First scientist to publish Covid sequence in China protests over lab ‘eviction’

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Zhang Yongzhen stages sit-in protest, as government attempts to avoid scrutiny over handling of outbreak

The first Chinese scientist to publish a genomic sequence of the Covid-19 virus, in defiance of government orders, has been staging a sit-in protest after claiming he was locked out of his laboratory.

Zhang Yongzhen, a virologist, said in an online post on Monday that he and his team had been given a sudden eviction notice from their lab, and guards had barred him from entering it over the weekend. The post, published on Weibo, was later deleted, Associated Press (AP) reported.

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At least 50 people feared drowned after boat from Senegal sinks off Canary island

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Nine people rescued from boat sailing perilous Atlantic route that reportedly left Senegal with 60 people onboard nine days ago

At least 50 people are feared to have drowned after a boat sailing the perilous Atlantic route from west Africa to Europe began to sink 60 miles south of the Canary island of El Hierro.

Nine people were rescued from the craft early on Monday after a passing bulk carrier alerted Spain’s Salvamento Marítimo rescue service, which dispatched a fast boat and a helicopter from its base in Tenerife.

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NSW government’s debt collection agency broke law using automated bank withdrawals

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Ombudsman report finds Revenue NSW engaged in ‘maladministration’ by taking money directly out of millions of bank accounts

The New South Wales government’s debt collection agency broke the law when it used an automated system to withdraw money from millions of bank accounts to claw back unpaid fines, a scathing report has found.

The NSW ombudsman Paul Miller’s report, released on Tuesday, found Revenue NSW’s use of AI to generate garnishee orders broke the law from its introduction in 2016 until 2019, and that it was “wrong” until March 2022.

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Queensland’s $1.28bn community safety plan includes transporting detained children for schooling

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Exclusive: The raft of new laws includes expanding a trial of metal detectors to now include shopping centres and other high-risk locations

Queensland will introduce laws to bus children between police watch houses and youth detention centres as part of a $1.28bn community safety plan announced this week.

Guardian Australia understands the measure, set to be announced on Wednesday, will see children transported between facilities to ensure they receive exercise and access to rehabilitation services, schooling and support programs.

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Rwandan opposition leader voices doubts Kigali will stick to UK asylum deal

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Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza says her banning shows Rwandan government does not adhere to international law

A Rwandan opposition leader who has been banned from standing for election has cast doubt on whether her government will stick to the terms of the deportation deal agreed with Rishi Sunak.

Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza told the Guardian that the Rwandan government’s refusal to allow her to stand or leave the country to see her ill husband showed that the government under Paul Kagame did not adhere to international law.

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Russia-Ukraine war: Odesa’s ‘Harry Potter castle’ hit in Russian missile attack that killed five – as it happened

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Four-year-old child and pregnant woman among those in a serious condition after strike on seafront park in Black Sea port city

This live blog has been paused. For the latest coverage on Russia’s war in Ukraine, please visit our dedicated page.

To keep up to date quickly with the latest in Ukraine, read our Ukraine war briefing here.

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Home Office has lost contact with thousands of potential Rwanda deportees, data shows

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Minister says ‘officers are used to this’, as figures suggest Home Office is in contact with only 38% of people it wants to remove

The Home Office is “used to” losing contact with asylum seekers, a UK government minister has said, after official figures suggested thousands of people it hoped to deport to Rwanda had stopped reporting.

The impact assessment on the Home Office’s website on Monday suggests the department is in contact with 38% of those it intends to remove to Rwanda. Only 2,145 “continue to report to the Home Office and can be located for detention”, the impact assessment says, of the 5,700 it has identified to put on the first flights.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters take over Columbia University building

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UN human rights chief ‘troubled’ by law enforcement crackdown on campus demonstrations as dozens more are arrested in Texas, Utah and Virginia

Dozens of protesters have taken over a building at Columbia University in New York, barricading the entrances and unfurling a Palestinian flag out of a window, as the UN human rights chief said he was “troubled” by how law enforcement has dealt with the recent wave of campus demonstrations.

In the latest escalation of uprest on US campuses against the Israel-Hamas war, video footage showed protesters on Columbia’s Manhattan campus locking arms in front of Hamilton Hall early on Tuesday and carrying furniture and metal barricades to the building, one of several that was occupied during a 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam war protest on the campus.

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US military ships are working to build a pier for Gaza aid. It’s going to cost at least $320 million – The Associated Press

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  1. US military ships are working to build a pier for Gaza aid. It's going to cost at least $320 million  The Associated Press
  2. Images show US military building floating pier off Gaza. Pentagon says it will cost $320 million  CNN
  3. April 29: Hamas delegation leaves Cairo, will respond to truce offer — Egyptian TV  The Times of Israel
  4. US military releases images of aid pier under construction off Gaza coast  The Guardian
  5. US military ships are working to build a pier for Gaza aid. It’s going to cost at least $320 million.  The Boston Globe
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