Category Archives: World News

Libya: credible elections – or another failed bid at nation-building?

Posted on by

Parliamentary and presidential votes were due at the end of the year, but there are fears the interim government hopes to stay in power

Libya’s hopes of ending a decade of political chaos with credible elections at the end of this year for a president and new unified parliament have reached a defining moment, with the US insisting the vote should go ahead but some European diplomats fearing divisions are too entrenched for the result ever to be accepted as legitimate.

The elections are due to take place on 24 December, but no agreement has been reached within the country on laws governing the election. There are also signs that the populist interim government, theoretically appointed by the UN to manage services ahead of the elections, might seek to capitalise on the impasse to stay in power indefinitely. Thousands of foreign troops, mainly funded by Turkey and Russia, are still in place.

Continue reading...

China’s new aircraft carrier underlines need for the Aukus pact

Posted on by

Analysis: As the world’s largest navy tries to push it back in the Pacific, the US requires allies in the region

In the dockyards of Shanghai, the next step in China’s naval expansion is taking shape: a 315-metre aircraft carrier, whose construction progress was revealed by satellite photography in May this year.

China has the world’s largest navy and the largest shipbuilding industry, but the Type 003 is the latest step up: a vessel the same size as the latest US Ford class with a matching electromagnetic catapult for launching jets.

Continue reading...

Canada grants asylum to four people who hid Edward Snowden in Hong Kong

Posted on by

Charity helping the refugees says they are happy with the result but urges Ottawa to expedite asylum of remaining ‘Guardian Angel’

Canada granted asylum to four people who hid former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in their tiny Hong Kong apartments when he was on the run after stealing a trove of classified documents.

The four – Supun Thilina Kellapatha, Nadeeka Dilrukshi Nonis and their children Sethumdi and Dinath – landed in Toronto on Tuesday and were due to go on to Montreal to “start their new lives”, non-profit For the Refugees said in a statement.

Continue reading...

Australia reveals it raised case of Julian Assange with US, amid ‘kidnap plot’ claim

Posted on by

Foreign minister Marise Payne discussed WikiLeaks founder with US counterpart in Washington DC, a spokesperson says

Australia’s foreign minister, Marise Payne, raised the case of the WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange with the US secretary of state during her visit to Washington DC this month, the government has revealed.

But Australian parliamentarians who support Assange say the government should demand his immediate release, after a US news report this week claimed CIA officials during the Trump administration had discussed abducting and even assassinating the Australian citizen.

Continue reading...

Covid: New Zealand reports jump in cases as opposition calls for opening up

Posted on by

45 new positives in a day as National party lays out coronavirus plan for ‘vigorous suppression’ instead of elimination

New Zealand’s daily Covid cases have jumped sharply to 45 – more than five times the previous day’s number. The rise comes after several days of about 12 cases a day, and around a week after the Auckland region lifted its strictest lockdown restrictions.

“This is a big number. It’s a sobering number. I don’t think anybody who’s involved in this process would be celebrating a number like the one we’re seeing today,” said the Covid-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins.

Continue reading...

Guam’s vaccination success story turns grim with Covid surge

Posted on by

Once the great vaccination success story, the island is under strain amid a new wave of infections, but experts say cases would be far higher without vaccine coverage

Outside Guam Memorial hospital, blue medical tents have sprung up to accomodate an overflow of Covid patients.

The sight is bewildering for Guam residents. The island ran an incredibly successful vaccination campaign, with almost 90% of eligible people having received two doses, and even began offering jabs to tourists in an “Air VnV” – vacation and vaccination – scheme.

Continue reading...

Fumio Kishida set to be new Japanese PM after winning party election

Posted on by

Former foreign minister to become PM following face off against vaccination minister Taro Kono

Fumio Kishida, a former foreign minister with a reputation as a consensus builder, is set to become Japan’s prime minister after winning the ruling Liberal Democratic party’s presidential election in a runoff against the vaccination minister, Taro Kono.

The LDP-led coalition holds a majority in both chambers of parliament, meaning Kishida is practically assured of the prime ministership at an extraordinary parliamentary session on Monday.

Continue reading...

North Korea says it fired new hypersonic missile into sea

Posted on by

Latest of several launches within a month signals further ramp-up of hostility towards neighbours

North Korea has fired what it described as a hypersonic missile towards the sea off its east coast, as Pyongyang repeated a call for Washington and Seoul to scrap their “hostile policy” to restart talks.

On Wednesday, North Korea said it was a newly developed hypersonic missile. The official KCNA news agency said the launch was of “great strategic significance”, as the North seeks to increase its defence capabilities a “thousand-fold”.

Continue reading...

Pacific nations face ‘lost decade’ due to economic cost of Covid

Posted on by

Pacific Islands face greatest economic contraction in four decades, according to a new report from the Lowy Institute

Countries in the Pacific risk a “lost decade” following the Covid pandemic, with the region facing its greatest economic contraction in four decades, according to a new report into foreign aid.

The latest Lowy Institute Pacific Aid Map, which sets out aid spending and donations to the Pacific Islands region, shows US$2.44bn in foreign aid reached the Pacific in 2019, which is about 8% of the region’s GDP.

Continue reading...

Covid can infect cells in pancreas that make insulin, research shows

Posted on by

Results of two studies may explain why some people develop diabetes after catching the virus

Covid-19 can infect insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and change their function, potentially explaining why some previously healthy people develop diabetes after catching the virus.

Doctors are increasingly concerned about the growing number of patients who have developed diabetes either while infected with coronavirus, or shortly after recovering from it.

Continue reading...

Jacinda Ardern needs to speak out on Aukus – her tacit approval allows a dangerous military build-up | Bryce Edwards

Posted on by

New Zealand’s prime minister has essentially turned a blind eye to the pact – she knows taking the moral high ground leads to punishment

New Zealand defence hawks reacted to the announcement of the anglophone security pact Aukus this month by complaining this country had been sidelined. In order to stay close to traditional allies, the hawks suggest New Zealand needs to either increase defence spending to compensate, or overturn New Zealand’s long-held ban on nuclear-powered vessels.

On the opposing side, there have been plenty of doves celebrating that New Zealand isn’t involved in Aukus. For example, editorials from the three biggest newspapers all took this stance, which probably reflects the general view of most New Zealanders.

Continue reading...

US Afghanistan withdrawal a ‘logistical success but strategic failure’, Milley says

Posted on by
  • General and other military leaders in heated cross-examination
  • Milley defends loyalty to country and rejects suggestion to quit

The withdrawal from Afghanistan and the evacuation of Kabul was “a logistical success but a strategic failure,” the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff has told the Senate.

Gen Mark Milley gave the stark assessment at an extraordinary hearing of the Senate armed services committee to examine the US departure, which also became a postmortem on the 20-year war that preceded it.

Continue reading...

Witch-hunt murders surge in Democratic Republic of Congo

Posted on by

Eight women have been burned to death or lynched in South Kivu province this month, say officials

Murders of women accused of witchcraft have surged in a troubled eastern province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to officials and rights campaigners.

Eight women have reportedly been burned to death or lynched in three districts in South Kivu province this month.

Continue reading...

Unreleased John Lennon recording sells for £43,000 in Denmark

Posted on by

Song and interview were recorded by Danish schoolboys during Lennon and Yoko Ono’s stay in Thy in 1970


A cassette tape recording of an interview by Danish schoolboys with John Lennon and Yoko Ono in which the Beatles star sings a previously unreleased song has been sold at auction in Copenhagen for £43,000.

The 33-minute audio track was recorded by four teenagers as part of a report for their school magazine in January 1970, just months before the Beatles announced their breakup.

Continue reading...

‘Humbled and heartbroken’: WHO finds its Ebola staff abused women and girls

Posted on by

Inquiry commissioned by WHO details sexual abuse, including rape allegations, during DRC outbreak

The World Health Organization has described itself as “heartbroken” after an independent inquiry it commissioned said scores of women and girls were sexually abused by aid workers during the devastating 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The findings were described as “harrowing reading” by the WHO’s director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, while its regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said she was “humbled, horrified and heartbroken”.

Continue reading...

Rescue of trapped Ontario miners involved gruelling climb to surface

Posted on by

With main access route blocked miners scale network of ladders covering 4,000ft at mine in Sudbury

After a gruelling, half-day, climb up ladders, ascending about 4,000ft, 35 of 39 miners trapped at a mine in northern Canada have made it to the surface.

The miners had become trapped deep underground on Sunday after a scoop bucket detached and blocked the main transport shaft at the Totten mine in northern Ontario. They were forced to scale the network of ladders in secondary shafts, getting the chance to rest every 100 metres.

Continue reading...

Syrian exiles forced to prop up regime with fees for avoiding conscription

Posted on by

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and Siraj reveal how refugees are pressured for cash

Early this year, Yousef, a 32-year-old Syrian living in Sweden, found himself faced with an impossible choice: either enlist in the army of the government that made him a refugee, or risk his family losing their home back in Syria.

Military service is mandatory for Syrian men between the ages of 18 and 42, and the stakes rose significantly in February when an army official announced on Facebook that a new regulation would allow authorities to confiscate the property of “service evaders” and their families. Pressure was mounting on Yousef to decide.

Continue reading...

Coronavirus live: 10% of England’s secondary school pupils have long Covid symptoms; record Russia deaths

Posted on by

One in 10 secondary school pupils in England and third of staff have long Covid symptoms; official Russian tally reports 852 fatalities in 24 hours

Egypt has moved to provide immediate coronavirus vaccinations at youth centres without prior online registration.

It is aimed at encouraging vaccinations and relieving pressure on hospitals and health centres amid a fourth wave of infections, Reuters reported.

Singapore’s population size saw its sharpest percentage drop since 1950 this year, a report said on Tuesday.

It came as coronavirus-induced travel restrictions kept foreigners away from the Asian financial hub, Reuters reported.

Continue reading...

R Kelly’s ex-wife says victim shaming stopped women coming forward

Posted on by

Drea Kelly puts focus on what happens outside courtroom after singer’s racketeering and sex trafficking conviction

The culture around victim shaming stopped women coming forward sooner about the abuse they experienced at the hands of R Kelly, the singer’s ex-wife Drea Kelly has said.

A New York jury on Monday found R Kelly guilty of being the ringleader of a decades-long racketeering and sex trafficking scheme that preyed on women and children.

Continue reading...

Lego doubles profits as demand soars beyond Covid-19 lockdown

Posted on by

Brick brand says it does not not expect problems with Christmas stock despite global supply crisis

Lego profits more than doubled in the first six months of the year as brick fans stayed home to build Star Wars and Harry Potter models even after the Covid-19 lockdown ended.

The Danish toymaker was one of the winners from Covid restrictions as children and adults turned to its model kits to occupy themselves – and that trend has continued. Sales jumped 43% to DKr23bn (£2.6bn) in the first six months of 2021 while net profits surged 140% to DKr6.3bn.

Continue reading...