Ron DeSantis had strong words for a group of students at the University of South Florida who were wearing face masks before a press conference. The Republican governor for Florida asked them to take their masks off, saying it was 'Covid theater'
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Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day eight
A week after invasion of Ukraine launched, ICC confirms it is gathering evidence of possible war crimes
Russian forces are in control of the local government building in the Black Sea port of Kherson, according to its mayor, Igor Kolykhaiev, although there are conflicting reports about the status of the strategically important city.
More heavy explosions were reported in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and second city, Kharkiv, overnight and on Thursday morning after Russian missile strikes.
A second round of talks is reportedly set to take place today. A Russian negotiator said a ceasefire was on the agenda, but Ukraine has said Russia must stop bombing Ukrainian cities before any progress can be made.
More than one million people have fled Ukraine since Russian forces invaded the country last week, the head of the United Nations refugee agency has said.
The international criminal court (ICC) is opening an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine and has begun collecting evidence after 38 countries formally referred reports of atrocities, the largest referral it has ever received.
The Russian advance on Kyiv has been delayed by “staunch Ukrainian resistance, mechanical breakdown and congestion” and is still more than 30km from the centre of the city, Britain’s defence ministry said.
The UN nuclear watchdog has voiced concern after Russian forces claimed to have surrounded Ukraine’s biggest atomic plant and called for its workers to be left alone to do their jobs.
The strategically important Sea of Azov port city of Mariupol is reportedly surrounded by Russian troops.
Police in Moscow detained two women and five children holding a poster outside the Ukraine embassy that said “No to war”.
More than 350 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and more than 2,000 injured, according to Ukraine’s emergency service. Transport facilities, hospitals, kindergartens and homes have been destroyed, it said.
Ukraine claimed nearly 7,000 Russian troops had been killed in the first six days of Moscow’s invasion. Moscow said 498 Russian soldiers had died in Ukraine since the start of its campaign, its first statement on casualties.
The UN general assembly voted overwhelmingly to deplore Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for the immediate withdrawal of its forces, with 141 of the 193 member states voting for the resolution on Wednesday.
The US has accused Russia of launching a “full war on media freedom and the truth” by blocking independent news outlets and preventing Russians from hearing news of the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s central bank has imposed a 30% commission on foreign currency purchases by individuals on currency exchanges.
Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from the Winter Paralympic Games for their countries’ roles in the conflict, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said, in a reversal of its previous stance.
Interpol arrest warrant allegedly targeting Kuwaiti princess and partner ‘on political grounds’
Dissident couple say their lives would be under threat if returned from Bosnia to Kuwait, as rights groups claim notice undermines refugee law
A Kuwaiti princess seeking asylum in Bosnia-Herzegovina has claimed the Kuwaiti state is using an Interpol red notice to intimidate and harass her and force the extradition of her partner, a prominent dissident blogger, back to the country.
Sheikha Moneera Fahad al-Sabah and Mesaed al-Mesaileem, said they face torture and threats to their lives if they are returned to Kuwait due to their political activism.
Continue reading...Teenagers detained and allegedly tortured in Sudan must be released, says Amnesty
The pair, arrested in connection with the killing of a police officer during pro-democracy protests, are reportedly being denied visits and medical help
Amnesty International has called for the release of two teenagers who have been detained and allegedly tortured in Sudan in connection with the killing of a police officer during pro-democracy protests in Khartoum.
Mohamed Adam, known as Tupac, 17, and Mohamed al-Fateh, 18, have been held without charge since 15 January.
Continue reading...Now that the parliament protest is over, New Zealand must ask itself what lay behind it | Sarb Johal
Were the protesters motivated by valid concerns, radicalisation or was this simply the fist-shaking of a fringe minority?
The protest outside parliament in Wellington has prompted fears of a mass radicalisation of militant actors prepared to use violence to achieve their aims. Although people may dismiss the idea that it could cause real damage to society in New Zealand, where support for the government’s pandemic response is still high, anger has spilt over into explicit hate messaging and actions, both online and in real-life.
Now that the protesters have been dispersed, we need to examine what was behind their loose coalition of grievances: was it the transitory fist-shaking of a fringe minority, a valid concern, or actual radicalisation? If so, what can we do about it? The answer is complex and incomplete, but there are some clues about what caused this impasse and what can be done.
Continue reading...Ukraine war: Putin prompts fears that ‘the worst is yet to come’
Moscow aims to take ‘full control’ of Ukraine capital by diplomatic or military means, according to France
Vladimir Putin has told Emmanuel Macron that Kyiv’s “refusal to accept Russia’s conditions” means he will continue to pursue his war in Ukraine, the Élysée Palace has said, adding: “We expect the worst is yet to come.”
As the number of refugees fleeing the conflict passed 1 million and Russian forces, backed by heavy shelling, advanced on cities and key ports in the south and east, Russia’s president said in a 90-minute call to his French counterpart he was “prepared to go all the way”, the French official said.
Continue reading...‘Lots of happy tears’: joy as New Zealand opens border after two years of isolation
Some reunions were also tempered by grief, as for many New Zealanders the reopening came too late
Tears, hugs, laughter and the shouts of children echoed through the arrivals halls of New Zealand, as the country opened its borders and lifted isolation requirements.
“I’ve been waiting six months for this moment,” says Steve, 72, who was waiting for his fiancee, Karin, to arrive from Australia. “I’m over the moon,” he said. “I feel a bit shaky.”
Continue reading...Covid has intensified gender inequalities, global study finds
Researchers find women hit harder by negative social and economic impacts of the pandemic than men
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic threatens to reverse decades of progress made towards gender equality, according to a global study that reveals women have been hit much harder socially and economically than men.
Previously, coronavirus-related gender disparity studies have focused on the direct health impacts of the crisis. It is well known, for example, that across the globe men have experienced higher rates of Covid cases, hospitalisation and death. However, until now, few studies have examined how gender inequalities have been affected by the many indirect social and economic effects of the pandemic worldwide.
Continue reading...What more could the west do about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
Analysis: From a no-fly zone to sanctions, the options that are on and off the table
Russia’s invading forces have bombed civilians in Kyiv, Kharkiv and elsewhere in Ukraine in the past 48 hours, prompting fears of rising casualties and growing questions as to whether the west could step up military, economic or other efforts to help. Here are some of the options – and the risks.
Continue reading...Netflix to pause all projects and acquisitions in Russia
The streamer has halted work on four original series as a result of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine
Netflix has paused all future Russian projects and acquisitions as a result of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
According to Variety, the streamer is “assessing the impact of current events”, which has led to four Russian original series being indefinitely paused. Zato, a crime series set after the fall of the Soviet Union, directed by the Belarus-born director Darya Zhuk, was already in production but has now been put on hold.
Continue reading...Ukraine president asks Jewish people around world to speak against Russia
Nazism is born in silence, says Volodymyr Zelenskiy, after missile struck close to Holocaust memorial site
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has appealed to Jewish people across the world to speak out against the Russian assault on his country, a day after a missile hit close to a Holocaust memorial site in the capital, Kyiv.
The missile strike on Tuesday hit Kyiv’s television tower, reportedly killing at least five people. The tower is located close to the memorial site of Babyn Yar, the ravine where Nazi soldiers massacred up to 150,000 people during the second world war, including more than 30,000 Jews, who were shot there in the autumn of 1941 after the Nazi takeover of Kyiv.
Continue reading...UN votes to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and calls for withdrawal
In an emergency session, 141 of the 193 member states voted for the resolution, 35 abstained and five voted against
The United Nations has voted overwhelmingly for a resolution deploring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for the immediate withdrawal of its forces, in a global expression of outrage that highlighted Russia’s increasing isolation.
In an emergency session of the UN’s general assembly, 141 of the 193 member states voted for the resolution, 35 abstained, and five voted against. The only countries to vote no in support of Moscow were Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria. Longstanding allies Cuba and Venezuela joined China in abstaining.
Continue reading...Israel tries to balance backing for Ukrainians and not offending Russia
Analysis: Criticism of invasion has been muted and officials yet to condemn Moscow for attack on Holocaust memorial
A week ago the sight was unthinkable: a memorial at the site of one of the worst massacres of the Holocaust, engulfed in smoke and flame from an airstrike.
Yet on Tuesday a Russian attack near the Babyn Yar memorial complex in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, achieved exactly that. Five people died in the strike targeting the television broadcast tower next door, while firefighters battled to extinguish a fire caused by the explosion in a building inside the Jewish cemetery.
Continue reading...Success for progressives in Texas while Trump ally suffers major blow
Attorney general Ken Paxton heads to nomination runoff against Jeb Bush’s son while progressive Jessica Cisneros celebrates runoff
Progressive Democrats notched victories in two of Texas’s congressional primary races on Tuesday while Ken Paxton, one of the most prominent Republicans in the state and Donald Trump ally, suffered a major blow.
In the most closely watched congressional primary, Jessica Cisneros, a progressive Democrat, forced a runoff against Henry Cuellar, a nine-term congressman who is one of the most conservative Democrats in the US House. (Texas races go to a runoff if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.)
Continue reading...People of colour fleeing Ukraine attacked by Polish nationalists
Non-white refugees face violence and racist abuse in Przemyśl, as police warn of fake reports of ‘migrants committing crimes’
Police in Poland have warned that fake reports of violent crimes being committed by people fleeing Ukraine are circulating on social media after Polish nationalists attacked and abused groups of African, south Asian and Middle Eastern people who had crossed the border last night.
Attackers dressed in black sought out groups of non-white refugees, mainly students who had just arrived in Poland at Przemyśl train station from cities in Ukraine after the Russian invasion. According to the police, three Indians were beaten up by a group of five men, leaving one of them hospitalised.
Continue reading...Only 6% of G20 pandemic recovery spending ‘green’, analysis finds
Review of G20 fiscal stimulus spending counters many countries’ pledges to ‘build back better’
Only about 6% of pandemic recovery spending has been “green”, an analysis of the $14tn that G20 countries have poured into economic stimulus.
Additionally, about 3% of the record amounts governments around the world have spent to rescue the global economy from the Covid-19 pandemic has been spent on activities that will increase carbon emissions, such as subsidies to coal, and will do little to reduce greenhouse gases or shift the world to a low-carbon footing.
Continue reading...World leaders agree to draw up ‘historic’ treaty on plastic waste
UN environment assembly resolution is being hailed as biggest climate deal since 2015 Paris accord
World leaders, environment ministers and other representatives from 173 countries have agreed to develop a legally binding treaty on plastics, in what many described a truly historic moment.
The resolution, agreed at the UN environment assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, calls for a treaty covering the “full lifecycle” of plastics from production to disposal, to be negotiated over the next two years. It has been described by the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) as the most important multilateral environmental deal since the Paris climate accord in 2015.
Continue reading...Fitbit recalls 1.7m Ionic smartwatches because of ‘burn hazard’
Reports of fitness watch’s lithium-ion battery overheating leads to warning from US safety commission
The fitness-tracking device maker Fitbit is recalling 1.7m of its Ionic smartwatches after reports of the battery overheating and burning some users.
The company, which was acquired by Google in 2021, had sold about 1m of the model in the US and nearly 700,000 internationally.
Continue reading...‘Constant shelling’ as Russian forces lay siege to key Ukrainian cities
Officials say Russian troops shelling civilian sites, including residential blocks and hospitals
Russian forces in Ukraine moved on Wednesday to tighten their siege of key cities, including the capital, Kyiv, and the southern port of Mariupol, as one mayor told residents he had been given an ultimatum to surrender or the city would be razed by shelling.
At an outdoor meeting, Artem Semenikhin, the mayor of Konotop, in the eastern Sumy region, told residents: “They have given us an ultimatum. If we start resisting, they’ll wipe out the town using artillery.”
Continue reading...‘Ukrainians are our friends’: the young Russian anti-war protesters defying Putin – video
Thousands of people in cities across Russia have been defying police threats and staging protests against the invasion of Ukraine. Authorities have a low tolerance for demonstrations and marches, and attending them can have serious consequences, including fines, mass arrests and even imprisonment.
Despite the crackdown, Apollinaria Oleinikova, along with her husband, Arshak Makichyan, and fellow protester Arina Adju have been attending anti-war rallies in Moscow and St Petersburg since the conflict began. As the death toll continues to rise, they say they feel like they have no choice but to publicly oppose the Kremlin and stand in solidarity with Ukraine
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