Gisèle Pélicot tells mass rape trial that she ‘never gave consent’

Posted on by

Former wife of Dominique Pélicot, who allegedly recruited strangers to assault her, calls accused men ‘degenerates’

The former wife of a French man accused of recruiting strangers to rape her while she was drugged has told a court she never consented and the men who allegedly assaulted her were “degenerates”.

Appearing at the trial of her former husband, Dominique Pélicot, and 50 men he allegedly invited to rape her, Gisèle Pélicot, 72, said: “I never, even for a single second, gave my consent to Mr Pélicot or those other men.”

Continue reading...

IMF postpones Russia visit after heavy criticism across Europe

Posted on by

Trip to Moscow to review economy delayed indefinitely after protests it would ‘normalise relations with aggressor’

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has indefinitely postponed a staff mission to Moscow this week to review the Russian economy for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine, after the move came under heavy criticism from several of Kyiv’s European allies.

After revelations in the Guardian of widespread condemnation, the IMF said it would spend more time gathering information for a “rigorous analysis”.

Continue reading...

British activist denied bail after years in Indian jail without trial

Posted on by

Jagtar Singh Johal is being arbitrarily detained and targeted for his human rights activism, say campaigners

Delhi’s high court has denied bail to the British activist Jagtar Singh Johal, who has been imprisoned in India for nearly seven years, in seven cases brought against him by the country’s National Investigations Agency.

The ruling has shocked family and supporters who claim it should jolt the British government into recognising that Johal is not receiving justice at the hands of the Indian legal system.

Continue reading...

Tourist dies after losing her leg in shark attack while sailing off Canary Islands – CBS News

Posted on by
  1. Tourist dies after losing her leg in shark attack while sailing off Canary Islands  CBS News
  2. German woman dies after shark attack near Canary Islands  CNN
  3. Spanish court opens investigation into fatal shark attack off Canary Islands  The Guardian
  4. German woman killed in shark attack off Canary Islands  Reuters
  5. German tourist dies after losing leg in shark attack off Canary Islands  Le Monde
Posted in Uncategorized

Dutch government led by far-right PVV asks EU for opt-out from asylum rules

Posted on by

Move by coalition headed by Geert Wilders’ Freedom party is unlikely to get a positive reception in Brussels

The new Dutch coalition government headed by Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom party (PVV) appears to be on a collision course with the EU over immigration after formally asking Brussels for an opt-out on asylum rules.

“I have just informed the European Commission that I want an ‘opt-out’ on migration matters in Europe for the Netherlands,” the asylum and migration minister Marjolein Faber, a member of the PVV, said on X on Wednesday.

Continue reading...

Flood warnings in Nigeria over release of water from Cameroon dam

Posted on by

Potential for flooding in 11 Nigerian states as west and central Africa struggles to deal with recent heavy rainfall

Authorities in Nigeria have warned of the potential for flooding in 11 states after neighbouring Cameroon said it would start regulated releases from its Lagdo dam following recent heavy rainfall in west and central Africa.

Umar Mohammed, the director-general of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NHSA), indicated that the discharges would be gradual “to avoid … triggering substantial flooding downstream in Nigeria” and that there was “no need for alarm”. Still, 11 Nigerian states from north to south lie along the Benue River’s flow trajectory and are expected to be affected to some degree.

Continue reading...

Blast from attack on Russian arms depot picked up on earthquake monitors

Posted on by

Ukrainian drone attack causes large explosion at arsenal in Toropets, more than 300 miles north of Ukraine

A Ukrainian drone attack on a large Russian weapons depot caused a blast that was picked up by earthquake monitoring stations, in one of the biggest strikes on Moscow’s military arsenal since the war began.

Pro-Russian military bloggers said Ukraine struck an arsenal for the storage of missiles, ammunition and explosives in Toropets, a historic town more than 300 miles north of Ukraine and about 230 miles west of Moscow.

Continue reading...

Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira: murder charge dropped against one of three suspects

Posted on by

Activists greet decision over killings of British journalist and Brazilian Indigenous expert with ‘indignation’

Appeal judges in Brazil yesterday upheld charges against only two of the three men accused of murdering Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips, in a decision “received with indignation” by Indigenous activists.

The three judges ruled that there was “insufficient evidence of authorship or participation” by Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, a fisher, in the 2022 deaths of the Brazilian Indigenous expert and the British Guardian journalist.

Continue reading...

Fatima Payman singles out Rupert Murdoch as she decries mainstream media’s treatment of Muslim women

Posted on by

Independent senator accuses mogul of causing ‘division, marginalisation and fearmongering’, and says the media too often reduces her to a stereotype

The independent senator Fatima Payman has accused mainstream media of reducing Muslim women to “stereotypes” and singled out Rupert Murdoch, alleging moguls like him cause “division” and “fearmongering”.

“Like many of you, I’ve faced challenges in navigating mainstream media as a Muslim woman in politics,” she said in a keynote speech on Sunday at the 10th anniversary of independent Muslim media outlet Amust in the south-west Sydney seat of Blaxland.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Global heating is making El Niño and La Niña forecasts less reliable, BoM says

Posted on by

Exclusive: Meteorologists say climate change and the amount of heat being added to the oceans make predictions based on the past less reliable

The Bureau of Meteorology is shifting the way it communicates about climate phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña, because global heating is making predictions based on the past less reliable.

This week the bureau kept the country on a “La Niña watch” and said if the climate system in the Pacific does develop, it’s likely to be short-lived and weak.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Coalition plan to give first home buyers access to super would benefit ‘those who already own housing’

Posted on by

Saul Eslake report finds plan would cause Australian property prices to rise at a faster rate

The Coalition’s plan to allow first home buyers access to their superannuation would heavily favour older and wealthier people, with the median couple aged 25 to 34 likely to be able to withdraw only $18,000.

That is the conclusion of Saul Eslake, the principal of Corinna Economic Advisory, in a report commissioned by the Super Members Council which points to “six decades of evidence” that policies to boost housing demand “result in more expensive housing to the benefit of those who already own housing”, rather than boosting ownership.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Australians stranded on Kokoda track resume walk after protests shut down sections

Posted on by

Naoro village residents block sections of track and demand Papua New Guinea government release funds long promised for community projects

Australians walking the Kokoda track have had treks cancelled while others have been stalled for long periods on the historic route as protests by landowners closed sections of the trail.

A group of 64 walkers, including 52 Australians, were left stranded on Monday after frustrated landowners from Naoro village blocked off the track, demanding the Papua New Guinea government release funds earmarked for community livelihood development projects.

Continue reading...