Category Archives: World News

Digging in: on the frontlines as farmers lay siege to Delhi

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Donations flood in to community kitchens as farmers protest against liberalisation of agriculture sector

When the sacks were ripped opened, almonds poured out, more than 10,000kg of them. It was not the first donation that had been sent to the Indian farmers defiantly camped out along the periphery of Delhi. In previous days trucks had rolled up and disgorged sacks of rice, pulses, flour, vegetables, sugar, tea and biscuits.

“This is food being sent by supporters from all over India and from as far as England and Canada. There is no shortage of food. We have enough to eat for months,” said Jaswinder Pal Singh, a farmer from Punjab.

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ICC asks for more evidence on Uighur genocide claims

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Court expected to rule there is still insufficient evidence against China, but file to be kept open

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has asked for more evidence before it will be willing to open an investigation into claims of genocide against Uighur people by China, but has said it will keep the file open for such further evidence to be submitted.

With Beijing not a signatory to the ICC, those bringing the claim of genocide have pointed to the alleged forcing of Uighur people from Tajikistan and Cambodia into China as evidence. Both countries are signatories to the Rome statute setting up the ICC.

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Sudanese singer faces deportation from Netherlands despite safety fears

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Rejection of Mohamed al-Tayeb’s asylum case comes amid changes to immigration policy critics say are an attempt to placate far right

A Sudanese singer whose television appearance on The Voice brought him threats from security officers is facing deportation from the Netherlands, where he has lived for two years.

Mohamed al-Tayeb, 30, who appeared on the Arabic version of the show in 2015, has been told his request for asylum had been rejected. The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS) said it did not believe he would be harmed if he returned to Sudan, following the ousting of Omar al-Bashir last year, but critics accuse the Dutch government of playing politics over anti-immigrant rhetoric.

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After Christchurch, New Zealand’s Muslim women shouldn’t have to rebuild on their own | Aliya Danzeisen

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The report into the mosque attacks basically told those affected to fend for themselves – the government must support us

In New Zealand, strong women leaders are regularly referred to as wāhine toa. This is not a term used lightly, but rather a title given to women who show exceptional leadership and continue to support those around them even in the face of enormous difficulties. Some might refer to New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, as a wāhine toa, but it can be also used for women within general society who display consistent courage and strength.

In the 15 March 2019 Christchurch terrorist attack, 51 people (47 men and four women) died in two mosques. As fate would have it, the majority of those who were lost were male … and the majority of those left to shoulder the impact, to pick up the pieces and to take charge were female – wives, mothers, daughters, sisters. Leading a family is a challenge on a regular day, but under such circumstances, after such a violent, destructive act, it has unsurprisingly been daunting.

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Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine approved by panel clearing way for FDA authorization for emergency use – live updates

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The Trump administration, which had arranged five federal executions before the president leaves office, plans to kill Brandon Bernard – a 40-year-old man that activists say was wrongfully convicted.

Berard was 18 at the time of the crime he as been convicted fo occured.

The planned killing of #BrandonBernard tonight is a national disgrace. https://t.co/vA6bbG9h0R

Related: Justice department plans to execute five inmates before Biden's inauguration

Matthew Cantor reports:

Each election season as campaigns ramp up get-out-the-vote efforts, socially awkward Americans face a dilemma: is it possible to help salvage democracy without having to cold-call anyone?

Related: Letter-writers look to get out the vote in Georgia – with a personal touch

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FDA advisory panel recommends approval of Pfizer Covid vaccine for emergency use

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Recommendation signals formal FDA approval for Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the US could be imminent

An advisory panel to the US Food and Drug Administration has recommended the emergency approval of a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

The recommendation is expected to signal that the first approval of a Covid-19 vaccine for use in the US is imminent. That would mark a major milestone in a pandemic that has killed more than 285,000 Americans and 1.5 million people globally.

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Pornhub: Mastercard and Visa to block use of cards on site after child abuse allegations

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Companies respond as investigation finds videos of rape and revenge pornography

Mastercard and Visa said on Thursday they would block their customers from using the credit cards to make purchases on Pornhub following accusations the pornographic website showed videos of child abuse and rape.

They reacted following an investigation by the opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times that also alleged the site depicts revenge pornography and video taken without the consent of participants. Pornhub has denied the allegations.

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Egypt cheated all Italians, says family of Giulio Regeni

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Struggle of murdered student’s parents has come to symbolise broader fight for justice

When the body of the Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni was found by the side of a Cairo highway in 2016, his mother later said she only recognised her son’s corpse by “the tip of his nose”, as he had suffered such extensive torture.

Almost five years after Regeni’s body was found, and following years of investigation by the Italian authorities, prosecutors in Rome on Thursday charged four men with Regeni’s kidnapping, including one accused of grievous bodily harm.

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The Brexit Brussels dinner: fish and frank talk but no one left satisfied

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There was said to have been a refreshing candidness, but there is much still left to chew over

In the final few moments, at the end of a long dinner on the 13th floor of the European commission’s Berlaymont headquarters, Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen slipped away from their advisers and chief negotiators to talk alone in a corner of the room. It was a tête-à-tête between two leaders mindful of the historic nature of their discussions.

Their conversation was intense, and notable for its apparent frankness; the body language made that clear to observers. The entire evening, as Von der Leyen would later tweet, had been “lively” – but this was not two politicians merely talking past each other. Both appeared to understand each other’s point of view, sources told the Guardian, and concluded it was worth “one last go” to reach a Brexit deal, even amid warnings of increasingly gloomy prospects. A Sunday deadline was set.

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Indictment of Egyptian officials over Giulio Regeni murder brings hope

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Analysis: prosecutions seen as opportunity for national security apparatus to come under scrutiny

Almost five years after the mutilated corpse of Giulio Regeni was found on the outskirts of Cairo in February 2016, Italian prosecutors have charged four members of Egypt’s national security agency over his kidnapping and murder.

For those working to uncover the truth about how Regeni died and why Egyptian security forces had entrapped the student in a web of surveillance, it was a day heavy with emotion.

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Israel and Morocco agree to ‘full diplomatic relations’, says Trump

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US president’s announcement marks fourth Arab-Israel agreement in four months

Israel and Morocco have made a deal to normalise relations, Donald Trump has announced, marking the fourth agreement between an Arab government and the Jewish state this year.

“Another HISTORIC breakthrough today!” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed to full diplomatic relations – a massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East!”

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Italy charges Egyptian security agency officials over murder of Giulio Regeni

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Cairo killing of doctoral student in 2016 long believed to be work of Egypt’s security forces

Prosecutors in Italy have charged four members of Egypt’s national security agency over the kidnapping and murder of the Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni in Cairo.

Tariq Saber, Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim, Capt Uhsam Helmi and Maj Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif are accused of kidnapping the young student in 2016, and Sharif is also accused of grievous bodily harm and murder.

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Decomposing mink in Denmark ‘may have contaminated groundwater’

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Nordic country culled 15 million mink after discovering mutated version of coronavirus

Decomposing mink buried in mass graves in Denmark after being culled because of coronavirus fears may have contaminated the groundwater, local radio has reported, as parliament announced a commission to investigate the government’s actions.

Denmark, the world’s largest exporter of mink fur, announced early last month it would cull up to 15 million mink after discovering a mutated version of the virus that could have jeopardised the effectiveness of future vaccines.

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‘I thought about killing my children’: the desperate Bangladesh garment workers fighting for pay

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Workers face destitution after the collapse of fashion retailers – and despite beatings and police crackdowns vow they will protest until they are paid

It was 4.30am when the police charged the hundreds of garment workers sleeping under makeshift shelters and in sleeping bags on the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh. As blows rained down, the workers fled.

By morning the streets had been cleared of the non-violent protest that more than 700 garment workers had been peacefully staging outside the Dhaka Press Club calling for their unpaid wages as they faced mounting destitution and hunger.

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Rich countries leaving rest of the world behind on Covid vaccines, warns Gates Foundation

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Deals struck by wealthy nations to secure treatments could leave the world’s poorest people unvaccinated without urgent action

It could be too late for any kind of fair distribution of coronavirus vaccines because of the deals already made by rich countries, according to Mark Suzman, chief executive of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Despite the unprecedented pace of scientific progress on the development of vaccines, he said it remains “really, really complicated” to ensure they are produced and distributed fairly.

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As Poles and Hungarians, we urge the EU to stand firm on the rule of law | Máté Varga

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Democracy is seriously under threat in our countries. The EU must stand up to the bullying tactics of Orbán and Morawiecki

As European leaders gather in Brussels this week municipal buildings and monuments in Warsaw and Budapest have been lit up in blue. The illuminations, organised by campaign groups and the mayors of these cities, are meant as a powerful reminder of the dark path ahead if the EU stands aside while the rule of law is extinguished in Poland and Hungary. The lights are a call for solidarity with the millions of citizens of both countries who argue that EU funding should be conditional on their governments upholding these fundamental rights.

The release of €1.8tn in EU funds for rebuilding after the pandemic and the EU’s 2021-2027 budget is at stake. So far agreement has been derailed by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Poland’s Mateusz Morawiecki because of their unwillingness to accept that membership of the EU depends on upholding democratic values.

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‘Alarming’: female prison population rises by 100,000 in past decade – report

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New data finds number of women behind bars growing, despite most being convicted of low-level nonviolent crimes

The number of women being jailed globally has increased by more than 100,000 in the past decade, despite international rules aimed at reducing the female prison population.

New data released by Penal Reform International around the 10th anniversary of the “Bangkok Rules” adopted by the UN show there are now 741,000 women and girls in prison.

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A Nobel prize for feeding the world can’t erase the shame of Yemen’s starving children | David Beasley

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I feel pride, but can’t shake my sense of failure that the World Food Programme’s media moment comes as hunger rages

I have done the usual things you do before an awards ceremony. After extensive high-level consultation, I think I now have the right suit and tie. Carefully folded in my pocket is a long list of people to praise, many far more deserving of praise than I. I am ready.

Growing up in a small South Carolina town, I never imagined life would bring me to this moment and allow me to be part of the wonderful, blessed enterprise I have found in WFP, the World Food Programme.

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Coronavirus live news: Italy reports steep rise in daily deaths; Israel abandons Hanukkah curfew plan

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Italy reports 887 coronavirus-related deaths, up from 499 on previous day; Israel abandons Covid-19 curfew plan ahead of Hanukkah

Bolivia’s cholita wrestlers are making a comeback to the ring after the iconic female fighters were forced to hang up their billowing skirts and bowler hats due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Reuters reports.

I’ve been wrestling for about 10 years. I am a single mother of two children, and I have a trade. Because of the trade I am in, I am able to dedicate enough time to my children, to take them to school and to study.

Before the pandemic, we were a part of the cultural heritage that wasn’t recognised, tourists came from all over the world to see just us, the fighting cholita luchadores of wrestling.

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Facial recognition for pigs: Is it helping Chinese farmers or hurting the poorest?

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Automation is revolutionising China’s pork farms but leaving independent farmers behind

A slender snout. Shapely, upright ears. Like humans, pigs have idiosyncratic faces, and new players in the Chinese pork market are taking notice, experimenting with increasingly sophisticated versions of facial recognition software for pigs.

China is the world’s largest exporter of pork, and is set to increase production next year by 9%. As the nation’s pork farms grow in scale, more farmers are turning to AI systems like facial recognition technology – known as FRT – to continuously monitor, identify, and even feed their herds.

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