Category Archives: World News

Daughter of Algerian journalist arrested on Christmas Eve calls for his release

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Imprisonment of Ihsane el-Kadi, a longstanding government critic, prompted outcry from human rights groups

The daughter of the prominent Algerian journalist Ihsane el-Kadi has called for his immediate release from detention in a notorious prison following his arrest at midnight on Christmas Eve.

Kadi, who has been a longstanding critic of the Algerian government and is one of the north African country’s most influential voices, was arrested by security forces in plain clothes at his home in the coastal city of Boumerdès, 35 miles east of Algiers, on 24 December and placed in a pre-trial detention.

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China appoints hardliner Zheng Yanxiong as its top representative in Hong Kong

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Zheng was among the officials sanctioned by the US for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms

China has appointed the head of the national security office in Hong Kong as its top representative officer in Hong Kong – a sign that Beijing will tighten its control over the city.

Zheng Yanxiong, 59, replaces another hardliner, Luo Huining, 68, as head of Beijing’s top representative office in Hong Kong, the State Council said in a notice.

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History revisited: what the isolationist Qing dynasty tells us about Xi Jinping’s China

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Promotion of historian who spearheaded rehabilitation of the Qing period prompts speculation that the past is being reinterpreted to bolster President Xi

At the height of the Qing dynasty, the Chinese empire was one of the great powers of the world. Its territory spanned all the way to Inner Asia and its economic prosperity and military might was the envy of the world.

But despite its success, rampant corruption, weak governance, internal revolts and foreign invasion led to the decline of its national power and its eventual collapse. The beginning of the 20th century would mark the end of China’s centuries-long dynasties, ruled over by emperors.

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Iranian hardliners urge revenge on UK after Alireza Akbari’s execution

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Newspaper editor calls for UK agents to be named, despite zero evidence British-Iranian dual national was a spy

Iranian hardliners are urging their government to exact revenge on the UK and deliver a blow to its spying network by revealing the true names of the British intelligence agents who supposedly worked with Alireza Akbari, the British-Iranian dual national who was executed on Saturday for allegedly spying for the UK.

The call – made by Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of the Kayan, the newspaper closest to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) – shows hardliners are intent on a confrontation with Britain over the issue.

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Biden approves disaster funding after Alabama and Georgia tornadoes

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At least nine people died as survivors tell of hiding in bathtubs and containers as ferocious storms bore down on homes

Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Alabama on Sunday, after at least nine people died in tornadoes that destroyed homes and knocked out power to tens of thousands in south-eastern US states this week.

The president ordered federal aid to supplement regional recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, winds and tornadoes on 12 January, a White House statement said.

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German tank manufacturer’s warning puts pressure on Ukraine’s allies

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Defence firm dampens Kyiv hopes other European allies will follow UK’s lead in supplying heavy armour

Battle tanks from German industrial reserves wanted by Ukraine will not be ready to be delivered until 2024, the arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has warned, increasing pressure on Nato allies to support Ukraine with armoured vehicles in active service instead, ahead of a key meeting this week.

“Even if the decision to send our Leopard tanks to Kyiv came tomorrow, the delivery would take until the start of next year,” Rheinmetall’s chief executive, Armin Papperger, told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

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George Santos a ‘bad guy’ who did ‘bad things’ but should not be forced out, top Republican says

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New York congressman’s résumé is largely fiction and campaign finance questions abide but support is vital for speaker McCarthy

The New York Republican congressman George Santos, whose résumé has been shown to be largely fictional, whose campaign finances are the subject of increasing scrutiny and who is under local, federal and international investigation, is a “bad guy” who has done “really bad” things, the new House oversight committee chairman said on Sunday.

But Santos should not be forced to quit, James Comer said.

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Palestinian shot dead by Israeli troops at West Bank checkpoint

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Israeli army said man had tried to grab a soldier’s gun during ‘scuffle’ at crowded checkpoint

Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian motorist in the occupied West Bank during what a witness said was a scuffle at a crowded checkpoint, with the Israeli army saying the man had tried to grab a soldier’s gun.

Palestinian medics summoned to the scene near Silwad village on Sunday said they found 45-year-old Ahmed Kahleh with a fatal bullet wound to the neck. Kahleh’s son had been pepper-sprayed, they said. Reuters was not immediately able to reach him for comment.

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Former Afghan MP Mursal Nabizada shot dead in Kabul

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Bodyguard also killed at home of one of few female parliamentarians who stayed in Kabul after Taliban takeover

A former Afghan MP and her bodyguard have been shot dead by unknown assailants at her home in the capital, Kabul, police have said.

Mursal Nabizada was among the few female parliamentarians who stayed in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. It is the first time an MP from the previous administration has been killed in the city since the takeover.

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Russia-Ukraine war live: rescue attempts continue for survivors of Russian missile attack on Dnipro apartment block — as it happened

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At least 20 dead and fate of 40 remains unknown with scores left homeless says governor

From doctors to cocktail bar staff, in this article by Guardian journalists Emma Graham-Harrison and Artem Mazhulin, the people of the Ukrainian capital speak of their everyday acts of resistance and determination to do much more than simply survive.

Images of the rescue efforts at the destroyed block of flats in Dnipro are filtering through.

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Prada charts course between useful and zany at Milan fashion week

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Fashion label has taken items you might already own – a white vest, a backpack – to its menswear show

No one comes to Milan fashion week for its “useful clothes”. Yet this was the verdict of the director Luca Guadagnino, who sat in the front row on Sunday’s menswear show: “Useful, yes, wearable, yes, all those things. Everyone can wear this.”

Price tags aside, his point was this: just as in previous collections, Prada took things you might already own – a ribbed white vest, a backpack – and turned them into must-have pieces. They did the same with duffle coats, donkey jackets, black office brogues and navy parkas. Sometimes fashion holds up a mirror to what’s happening in the world, but sometimes it reminds us of what we already own.

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California storms: Biden declares major disaster as more flooding forecast

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Death toll at 19 after prolonged spell of rain and snow caused by atmospheric rivers set to continue until Tuesday

Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in California following devastating winter storms leading to flooding and mudslides and the deaths of at least 19 people.

On Saturday, Biden ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in areas affected by storms since late December.

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Biden honors Martin Luther King Jr with sermon: ‘His legacy shows us the way’

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President gave sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and spoke about the need to protect democracy

Joe Biden marked what would have been Martin Luther King Jr’s 94th birthday with a sermon on Sunday at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, celebrating the legacy of the civil rights leader while speaking about the urgent need to protect US democracy.

Biden said he was “humbled” to become the first sitting president to give the Sunday sermon at King’s church, also describing the experience as “intimidating”.

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Republicans accuse Biden of hypocrisy over classified documents discoveries

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House oversight chair requests Delaware visitor logs as Democrats stress difference from Trump classified records case

Republicans pounced on the discovery on Saturday of more classified documents at Joe Biden’s residence, accusing the president of hypocrisy and questioning why the records were not brought to light earlier.

Biden lawyers have discovered at least 20 classified documents at his residence outside Wilmington, Delaware, and at an office in Washington used after he left the Obama administration, in which he was vice-president.

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Nepal plane crash with 72 onboard leaves at least 68 dead

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Foreign nationals from Australia, France, Ireland and India among the passengers onboard

At least 68 people were confirmed dead and hope faded for any survivors after a plane with 72 onboard crashed in Nepal, the Himalayan country’s deadliest aviation disaster in three decades.

“Thirty-one [bodies] have been taken to hospitals,” said police official, AK Chhetri, adding that another 36 were still in the 300-metre gorge the aircraft plunged into at the site in Pokhara in central Nepal.

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Czech presidential election: Babiš likens rival to Putin after first-round defeat

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Ex-PM ratchets up rhetoric after surprise loss to former army chief and Nato military chair Gen Petr Pavel

The former Czech Republic prime minister Andrej Babiš has set the scene for a bitter presidential election showdown dominated by rows over the country’s communist past by comparing his rival to Vladimir Putin after a surprise first-round poll defeat.

Final tallies after polls closed on Saturday showed Babiš finishing a close second to Gen Petr Pavel, a former army chief of staff and Nato military chair, propelling the pair into a head-to-head ballot on 27-28 January for the right to succeed Miloš Zeman as Czech president.

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Buns for votes scandal did not sway mayoral election, Canadian court rules

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In the tiny community of Pouce Coupe, a candidate was accused of using cinnamon rolls as bribes at a campaign event

Efforts to bribe unsuspecting voters, allegations of candidate intimidation and a court challenge to an election result have cast a spotlight on the tumultuous, ruthless politics of a tiny west Canadian community.

British Columbia’s supreme court this week weighed in on the row, upholding the fiercely contested results of a recent municipal election, Pouce Coupe, a town of fewer than 800 people near the border with Alberta.

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Parisians to vote on banning e-scooters

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Critics say riders show only cursory respect for the rules of the road

Parisians will be invited to vote on whether to allow electric scooter rental services to continue operating in the French capital as authorities weigh banning the controversial for-hire vehicles, the city’s mayor has said.

The issue is “extremely divisive”, Anne Hidalgo told the weekend edition of Le Parisien newspaper, with critics saying riders show only cursory respect for the rules of the road.

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Peru declares state of emergency in Lima after weeks of protests

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President Dina Boluarte expresses regret for the death of at least 42 people in recent wave of demonstrations, but insists she will not stand down

Peru’s government has declared a state of emergency in the capital of Lima and three other regions following weeks of protests against President Dina Boluarte that have claimed at least 42 lives.

The measure, in force for 30 days, authorises the army to intervene to maintain order and suspends several constitutional rights such as freedom of movement and assembly, according to a decree published in the official gazette on Saturday.

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After the rampage: Brazil’s new leaders to fight hard in wake of ‘insane’ coup attempt

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Lula’s government claims it has ‘absolute control’ after storming of capital by Bolsonaro supporters, but failed putsch is not over, say insiders

Sônia Guajajara should have been making history last Tuesday afternoon, being sworn in as the head of Brazil’s first ministry for Indigenous peoples at a ceremony at the presidential palace in Brasília.

Instead, with that building wrecked last Sunday by thousands of far-right extremists, she sat in her office overlooking Brazil’s similarly ransacked congress, reflecting on the stunning attempt to overthrow one of the world’s biggest democracies.

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