no longer fit for purpose and should be reviewed.

Micheál Martin’s remarks come amid claims the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) wants to delay a new Stormont assembly election as long as possible to give talks over the disputed Brexit protocol a chance to take off.

Continue reading...

South Korea opens investigation into deadly Itaewon crowd crush in Seoul

Shops closed and concerts cancelled after Halloween party surge kills more than 150 people, as questions raised over crowd control

South Korean authorities have opened an investigation into the deaths of more than 150 people, in a crush in a nightlife district in Seoul on Saturday as experts said crowd controls could have reduced the surge that led to the disaster.

It remained unclear what led the huge Halloween party crowd to head into a narrow alley in the Itaewon area. Witnesses said people fell on each other “like dominoes”, and some victims were bleeding from their noses and mouths while being given CPR.

Continue reading...

Mapping Iran’s unrest: how Mahsa Amini’s death led to nationwide protests

Interactive map shows spread of demonstrations over five weeks after woman’s death in custody

Iran has been gripped by protests since the death in custody on 16 September of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin who had been arrested three days earlier for allegedly breaching the Islamic dress code for women. This interactive map shows how protests spread between 16 September and 21 October, fuelled by public outrage over a crackdown that has led to the deaths of other young women and girls. Now in their seventh week, the protests show no sign of ending.

Methodology

Continue reading...

Monday briefing: What does Lula’s victory mean for the future of Brazil?

In today’s newsletter: Celebrations erupted in Brazil last night after Lula’s triumph over far-right incumbent Bolsonaro. What could the next four years look like – and will Bolsonaro concede defeat peacefully?

Good morning.

After an election period marred by disinformation and threats of violence, Brazil’s leftist former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – known as Lula – narrowly defeated far right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro by two percentage points in an astonishing political comeback. In a parallel universe, Lula’s once unthinkable, political revival – from the top of Brazilian politics, to prison and back to the presidency – would be the story of the hour. Instead all eyes are elsewhere.

Police | Met police chief, Sir Mark Rowley, has said that the gang violence matrix, a controversial Metropolitan police list of alleged gang members that mainly targeted black men, needs to be “radically reformed”. Amnesty International branded the list part of a “racialised war” on gangs. Rowley has already removed more than 1,000 young men from the list.

South Korea | President Yoon Suk-yeo has declared a state of national mourning and ordered an investigation after a fatal crowd crush during Halloween celebrations. More than 150 people were killed after people surged through a narrow alleyway in a busy area of Seoul.

Cop27 | Rishi Sunak’s decision not to attend UN climate talks in Egypt this week has prompted an outpouring of anger from countries around the world. “It seems as if they are washing their hands of leadership,” said Carlos Fuller, Belize’s ambassador to the UN.

NHS | The NHS has not received any of the funding from Thérèse Coffey’s £500m emergency fund. The money was supposed to help get thousands of medically fit patients out of hospital into their own home or a care home to prevent the NHS from becoming overwhelmed in the winter.

National security | UK government ministers risk creating “wild west” conditions in matters of national security through the increased use of personal email and phones to conduct confidential business, intelligence experts and former officials have warned.

Continue reading...

A visual guide to how the Seoul Halloween crowd crush unfolded

More than 150 people were killed as mostly young people flooded the narrow, sloping streets of Itaewon to celebrate Halloween

On Saturday night, tens of thousands of mostly young people flocked to Itaewon in Seoul to celebrate Halloween.

Images of Itaewon subway station before the tragedy show large crowds gathering in the area, known for its nightlife, bars and restaurants.

Continue reading...

India bridge collapse: death toll rises to at least 130 as recovery efforts continue

About 400 people were on the bridge in Gujarat to celebrate a Diwali religious ritual when it collapsed, with many children among the dead

The death toll from the collapse of a pedestrian bridge over a river in Gujarat, western India, has risen to at least 130 as more stories emerge of the terrifying moment the structure gave way .

Local officials say about 400 people were on the suspension bridge over the Machchu River in the city of Morbi on Sunday and the atmosphere was festive. Families had come out on to the bridge to celebrate a post-Diwali religious ritual in which idols are immersed into the river.

Continue reading...

Poverty, housing and the Amazon: Lula’s in-tray as president-elect of Brazil

After four years of Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right rule, Lula da Silva says his first priority will be helping the 100 million Brazilians living in poverty

The euphoria of an election victory is fleeting and while many Brazilians will wake up with a hangover after celebrating the defeat of Jair Bolsonaro, president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will soon have his own headaches to deal with.

Lula takes power on 1 January 2023 and will be charged with rebuilding and reuniting a nation that has been left damaged and bitterly divided after four years of Bolsonaro’s anarchic far-right policies.

Continue reading...

Lula stages astonishing comeback to beat far-right Bolsonaro in Brazil election

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the former leftist president, has reclaimed the leadership and vowed to reunify his country

Brazil’s former leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has sealed an astonishing political comeback, beating the far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in one of the most significant and bruising elections in the country’s history.

With 99.97% of votes counted, Silva, a former factory worker who became Brazil’s first working-class president exactly 20 years ago, had secured 50.9% of the vote. Bolsonaro, a firebrand who was elected in 2018, received 49.10%.

Continue reading...

New York to pay $36m for wrongly convicting two men of Malcolm X killing

Payments to follow exoneration of Muhammad Aziz and the late Khalil Islam who both spent decades in prison

The city of New York is settling lawsuits filed on behalf of two men who were exonerated last year for the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X, agreeing to pay $26m for the wrongful convictions that led to both spending decades behind bars.

The state of New York will pay an additional $10m. David Shanies, an attorney representing the men, confirmed the settlements on Sunday.

Continue reading...

Brazil election 2022: live results as Lula beats Bolsonaro to return as president

The Superior Electoral Court of Brazil has announced that Lula is elected president, after a nailbiting count that went to the wire. Find out how every state voted

Brazil’s president is elected directly by the people; any candidate with more than 50% of the vote wins, and there is no role in the election for parliament and no electoral college.

Continue reading...

Russia-Ukraine war live: Moscow claims it has identified drones used in Black Sea Fleet attack

Russia blames Ukraine for attack on Saturday; calls grow for Moscow to rejoin grain deal as US accuses Kremlin of weaponising food

More on the reported Russia-Ukraine exchange of prisoners of war on Saturday: officials in Moscow and Kyiv said both sides had returned about 50 people each.

Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate reported the return of 52 detainees, among them soldiers, sailors, border guards, national guard members and doctors.

We remember all those who are held captive in Russia and on occupied territory and will do everything to ensure that each and every one is returned.

Continue reading...

UN, Nato, EU and US call on Russia to resume Ukrainian grain deal

Risk of soaring food prices and global food crisis after Moscow’s decision to end export corridor following drone attack on its fleet

The United Nations, Nato, European Union and US have all urged Russia to reverse its decision to pull out of a deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea, amid fears of a global food crisis.

Moscow announced it was suspending the UN-brokered arrangement in response to a dramatic attack in the early hours of Saturday by Ukrainian airborne and underwater drones on its naval base of Sevastopol in Crimea.

Continue reading...

Brazil election: Lula’s challenge hangs in balance amid voter suppression claims

Tens of millions of progressives turn out in hopes of unseating Jair Bolsonaro from presidency after bitterly fought campaign

The future of one of the world’s largest democracies and the Amazon rainforest was on a knife-edge as Brazil held its most important election in decades and its far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, battled to cling to power amid claims that security forces were engaged in a pro-Bolsonaro voter suppression campaign.

Polls on the eve of the election had showed Bolsonaro trailing his leftist rival, the former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, by a margin of four to eight percentage points, although first-round polls had underestimated support for the incumbent. Lula won the recent first round by about 6mvotes but fell just short of the overall majority that would have guaranteed him an outright win.

Continue reading...

Global anger at Sunak’s Cop27 snub that raises fears over UK’s climate crisis stance

PM accused of ‘washing his hands’ of leadership on international climate action with decision not to attend talks

Rishi Sunak’s decision to snub the Cop27 UN climate talks, and to keep King Charles from attending, has angered and upset countries around the world, risking the UK’s standing on the world stage and raising concerns over his government’s commitment to tackling the climate crisis.

Several developing countries told the Guardian of their dismay. Carlos Fuller, Belize’s ambassador to the UN, said: “I can understand why the king was asked not to attend – keeping him out of the fray. However, as the principal UK policymaker and the Cop26 president, the PM should have led the summit.

Continue reading...

Russia’s Black Sea flagship damaged in Crimea drone attack, video suggests

Admiral Makarov possibly disabled by Ukraine as investigators say frigate one of three Russian ships to be hit in Sevastopol

Russia’s Black Sea flagship vessel, the Admiral Makarov, was damaged and possibly disabled during an audacious Ukrainian drone attack over the weekend on the Crimean port of Sevastopol, according to an examination of video footage.

Open-source investigators said the frigate was one of three Russian ships to have been hit on Saturday. A swarm of drones – some flying in the air, others skimming rapidly along the water – struck Russia’s navy at 4.20 am. Video from one of the sea drones shows the unmanned vehicle weaving between enemy boats.

Continue reading...

Iranians hold large rallies in defiance of warning by Revolutionary Guards head

Raids on student campuses spark protests despite threats made by chief of security force about response to further unrest

Thousands of Iranians have demonstrated in defiance of a final warning by the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) that he would bring protests to an end with unprecedented force.

Rallies were held on the streets on Sunday to protest against raids on student dormitories over the weekend in which students were taken away in buses to state detention. Some were sent text messages saying they were banned from campus indefinitely.

Continue reading...

At least 81 people dead after bridge collapses in India’s Gujarat state

Rescue operation under way following failure of pedestrian suspension bridge in city of Morbi

At least 81 people were killed when a pedestrian bridge over a river in the western Indian state of Gujarat collapsed, plunging hundreds of people into the water, officials have said.

Authorities said that more than 150 people were on the suspension bridge over the Machchhu River in the city of Morbi at the time of the collapse.

Continue reading...

China braces for wave of workers fleeing iPhone factory in Covid-hit Zhengzhou

Cities near Foxconn plant draw up plans to isolate migrant workers who are returning to home towns

Cities in central China have hastily drawn up plans to isolate migrant workers fleeing to their home towns from the country’s largest iPhone factory, amid fears they will spread coronavirus after leaving the plant in Covid-hit Zhengzhou.

Videos shared on Chinese social media showed people who are allegedly workers at the Foxconn plant climbing over fences and carrying their belongings along a road. It was previously reported that a number of workers had been placed under quarantine because of an outbreak of the disease.

Continue reading...

Record support during Covid and declining funding from China: what new data on Pacific aid reveals

Lowy Institute’s Pacific Aid Map charts thousands of projects and activities from 67 donor entities, including Australia and the US

China is funnelling aid to Kiribati and Solomon Islands, while its overall spending in the Pacific region is in decline, the latest Pacific Aid Map reveals.

The Lowy Institute on Monday released its 2022 updated version of the map, an interactive analytical tool that enables users to track aid flow and development funding in the Pacific.

Continue reading...

Haitian ambassador warns criminal gangs may overrun country

Armed gangs have shut off access to Haiti’s main fuel terminal, decimating basic services amid a cholera and hunger crisis

The Haitian ambassador to Washington has appealed to the international community to accelerate talks on deploying an armed intervention, warning that criminal gangs were in danger of taking over the country.

Bocchit Edmond made his appeal as efforts to agree to a UN resolution backing such a force appear to have stalled, and as the US and Canada have been holding urgent talks looking for ways to break the impasse.

Continue reading...