Blast at Kyiv’s embassy in Madrid injures staff member; nine people killed in fires to heat homes in Ukraine
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Nato concerned by China’s ‘rapid and opaque’ military buildup, says Blinken
US secretary of state says Beijing’s ties with Moscow also discussed at alliance meeting after the two countries sent bombers into South Korean airspace
Nato allies are concerned about China’s rapid and opaque military buildup and its cooperation with Russia, and discussed concrete ways to address the challenges posed by Beijing, US secretary of state Antony Blinken has said.
“The members of our alliance remain concerned by the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] coercive policies, by its use of disinformation, by its rapid, opaque military buildup, including its cooperation with Russia,” Blinken told a news conference on Wednesday after a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the defence alliance.
Continue reading...Iranian man, 27, shot dead for celebrating team’s World Cup exit
Mehran Samak was killed by security forces after honking car horn in celebration of Iran’s defeat to US, human rights groups say
An Iranian man was shot dead by security forces after Iran’s national team lost to the US and exited the World Cup, as anti-government demonstrations took place inside and outside the stadium in Qatar and across Iran.
Mehran Samak, 27, was shot dead after honking his car horn in Bandar Anzali, a city on the Caspian Sea coast, north-west of Tehran, according to human rights activists.
Continue reading...Third Islamic State leader killed in battle
White House welcomes news of Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi’s death
The Islamic State jihadist group said its leader has been killed in battle, the third head of the violent extremist faction to have met a violent death.
A spokesperson for the group said Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, an Iraqi, was killed “in combat with enemies of God”, without elaborating on the date of his death or the circumstances.
Continue reading...Ron DeSantis book announcement a clear sign of presidential ambition
Florida governor expected to challenge Trump for Republican nod in 2024 will publish The Courage to Be Free in February
In the clearest signal yet that Ron DeSantis is preparing a run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, it was announced on Wednesday that the rightwing governor of Florida will publish a campaign-style book, mixing memoir with policy proposals.
The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Renewal, will be published by Broadside Books, a conservative imprint of HarperCollins, on 28 February.
Continue reading...UK imposes fresh round of sanctions on Russian officials
Foreign Office targets 22 officials, including Denis Manturov, deputy prime minister responsible for troop supplies
The UK has announced a fresh round of sanctions against 22 Russians, including those the Foreign Office says were involved in enlisting criminals to fight in Ukraine.
James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, said on Wednesday his department would target a new set of officials, including Denis Manturov, the deputy prime minister, who is responsible for troop equipment supplies.
Continue reading...Biden urged to threaten Israel weapons halt over far-right concerns
Pair urge president to withdraw military support to Netanyahu’s coalition government if Palestinians are expelled or land annexed
Two former senior US diplomats have made a highly unusual call for the Biden administration to cut weapons supplies to Israel if the incoming far-right government uses them to annex Palestinian land, expel Arabs or finally kill off the diminishing possibility of a Palestinian state.
Daniel Kurtzer, a former US ambassador to Israel under George W Bush, and Aaron David Miller, a US Middle East peace negotiator during several administrations, have called for what they described as an “unprecedented and controversial” break from America’s largely unconditional military and diplomatic support for Israel if “the most extreme government in the history of the state” pursues the stated aims of some of its members.
Continue reading...Israel condemns Netflix film showing murder of Palestinian family in 1948 war
Farha, debut film of Jordanian film-maker, depicts Zionist atrocities against Palestinians during Nakba conflict
A Netflix film depicting Zionist forces murdering a Palestinian family during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation has been condemned by Israeli officials as “creating a false narrative”.
Farha, the debut of the Jordanian film-maker Darin Sallam, has been shown at several film festivals around the world since its release last year, and is Jordan’s Oscars entry for 2023. It is due to begin streaming to a global audience on the online entertainment service on Thursday.
Continue reading...Up to 3,000 ‘peak polluters’ given last chance to close by Dutch government
State attempts to push through plans to shut hundreds of farms to cut nitrogen oxide emissions
The Dutch government is offering to buy out up to 3,000 “peak polluter” farms and major industrial polluters in an attempt to reduce ammonia and nitrogen oxide emissions that are illegal under EU law.
The nitrogen minister, Christianne van der Wal, said farmers would be offered more than 100% of the value of their farms to quit. For the first time, the government has said that forced buyouts will follow next year if the voluntary measures fail.
Continue reading...Man injured in explosion at Ukraine embassy in Madrid
Staff member sustained light injuries in blast that occurred while he was handling letter, say police
An employee at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid has sustained minor injuries after opening what is thought to have been a homemade letter bomb, prompting Kyiv to warn its diplomats to bolster their security precautions.
Oleh Nikolenko, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian foreign ministry, said the embassy in the Spanish capital had received an envelope as part of a mail delivery.
Continue reading...EU unveils plans to cut Europe’s plastic and packaging waste
Draft regulations would ban mini-shampoo bottles and throwaway cups, with push towards reuse over recycling
The EU executive wants to ban mini-shampoo bottles in hotels and the use of throwaway cups in cafes and restaurants, as part of sweeping legal proposals to curb Europe’s mountains of waste.
A draft EU regulation published on Wednesday also proposes mandatory deposit and return schemes for single-use plastic drinks bottles and metal cans, as well as an end to e-commerce firms wrapping small items in huge boxes.
Continue reading...Anti-regime Iranians celebrate World Cup exit to US in solidarity with protests
Footage shows fireworks and cheering across Iran and at Qatar stadium after team representing Islamic Republic lost 1-0
Some Iranians have celebrated their team’s loss to the US and subsequent exit from the World Cup, as demonstrations against the government’s treatment of protesters took place inside and outside the stadium in Qatar and across Iran.
The contest between the Iranian and American sides, whose countries severed diplomatic ties more than 40 years ago, took place under increased security to prevent a flare-up over the anti-government protests that have taken place across Iran since the death in custody of the 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on 16 September.
Continue reading...Tokyo same-sex marriage ruling ‘a step forward’, say campaigners
Court rules same-sex marriage ban is constitutional but says lack of legal protection is human rights violation
A court in has ruled that Japan’s ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional, but said the lack of legal protection for same-sex couples violated their human rights, a step welcomed by equality campaigners.
Japan is the only G7 nation that does not allow same-sex marriage and its constitution defines marriage as based on “the mutual consent of both sexes”. The conservative ruling party of the prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has shown no interest in legalising same-sex marriage, although polls show a majority of voters support it.
Continue reading...Covid restrictions lifted in Guangzhou and Chongqing after China protests
Announcements ordered the removal of ‘control orders’ and to designate areas as low risk
Authorities have abruptly lifted Covid restrictions in the Chinese cities of Guangzhou and Chongqing, where protesters scuffled with police on Tuesday night, as police searched for demonstrators in other cities and the country’s top security body called for a crackdown on “hostile forces”.
After days of extraordinary protests in the country that also prompted international demonstrations in solidarity, the US and Canada urged China not to harm or intimidate protesters opposing Covid-19 lockdowns.
Continue reading...Blast at Ukraine embassy in Madrid injures staff member; UK imposes fresh sanctions – as it happened
Employee at Ukrainian embassy in Spain injured handling a letter; UK targets 22 Russians including deputy PM Denis Manturov. This live blog is closed
The UK is to sign a new digital trade agreement with Ukraine that will give the country access to Britain’s financial services industry.
Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, will sign the agreement with the UK’s trade secretary, Kemi Badenoch, on Wednesday. Officials say the deal – based on a similar agreement earlier this year between the UK and Singapore – will support digital commerce through the facilitation of cross-border data flows.
Continue reading...South Korea scrambles jets after Chinese and Russian warplanes enter air defence zone
Chinese bombers repeatedly entered and left zone but did not violate South Korean airspace
South Korea’s military said it scrambled fighter jets as two Chinese and six Russian warplanes entered its air defence zone.
The Chinese H-6 bombers repeatedly entered and left the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (Kadiz) off South Korea’s southern and north-eastern coasts from about 5.50am local time on Wednesday, Seoul’s joint chiefs of staff (JCS) said.
Continue reading...William and Kate fly to US to promote prince’s environmental prize
Days later, Harry and Meghan will head to New York for human rights award, with no plans for brothers to meet
The Prince and Princess of Wales will fly to the US on Wednesday hoping to shine a light on the climate crisis against a media backdrop obsessed with sibling rivalry and turf war with the Sussexes.
In their first US trip in eight years, Prince William and Princess Catherine are visiting Boston to promote the prince’s environmental Earthshot prize.
Continue reading...Parents refuse use of vaccinated blood in life-saving surgery on baby
New Zealand’s health services go to court over guardianship of four-month-old boy whose parents have not let heart operation go ahead
New Zealand’s health service has made a court application over the guardianship of a four-month-old baby whose parents are refusing to allow his life-saving heart surgery to go ahead unless non-vaccinated blood is used.
The parents of the baby discussed their son’s health situation and their medical preferences in an interview with an anti-vaccination campaigner.
Continue reading...Indonesia puts 100-island archipelago up for auction, sparking environmental concerns
Uninhabited Widi Reserve is in a marine-protected zone and being promoted as ‘one of the most intact coral atoll ecosystems left on Earth’
The development rights to an entire Indonesian archipelago with more than 100 tropical islands is set to be auctioned next week, sparking concerns for the environmental impact on what Sotheby’s described as “one of the most intact coral atoll ecosystems left on Earth”.
The uninhabited Widi Reserve is based in a marine-protected zone in the “Coral Triangle” area of eastern Indonesia, and will go on sale via Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions in New York from 8-14 December.
Continue reading...Jailed Belarus opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova ‘in intensive care’
‘Our dear Masha, we all hope that you will be alright!’ said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of trio of women who led 2020 protests
The jailed Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova has been admitted to intensive care and undergone surgery, her allies have said.
“Maria is in the emergency hospital in Gomel, in the intensive care unit,” said the press service of Viktor Babaryko, another opposition politician.
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