Category Archives: World News

Namibia elects its first female president in disputed elections

Posted on by

Vice-president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah avoids runoff vote, as win extends Swapo party’s 34-year hold on power

Namibia has elected its first female leader, with Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah declared the winner of last week’s presidential election in a result that will extend the ruling Swapo party’s 34-year hold on power.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, the current vice-president, won with 57% of the vote, according to official results, defying predictions that she might be forced into a runoff. Swapo has ruled the country since its independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

Continue reading...

Trudeau meets rivals as he seeks united front in face of Trump tariff threat

Posted on by

Canadian government scrambles to ward off tariffs as prime minister briefs politicians on meeting with Trump

Canada’s federal government has redoubled its efforts to ward off potentially disastrous tariffs from its closest ally, but provincial leaders have hinted at divergent strategies in response to the protectionist threat from president-elect Donald Trump.

Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, convened a rare, in-person meeting with his political rivals on Tuesday to brief them on a surprise meeting with Trump at his Florida resort over the weekend.

Continue reading...

South Korea president’s aides offer to resign en masse – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is closed – you can follow live coverage on our new liveblog

The White House has said it is “closely” monitoring the situation in South Korea.

“The administration is in contact with the ROK government and is monitoring the situation closely,” a spokesperson for the national security council said, using the official acronym for the Republic of Korea, where thousands of US troops are based as parts of efforts to deter nuclear-armed North Korea.

All political activities are banned in South Korea following the imposition of martial law on Tuesday and all media will be subject to government monitoring.

All political activities, including those of the national assembly, local councils, political parties, and political associations, as well as assemblies and demonstrations, are strictly prohibited.

Continue reading...

Experts create controllable gastric balloon to aid weight loss

Posted on by

Device inflates before eating and contracts afterwards, simulating the effects of having a meal, say scientists

From weight loss jabs to vibrating pills, the obesity crisis has spawned myriad innovations to help people shed pounds.

Now scientists have overhauled the humble gastric balloon – producing a device that both inflates and deflates to keep it effective for longer.

Continue reading...

Trump team signs agreement on background checks for nominees; lawyers push for hush-money case dismissal – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog has now closed. You can read our Trump hush-money story here

Notre Dame Cathedral will reopen in Paris on Saturday with incoming US president Donald Trump set to attend the ceremony marking the resurrection of the Gothic masterpiece five years after a devastating fire.

The Republican confirmed Monday he had accepted an invitation from French president Emmanuel Macron to attend the grand re-opening of the 850-year-old edifice which was nearly lost to flames in April 2019.

Continue reading...

South Korean MPs defy president’s declaration of martial law as crowds gather

Posted on by

Yoon Suk Yeol says in late-night address that opposition parties have taken parliamentary process hostage

South Korea’s National Assembly has voted to block an attempt by the president, Yoon Suk Yeol, to declare martial law, leaving the future of his emergency measure unclear as protesters and armed forces gathered in Seoul.

There was jubilation outside the National Assembly building late on Tuesday night where hundreds of people had gathered to witness armed forces enter the building as lawmakers sat in the legislature to hold an emergency session to block Yoon’s sudden declaration.

Continue reading...

Wolves to lose protection, as EU lowers bar for shooting wildlife

Posted on by

Downgrading species’ protection status for political gain puts decades of conservation efforts at risk, says WWF

Europe’s wolves will lose their “strict protection” status, alarming conservationists who fear for the survival of an animal brought back from the brink of local extinction.

A committee charged with saving wildlife took the wolf’s protection status down a notch on Tuesday after members voted through a proposal from the European Union that lowers the bar for shooting a wolf.

Continue reading...

Man jailed for life for murder of university student that horrified Italy

Posted on by

Brutal killing of Giulia Cecchettin, 22, triggered protests across country and cast grim spotlight on femicide in Italy

Filippo Turetta has been sentenced to life in jail for the murder of Giulia Cecchettin, a university student whose brutal killing cast a grim spotlight on femicide in Italy.

Cecchettin, 22, was stabbed more than 70 times before her body was wrapped in black plastic bags and dumped in a ditch close to a lake north of Venice in November last year. Her murder triggered protests across the country.

Continue reading...

Hamas and Fatah agree to create committee to run postwar Gaza Strip

Posted on by

Two main Palestinian factions agree during talks in Cairo that politically independent technocrats will run territory

Hamas and Fatah – the two main Palestinian factions which have been at odds for almost two decades – have agreed in talks in Cairo to create a committee that will jointly run the postwar Gaza Strip.

While Israel had refused to countenance a “day after” governing scenario involving Hamas or the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank, the move nonetheless signifies fresh willingness from Hamas to give up its rule of Gaza and could help advance internationally mediated ceasefire talks.

Continue reading...

Smartphones should carry health warning, Spanish government told

Posted on by

Report by committee of experts also calls for doctors to ask about screen time during checkups

Smartphones sold in Spain should carry a label warning users about their potential health impacts, experts have told the Spanish government, in a report that calls for doctors to ask about screen time during checkups.

As Spain pushes forward with a draft law to limit children’s exposure to technology, the 50-member committee of experts has also called for minors to have limited exposure to digital devices until they are 13 to mitigate what they see as a public health problem.

Continue reading...

Meloni says Italy aims to protect jobs after CEO of Fiat owner Stellantis quits

Posted on by

Company is at loggerheads with Italian government, which claims it has not invested enough in the country

The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has said her government will try to protect jobs as political tensions mount with Fiat maker Stellantis after the abrupt resignation of its chief executive.

Meloni said she would attempt to “defend” employees in the carmaker’s Italian operations in the wake of the surprise exit of Carlos Tavares, its longstanding chief executive, who left after the company said “different views have emerged” between the executive and its board.

Continue reading...

Court rules former Nazi camp guard, 100, can face trial in Germany

Posted on by

Gregor Formanek is charged with aiding and abetting 3,322 murders at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp

German authorities are pressing for a 100-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard to face trial almost 80 years after the end of the second world war.

The higher regional court in Frankfurt said on Tuesday it had overturned a decision by a lower court under which the suspect had been deemed unfit to stand trial.

Continue reading...

Syrian insurgents advance on Hama city after capturing Aleppo

Posted on by

Forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad in ‘violent confrontations’ with armed groups in Hama, according to reports

Syrian insurgents fighting forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have launched attacks in the central province of Hama, threatening to cut off government troops from a key route linking the capital, Damascus, with rebel-held Aleppo.

The army was engaging in “violent confrontations” with armed groups in Hama, the Syrian state news agency Sana reported.

Continue reading...

Middle East crisis: Israel will not differentiate between Lebanon and Hezbollah if ceasefire collapses, defence minister Katz says – as it happened

Posted on by

Israel Katz says Israel will no longer offer Lebanon an exemption and will enforce ‘maximum impact and zero tolerance’

Israeli media reports that the cabinet is set to meet in the coastal city of Nahariya on Tuesday, a symbolic show of renewed security in the north after the ceasefire deal with Lebanon came into effect.

The move has received some criticism, however, with Hebrew news site Ynet reporting that the heads of local authorities in the north of Israel are angry that they have not been invited to participate.

Continue reading...

Unknown disease kills 143 people in south-west DRC, local authorities say

Posted on by

Infected people described as having flu-like symptoms including high fever and severe headaches

An unknown disease killed 143 people in a south-west province of Democratic Republic of the Congo in November, local authorities told Reuters.

Infected people had flu-like symptoms including high fever and severe headaches, Remy Saki, the deputy governor of Kwango province, and Apollinaire Yumba, the provincial minister of health, said on Monday.

Continue reading...

Health services across Idlib ‘no longer functioning’, say Syrian doctors

Posted on by

Airstrikes on the city’s hospitals have led to death of at least two patients as well as the evacuation of medics and those being treated

Health services are no longer functioning in the Syrian city of Idlib after a series of airstrikes on key hospitals damaged intensive care units and specialised services, doctors said.

At least two intensive care patients have died because of power and oxygen shortages caused by the airstrikes, according to the rescue group White Helmets, and hospitals have had to evacuate patients or move them into basements.

Continue reading...

On the Grenadian island of Carriacou, even the dead are now climate victims

Posted on by

As ICJ hears landmark climate case, Grenada’s PM says vulnerable nations expect a long, hard fight for aid

It’s a macabre picture: tombs, headstones and wreaths, lovingly selected by family members, floating into the oblivion of the ocean, and with them the remains of loved ones uprooted from their final resting place. Some are dragged back to land, washed up on beaches on the Grenadian island of Carriacou, transforming the beautiful Caribbean shoreline into a chaotic graveyard.

This disturbing reality, says Grenada’s prime minister, Dickon Mitchell, is a poignant example of the gravity of the climate crisis and its impact on his country.

Continue reading...

China’s share of global electric car market rises to 76%

Posted on by

Market share increases after strong demand within country offsets risks from western tariffs on Chinese-made EVs

China’s share of the global electric vehicle market reached 76% in October, the country’s automotive trade body said, reflecting strong demand for EVs in the country even as western tariffs risk hobbling exports.

Between January and October, sales of EVs reached 14.1m units, according to the China Passenger Car Association, with 69% of those sales in China. In October, China’s share surpassed three-quarters.

Continue reading...

Japan’s Nomura bank boss takes 30% voluntary pay cut after worker tries to kill customer

Posted on by

Wealth management employee charged with robbery, attempted murder and arson after home visit to elderly clients

The boss of the Japanese bank Nomura has apologised and taken a voluntary pay cut after a former employee was charged with robbery and attempted murder of a customer.

Kentaro Okuda, who has led Nomura since 2020, will take a 30% pay cut over the next three months, with several other senior managers at the bank taking similar reductions, the bank said.

Continue reading...

Trump threat and mounting dangers in Mexico drive migrant rush towards US

Posted on by

People waiting in Tapachula by Guatemala border fear Trump’s election could worsen crisis and spur northward flight

Outside the migration office, Tito subtly pointed out the watchful human smugglers leaning against a wall.

They had already tried to sell their services to Tito, who was on his way to the US but, like everyone else there, found himself stuck in Tapachula, a town in southern Mexico that has become a global way station.

Continue reading...