Category Archives: World News

‘Jail crushes you slowly’: Kashmiri journalist reflects on prison ordeal

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Fahad Shah, whose case was a symbol of harassment of region’s media, says he has different outlook after months behind bars

During his more than 600 days behind bars, Fahad Shah, a Kashmiri journalist, had begun to lose hope that he would ever see freedom again. It was in February last year that Shah, 34, the editor of the Kashmir Walla, one of the last remaining independent news websites in the region, was arrested on charges of “glorifying terrorism” and publishing “anti-national content”.

What followed was a crushing 21 months for Shah as his high-profile case became a symbol of the growing harassment faced by Kashmiri journalists. He was granted bail in one case, only to be swiftly re-arrested and hit with new, more draconian charges.

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EU must not ‘appease’ Viktor Orbán by unfreezing billions earmarked for Hungary

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Commission may be prepared to to give Budapest €10bn after leader threatens to derail EU plans to open accession talks with Ukraine

The European Commission has been urged not to “appease” Viktor Orbán by unfreezing billions of euros for Budapest, as the Hungarian prime minister threatens to derail EU plans to open accession talks with Ukraine and grant Kyiv fresh aid.

The Hungarian government’s moves in recent years to undermine independent institutions, as well as concerns about corruption and alleged misuse of European funds, have led Brussels to withhold over €27bn (£23bn) earmarked for Hungary.

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Kangaroo punches police officer as it is captured after weekend on the run in Canada

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The animal escaped handlers during a rest stop in Ontario while being transported to a zoo in Quebec

A kangaroo that escaped its handlers during transport to a new home has been captured east of Toronto after a weekend in the wild, but not before delivering a punch in the face to one of the police officers who brought her run to an end.

The female kangaroo hopped over her handlers late on Thursday during a rest stop at the Oshawa Zoo and Fun Farm in Ontario, the park’s head keeper Cameron Preyde told CBC.

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New Zealand: thousands protest against new government policies that unravel Māori gains

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The new government recently announced it would dial back use of Māori language in government organisations, and scrap Māori Health Authority

Thousands of Māori protesters took to the streets across New Zealand on Tuesday morning, objecting to policies of the new government that Māori say will unravel decades of indigenous progress.

Protesters blocked traffic on key roads and lined streets in towns and cities while calling for the coalition to scrap plans to review the Treaty of Waitangi, the country’s 180-year-old founding document which was signed between the Crown and Māori leaders.

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Israel investigates claims investors made millions short-selling before Hamas attacks

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US professors detected unusual trading activity on Tel Aviv and US stock exchanges before 7 October

Israeli authorities are investigating claims by US researchers that some investors may have known in advance about the Hamas plan to attack Israel on 7 October and used that information to earn millions of dollars by short-selling Israeli shares.

Research by law professors Robert Jackson Jr from New York University and Joshua Mitts of Columbia University found significant short-selling of shares leading up to the attacks that triggered the war.

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Death of Canadian 3D pioneer found in burned car on Caribbean island was ‘potential homicide’

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Police say deaths of Daniel Langlois and his partner, who were found in a car at the bottom of a ravine, may have followed ambush

The government of Dominica has asked authorities in Canada for assistance in the investigation of the death on the Caribbean island of businessman and philanthropist Daniel Langlois.

The bodies of Langlois – a pioneer in 3D animation – and his partner Dominique Marchand, were found on Friday in a burned-out car at the bottom of a ravine, in the south of the small island.

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US ‘out of money’ for Ukraine: six things to know about the aid standoff

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White House urges Congress to approve extra funding for war against Russia – but hard-right Republicans are holding out

The White House issued an urgent warning to Congress on Monday, predicting that Ukraine will soon lose ground in its war against Russia without another infusion of financial aid from the US.

“I want to be clear: without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from US military stocks,” Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in her letter to congressional leaders.

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British national, 19, killed while fighting for IDF in Gaza

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Binyamin Needham was born in England but moved with his family to Israel at the age of eight

A 19-year-old British national has been killed while fighting for the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza.

Binyamin Needham was one of two soldiers killed during an operation in the north of the territory on Sunday, according to a statement released by the IDF.

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White House condemns protest targeting Philadelphia Jewish restaurant as ‘completely unjustifiable’ – as it happened

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This live blog is now closed. You can read our full report below:

Back in Philadelphia, Brendan Boyle, a Democratic congressman representing the city, condemned the protest outside Jewish restaurant Goldie as “despicable”.

From his account on X:

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Venezuelan voters largely decline to vote on Essequibo referendum in surprising twist

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Turnout was minimal in vote on referendum intended to rubber-stamp Venezuela’s claim to around two-thirds of Guyana’s territory

The government of Guyana has breathed a sigh of relief after a referendum intended to rubber-stamp Venezuela’s claim to around two-thirds of the tiny South American country’s territory appeared to have backfired.

Nicolas Maduro had hoped to leverage his country’s century-long claim to the disputed Essequibo region to mobilise public support but voting stations across the country were largely quiet on Sunday as most voters shunned the issue.

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Israel extends ground offensive into southern Gaza, with mission in north ‘almost complete’

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Israel orders people to evacuate areas marked on maps online, but move criticised as many in Gaza do not have internet access

Israeli tanks, armoured personnel carriers and bulldozers have entered the southern part of the Gaza Strip near Khan Younis, as an Israeli commander claimed the army had almost completed its mission in the north.

Israeli military vehicles were on the southern section of the main north-to-south road in Gaza, “firing bullets and tank shells at cars and people trying to move through the area”, a witness, Moaz Mohammed, told the AFP news agency.

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White House condemns ‘antisemitic’ rally outside Philadelphia falafel shop

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Deputy press secretary says protest at Goldie, owned by American Israeli chef Michael Solomonov, ‘completely unjustifiable’

The White House has condemned events outside an Israeli-style falafel shop in Philadelphia that became the focus of marchers at a “Flood Philly for Gaza” rally who chanted, “You can’t hide, we charge you with genocide” on Sunday.

It was “antisemitic and completely unjustifiable to target restaurants that serve Israeli food over disagreements with Israeli policy”, said the deputy press secretary, Andrew Bates.

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Former US diplomat charged with spying for Cuba over 40 years

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Attorney general alleges ‘one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations’ of US government by foreign agent

The US government charged a former diplomat who served on the national security council in the 1990s with secretly serving as an agent of Cuba’s government for more than 40 years.

Victor Manuel Rocha was arrested on Friday, following a long-running FBI counterintelligence investigation. The US ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002, Rocha also worked on the national security council from 1994 to 1995. He is charged with committing multiple federal crimes.

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Emmanuel Macron says Israel must define more precisely its Gaza aims

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French president says there is no lasting security for Israel if it comes at the cost of Palestinian lives

Emmanuel Macron has ramped up his criticism of Israel’s military strategy, saying its stated objective of the elimination of Hamas could take a decade and stoke “the resentment of all public opinion in the region”.

In his strongest warning yet, the French president said at the weekend that the Israeli authorities needed to “define more precisely” their aims in Gaza, adding that the proper response to a terrorist group was not “to bomb the entirety of civilian capabilities”.

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Girl, 12, held hostage in Gaza for 50 days ‘won’t let father out of her sight’

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Hen Avigdori says daughter Noam sometimes wakes up screaming as doctors report trauma among released Israeli children

The father of a 12-year-old girl who was held hostage in Gaza for 50 days has said she sometimes wakes in the night screaming and will not let him out of her sight.

Hen Avigdori’s daughter Noam and wife, Sharon, were held with other relatives in a single room in Gaza after being abducted from the Be’eri kibbutz on 7 October.

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Father of British student tells Paris court her killer ‘devastated’ family

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Roger Parrish says murder of daughter Joanna by serial killer Michel Fourniret in 1990 had never-ending impact

The father of a British student murdered by a French serial killer has told a court how the “narcissistic psychopath” devastated his “perfect” family.

Roger Parrish, 80, whose daughter Joanna was beaten, raped and strangled by Michel Fourniret in 1990, said: “Never-ending devastation doesn’t even come close to describing the effect Joanna’s murder has had on our family.”

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Misinformation expert says she was fired by Harvard under Meta pressure

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Joan Donovan says funding was cut off for criticizing Meta when university was receiving $500m from Mark Zuckerberg’s charity

One of the world’s leading experts on misinformation says she was fired by Harvard University for criticising Meta at a time that the school was being pledged $500m from Mark Zuckerberg’s charity.

Joan Donovan says her funding was cut off, she could not hire assistants and she was made the target of a smear campaign by Harvard employees. In a legal filing with the US education department and the Massachusetts attorney general first published by the Washington Post, she said her right to free speech had been abrogated.

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Fossil fuel firms should volunteer to help vulnerable countries, says Spanish minister

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Co-leader of EU delegation at Cop28 says climate should be at centre of all financial and economic decisions

If fossil fuel companies are serious about tackling the climate crisis, they could contribute to funds for poor and vulnerable countries stricken by its effects, Spain’s environment minister has said.

Teresa Ribera, a co-leader of the EU delegation at the Cop28 UN climate summit in Dubai, said: “Private corporates should be stepping into a different development model in vulnerable countries. We went through some language on that that was broadly supported by all [EU] member states, which is: why not just start by an invitation to the oil and gas companies to dedicate part of the profits to invest in sustainable development of the most vulnerable countries. And that’s on a voluntary basis [at first], because why not?”

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James Cleverly travels to Kigali to sign new treaty with Rwanda

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Domestic legislation also planned so parliament can assert country is a safe destination for asylum seekers

James Cleverly is travelling to Kigali to sign a new treaty with Rwanda, as Rishi Sunak responds to the UK supreme court’s ruling against the policy to send people there.

Domestic legislation is also planned so parliament could assert Rwanda is a safe destination for asylum seekers who arrive in Britain.

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Weather tracker: temperatures to plummet across Russia

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East of country may fall to close to -50C, while Moscow has its third snowiest November this century

Temperatures across large parts of Russia are expected to plummet in the second half of this week. A large area of high pressure will sit over a large portion of the west of the country, introducing arctic air to the region, and keeping temperatures well below the seasonal average.

In Perm and Omsk, daytime temperatures are not forecast to rise above -25C later this week, which is about 20C below the seasonal norm. For the Perm region, this week is expected to be the coldest since 2016.

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