Category Archives: World News

Myanmar fighting at its worst since 2021 coup, says UN

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Widespread escalation in violence across number of states poses greatest challenge yet to military rule

Myanmar is gripped by the worst escalation in violence since the military seized power in a coup almost three years ago, the UN has said, with intense clashes taking place across a number of states and regions.

The UN said an escalation in the fighting that began late in October was “the largest in scale and most extensive geographically” since the military coup, and has affected swathes of the country.

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Coldplay concert to go ahead in Malaysia amid opposition from conservative Muslims

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‘Kill switch’ to cut power in case of an ‘unwanted incident’ was discussed, but the band’s support of Palestine has endeared them to prime minister

A Coldplay concert is going ahead in Malaysia on Wednesday despite opposition from conservative Muslims in the country, but the band could face a “kill switch” that cuts off the show if they seriously offend cultural sensibilities.

Following outcry over a same-sex kiss between members of the 1975 at a Kuala Lumpur concert in July, earlier this month deputy communications and digital minister Teo Nie Ching introduced a ruling that concert organisers must have “a kill switch that will cut off electricity during any performance if there is any unwanted incident”.

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Fiji may partner with China to upgrade ports and shipyards, PM Rabuka says

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Fijian leader ‘anticipates collaboration’ with Beijing on projects amid rising concern over China’s ambitions in Pacific

China may help Fiji develop its ports and shipyards, the Pacific island country’s prime minister said, raising the prospect of stronger ties with Beijing in a key area of its economy.

Prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who has been cautious about China’s expanding security footprint in the Pacific, praised Beijing’s record of aid to Fiji in fighting Covid-19, developing agriculture and revamping infrastructure.

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Pakistan under fire for ‘shocking’ $830 exit fee for refugees who fled Taliban

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Afghans waiting to be resettled in the UK and other western countries face steep charge in ‘unprecedented’ move

Pakistan’s decision to impose hundreds of dollars in exit fees for every Afghan refugee who fled the persecution by the Taliban has been condemned as “shocking and frustrating” by western diplomats and the UN.

The “unprecedented” move targets refugees who are waiting to leave Pakistan for western countries under resettlement schemes, and charges about $830 (£660) for each person.

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Hong Kong land sales wobble, exposing cracks in city’s finances

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Despite historical high demand for homes due to the territory’s size, the economic downturn has resulted in a glut of unsold flats

Hong Kong’s once-lucrative land market looks to be in trouble after a series of unsuccessful tenders for government plots cast a shadow over the city’s finances.

Earlier this month, Hong Kong’s largest public transport company, the MTR Corporation, revealed that it had received no proposals for a joint development project in Tung Chung, a residential town next to Hong Kong airport.

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Sweden must join Nato soon to ward off Russian threat, says defence minister

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Exclusive: Pål Jonson unable to give timeline for completion of membership process but confident it will happen

Sweden must become a full member of the Nato military alliance “as fast as possible” to ward off the threat from Russia, the country’s defence minister has said, as impatience builds in Stockholm over its slow path to accession.

Pål Jonson said that he was unable to put a timeline on the completion of Sweden’s Nato approval process buthe was confident that Turkey and Hungary, the two remaining members left to ratify the country’s membership, would do so eventually.

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Netherlands set for first new prime minister in 13 years as voters head to polls

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Polls open for general election in the Netherlands, with four parties – ranging from left to far right – vying to take most votes

Dutch voters are voting in a knife-edge general election that will usher in the country’s first new prime minister in 13 years, with four parties from left to far right vying to become the largest in parliament.

From the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam to the islands of the Dutch Caribbean, more than 13 million voters will cast their ballot between 7.30am and 9pm in elections that could set the country on a different course after Mark Rutte’s four consecutive governments.

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When is a car not a car? When it’s a Swedish A-traktor

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Vehicles modified to not go above 19mph became a teenage rite of passage, but amid a rise in accidents, there are calls for a ban

It began as an agricultural necessity and grew into a beloved rite of passage for teenagers in rural Sweden. Invented in the early 1900s by farmers who were short on equipment, the A-traktor lives on as the vehicle of choice for motorists as young as 15.

But the cars, which are supposed to have been modified to have a maximum speed of 30km/h (19mph), are increasingly causing concern. Guidance introduced in 2020 made it easier to convert almost any car into an A-traktor and the change appears to have led to a sharp rise in related injuries and deaths.

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North Korea’s spy satellite is a big deal, regardless of how advanced its technology is

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Rocket launch underlines Kim Jong-un’s ability to sidestep UN sanctions and suggests ballistic missile building abilities have reached a higher level

North Korea is already believed to be capable of striking the US mainland with a nuclear weapon; now it claims that it can spy on enemy troops, after state media reported the regime’s first successful launch of a surveillance satellite, drawing an immediate response from South Korea.

While Japan, South Korea and the US could not immediately confirm if the satellite’s payload had entered orbit late on Tuesday, a North Korean presence in space would add to military tensions on the peninsula and highlight the ineffectiveness of international sanctions.

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Israel-Hamas war: son of senior Hezbollah lawmaker killed in strike on Lebanon border – as it happened

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This blog has now closed. You can read our full report on the latest news here

Here is everything we know about the deal to release hostages from Gaza, pause fighting for four days and release Palestinian prisoners:

US President Joe Biden has released a statement welcoming the deal for a pause in fighting and the release of hostages and prisoners. Biden thanks, “Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar and President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt for their critical leadership and partnership in reaching this deal”.

I welcome the deal to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist group Hamas during its brutal assault against Israel on October 7th.

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I thank Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar and President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt for their critical leadership and partnership in reaching this deal. And I appreciate the commitment that Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government have made in supporting an extended pause to ensure this deal can be fully carried out and to ensure the provision of additional humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian families in Gaza. […] It is important that all aspects of this deal be fully implemented.

…

Today’s deal should bring home additional American hostages, and I will not stop until they are all released.

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Israel and Hamas agree deal for release of some hostages and four-day ceasefire

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Fifty Israeli hostages held in Gaza will be freed over four days in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners and a lull in Israeli military operations

Israel and Hamas have agreed a deal for the release of 50 women and children hostages held in Gaza in return for 150 Palestinian women and children to be freed from Israeli jails during a four-day ceasefire, both sides announced on Wednesday morning.

The deal was confirmed by a senior US official, who told reporters that the freed hostages would include three Americans, one of them a three year-old girl. The official said that the first hostage release is expected on Thursday morning, and the total number of hostages freed could rise.

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China closing hundreds of mosques in northern regions, rights group says

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HRW says other mosques altered, for example through removal of minarets, as part of sinicisation campaign

Chinese authorities have closed or altered hundreds of mosques in the northern regions of Ningxia and Gansu, homes to the highest Muslim populations in China after Xinjiang, as part of broader efforts to “sinicise” China’s religious minorities, according to a report.

Researchers at Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Chinese government was significantly reducing the number of mosques in Ningxia autonomous region and Gansu province.

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Video captures California officer fatally shooting aspiring actor on freeway

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Officials launch inquiry as victim identified as Jesse Dominguez, 34, who family says may have been in mental health crisis

A California highway patrol officer fatally shot a man on Sunday during a confrontation in the middle of a Los Angeles highway, state authorities said as they announced an investigation into the incident.

The Los Angeles county medical examiner’s office on Tuesday identified the man as Jesse Dominguez. The 34-year-old was walking along the westbound lanes of Interstate 105 in south Los Angeles county when the deadly encounter unfolded, the California highway patrol said.

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Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill eight including journalists and Hamas official

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Broadcaster accuses Israel of targeting its journalists as death toll in Lebanon from rising hostilities surpasses 80

Two Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon have killed eight people, including two journalists working for a Lebanese TV channel and a senior Hamas official, according to Lebanese state media and official sources.

The deaths bring those killed in Lebanon since the beginning of hostilities along the border to more than 80 people, mostly fighters from the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

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Netanyahu meeting with ministers amid signs hostage deal to be approved

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‘I hope there will be good news soon’, says Israeli PM of potential deal for release of some of those held by Hamas

Benjamin Netanyahu was meeting his most senior ministers on Tuesday evening amid strong indications his government was due to approve a deal for the release of some of the more than 240 mostly Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

“We are making progress. I don’t think it’s worth saying too much, not at even this moment, but I hope there will be good news soon,” the Israeli prime minister, told reservists during a visit to an army base on Tuesday afternoon, but did not provide further details.

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French MP says she feared a heart attack after drink was spiked with ecstasy

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Sandrine Josso has accused senator Joël Guerriau of giving her a glass of champagne spiked with drug

A French member of parliament who was allegedly drugged by a senator has described “trembling and sweating” and fearing she was having a heart attack after drinking champagne spiked with ecstasy.

Sandrine Josso, 48, an MP for the centrist MoDem party, spoke out in two television interviews, saying she was “still in a state of shock” after the alleged incident last week.

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‘Breakthrough battery’ from Sweden may cut dependency on China

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Northvolt says new lithium-free sodium-ion battery is cheaper, more sustainable and doesn’t rely on scarce raw materials

Europe’s energy and electric vehicle industries could reduce their dependency on scarce raw materials from China after the launch of a “breakthrough” sodium-ion battery, according to its Swedish developer.

Northvolt, Europe’s only large homegrown electric battery maker, has said it has made a lower cost, more sustainable battery designed to store electricity which does not use lithium, nickel, graphite and cobalt.

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‘Extremely venomous’ green mamba on the loose in Netherlands

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Police in southern city of Tilburg tell residents to stay indoors after owner reported missing snake

An “extremely venomous” 2-metre green mamba snake is on the loose in the Netherlands, police have said, warning residents to stay indoors and under no circumstances attempt to ensnare the serpent.

Police in the southern city of Tilburg said they were alerted by the mamba’s owner on Monday evening that “he was missing a snake”.

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Three arrested over shooting of former rightwing politician in Madrid

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British woman said to be among those held after Alejo Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face on a busy street

Spanish police investigating the attempted killing of a former rightwing politician who was shot in the face on a busy Madrid street almost two weeks ago have arrested three people including a British woman, according to official sources.

Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a former leader of the conservative People’s party (PP) in Catalonia who joined the far-right Vox party in 2014, was attacked in the affluent Salamanca district of the Spanish capital at about 1.30pm local time (1230 GMT) on Thursday 9 November.

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Girl, two, dies and eight missing after boat sinks off Lampedusa in Italy

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Coastguard and fishing boat rescue dozens, including girl who later died, with search ongoing

A two-year-old girl has died and other eight people were reported missing after a boat carrying about 50 people across the central Mediterranean sank in waters off the coast of Lampedusa, Italian authorities said.

The Italian coastguard, aided by a local fishing boat, managed to rescue 42 people on Monday, including the baby girl, but she subsequently died onboard a rescue vessel en route to the island, the Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said on Tuesday.

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