Zelensky urges faster delivery of arms to frontline
The call from Ukraine's leader comes as Russia intensifies its offensive in the east.
UK will not accept return of asylum seekers from Ireland, Rishi Sunak says
Prime minister dismisses potential deal with Dublin, increasing prospect of an escalating UK-Irish crisis
Rishi Sunak has said the UK will not accept the return of asylum seekers from Ireland and dismissed the prospect of a deal with Dublin.
The prime minister doubled down on his Rwanda deportation plan and appeared to reject any deal with the Irish government, which is alarmed at asylum seekers entering the republic from Northern Ireland.
Continue reading...Protesters defy Columbia deadline to leave campus
Students who have set up encampments to protest the war in Gaza have been told to leave or face suspension.
Kenya dam burst kills around 50, Red Cross says
Villagers were swept away as they slept after a tide of water crashed down from the breached dam.
Burkina Faso bans more foreign media outlets
The West African nation "strongly rejects" allegations its army killed at least 223 civilians in February.
David Cameron urges Hamas to agree to 40-day Gaza ceasefire deal
Foreign secretary also calls on Arab states to accept that Hamas leaders responsible for 7 October attack must leave the territory
David Cameron has urged Hamas to agree to a deal for a sustained 40-day ceasefire in Gaza and the release of potentially thousands of hostages and prisoners.
The foreign secretary also challenged Arab states to accept that the Hamas military leadership responsible for the attack on 7 October must leave Gaza.
Continue reading...US ‘hopeful’ Hamas will accept new Gaza truce deal
The secretary of state calls Israel's latest offer for a hostage release "extraordinarily generous".
Blinken urges Hamas to accept ‘extraordinarily generous’ Israeli ceasefire deal
US secretary of state says Hamas is the ‘only thing standing between people of Gaza and ceasefire’
The US secretary of state has said that “the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire” is Hamas, ahead of what are seen as last-chance talks to salvage a diplomatic solution before a threatened Israeli ground invasion in Rafah.
Speaking at a World Economic Forum meeting in Saudi Arabia on Monday, Antony Blinken said: “Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel.
Continue reading...US, UK urge Hamas to accept Israeli truce proposal in war on Gaza
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron says proposal includes a 40-day ceasefire and release of captives.
Delivery firm Getir to quit UK, Europe and US and focus on Turkey
Grocery service grew during Covid pandemic but has retreated amid competition and waning demand
The grocery courier firm Getir is to quit the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the US to focus on its home market of Turkey amid heavy competition and waning demand for rapid home deliveries.
The closure marks the latest shakeout of the fast grocery delivery industry which grew rapidly during the Covid pandemic but has sharply retreated since.
Continue reading...British Columbia abruptly drops drug decriminalization after backlash
Premier asks government to reintroduce ban, ending Canada’s first large attempt to gauge effects of decriminalization
British Columbia has abruptly reversed course on its landmark experiment decriminalizing the possession of certain illicit drugs, citing mounting public frustration and “disorder” in the Canadian province.
Premier David Eby said on Friday that he had asked the federal government to reintroduce a ban on public drug use, formally ending the country’s first large attempt to gauge the effects of decriminalization.
Continue reading...EU to investigate Meta over election misinformation before June polls
Brussels to act later this week against Facebook and Instagram owner over policies on deceptive advertising and political content, reports say
The EU is set to launch formal proceedings against Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, amid concerns it is not doing enough to counter Russian disinformation before the EU elections in June, according to reports.
It is also expected to express concerns about the lack of effective monitoring of election content and a potentially inadequate mechanism for flagging illegal content.
Continue reading...‘The encampment fills me with hope for a Palestinian future’
University protests are bringing people together in support of Palestinian rights, said Ahmad Ibsais.
Marjorie Taylor Greene will not drop threat to oust House speaker, aide says
Anyone who thinks far-right congresswoman will drop plan to remove Mike Johnson is ‘simply out of their mind’, aide says
Anyone who thinks Marjorie Taylor Greene will drop her threat to force the removal of the Republican US House speaker, Mike Johnson, is “high, drunk, or simply out of their mind”, a senior aide to the far-right Georgia congresswoman said.
“That’s absurd,” her deputy chief of staff Nick Dyer told Politico, adding that Greene was “not going to tell the press” her plans for activating the motion to vacate she filed more than a month ago.
Continue reading...‘Lame duck leader’: Scotland’s Humza Yousaf quits. What’s next?
Analysts say the Scottish National Party is in crisis mode after the 39-year-old politician steps down.
US navy ship off Gaza coast building part of aid platform, images show
Satellite photos show pieces of floating pier alongside vessel, which is about 5 miles from project base
A US navy ship involved in an American-led effort to bring more aid into the besieged Gaza Strip is offshore from the territory and building out a floating platform for the operation, according to satellite photos analysed by the Associated Press.
The USNS Roy P Benavidez sits about 5 miles from the pier and base of operations for the project being built by the Israeli military.
Continue reading...Tesla shares jump after reports of China deal
A reported deal with Chinese search giant Baidu will help pave the way for a rollout of Tesla's self-driving technology.
Victorian premier confronts ‘bloody stains of colonisation’ at historic Indigenous truth-telling inquiry
Jacinta Allan’s journey to deepen her understanding of injustices is one many Victorians will need to embark on for Yoorrook to succeed
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, entered the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s hearing room on Monday holding a message stick bearing the names of the state’s Indigenous groups who have participated in the truth-telling process.
During a smoking ceremony ahead of the premier’s evidence, Travis Lovett, a deputy commissioner at the truth-telling inquiry and a Kerrupmara/Gunditjmara man, presented the premier with the message stick. He implored Allan to carry with her the stories of First Nations people who have put their “heart and soul” into the commission’s work.
Continue reading...National Legal Aid calls for $300m funding increase to keep Australian women safe
Exclusive: Peak body unable to meet increased demand for family services as nation grapples with a crisis of murdered women
More than $300m additional annual government funding is needed to meet demand for legal aid services related to family violence, the national peak body has warned, as Australia grapples with a crisis of murdered women.
The National Legal Aid chair, Louise Glanville, said that national rallies against gendered violence held over the weekend demonstrated that the community expected more to be done.
Continue reading...Australia urged to impose big tech tax to fund trusted media and fight disinformation
Thinktank casts ‘deterioration of the information environment’ as a foreign policy priority and a threat to social cohesion
Australia has been urged to hit big tech companies with a new digital platform tax to fund trusted news media in order to confront the “rising tide of misinformation and disinformation”.
Australia’s defence budget “commits billions to buffer against military threats” but the country is “unprepared to fend off malicious actors looking for any chance to wage information warfare”, according to the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy & Defence Dialogue (AP4D) thinktank.
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