Activist said she was arrested at a protest in November 2019 and fled to Germany via TaiwanGermany has granted refugee status to a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist facing a rioting charge in connection with the 2019 protests, the protester told Reuters on Monday.The 22-year-old university student showed Reuters a letter from the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) dated 14 October that confirmed the granting of refugee status. Continue reading...
Campaigners say sale of drugs should be nationalised to undermine organised crimeCocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines should be “nationalised” and sold legally in government-run pharmacies to undermine global drug-related crime, a UK drugs reform charity has recommended.In a book – with a foreword written by the former prime minister of New Zealand Helen Clark – the drugs liberalisation campaign group Transform has sought to set out practical ways to sell the drugs in state-run special pharmacies as an alternative to what it calls the “unwinnable war against drugs”. Continue reading...
Neil Hatfield tells inquiry into attack that he heard ‘alarm bells in my head straight away’A father waiting to collect his daughters from Ariana Grande’s Manchester Arena concert thought “suicide bomber” when he first saw Salman Abedi at the venue, he told an inquiry into the attack.Neil Hatfield said “alarm bells in my head just went straight away” when he noticed a young man carrying a bag containing something “rock solid”. Continue reading...
Tuesday: US president insults top infectious disease expert as global infections top 40 million. Plus: why did Celeste Barber’s copycat post get blocked?Good morning, this is Tamara Howie bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 20 October. Continue reading...
Compensation payment pledged for alleged role in bombing of two US embassiesWashington has removed Sudan from a terrorism blacklist after the country agreed to pay $335m in compensation for its alleged role in the bombing of two US embassies in east Africa by al-Qaida in 1998.Donald Trump tweeted the news of the deal on Monday. “GREAT news! New government of Sudan, which is making great progress, agreed to pay $335 MILLION to U.S. terror victims and families. Once deposited, I will lift Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. At long last, JUSTICE for the American people and BIG step for Sudan!” he wrote. Continue reading...
The former Blue Peter and This Morning star’s career was destroyed by a case of mistaken identityJohn Leslie’s public downfall happened almost overnight after he was mistakenly identified as the former TV-am weather presenter Ulrika Jonsson’s rapist.In her 2002 autobiography, Honest, Jonsson said she had been raped 15 years earlier in a hotel room by a TV personality. She refused to identify her attacker, but Leslie was named on television by the presenter Matthew Wright, who later apologised and said he had named him in error. Continue reading...
No 10 unmoved even after Barnier’s offer prompts Gove to make U-turn at dispatch boxDowning Street has refused to restart Brexit deal negotiations despite Michael Gove performing a U-turn at the dispatch box in which he praised a “constructive move” by the EU minutes after declaring the talks “effectively ended”.The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, seemingly agreed to all the government’s demands for the resumption of Brexit talks in pursuit of a deal – sending a tweet just as Gove was making a statement in the Commons castigating the bloc. Continue reading...
Firm will sell some of its hotel, leisure and retail parks to focus on offices, stores and homesLandsec, one of Britain’s biggest property companies, has revealed that it plans to sell off almost a third of its £12.8bn property portfolio over the next few years, as it looks to focus on growth opportunities in cities.The property group behind the Trinity Leeds shopping centre and Bluewater in Kent said that it intends to sell assets worth around £4bn over four to five years, and reinvest the money in new developments. Continue reading...
Crew failed to maintain correct air speed while approaching Sumburgh airport in 2013The pilots were to blame for an offshore helicopter crashing into the sea off the coast of Shetland, killing four passengers, an inquiry has found.The fatal accident inquiry found that the crew of the Super Puma helicopter failed to maintain the correct air speed as they approached Sumburgh airport in August 2013, leading to it ditching into the sea. Continue reading...
Other people’s lives always seemed more effortless, but it took my daughter’s autism diagnosis to realise whyUntil last year I had no idea I was autistic. I knew I was different and I had always been told I was “too sensitive”. But I don’t fit the dated Rain Man stereotype. I’m a CEO, I’m married, I have two children. Autism is often a hidden disability.Other people made life seem easy and effortless while, before my diagnosis, I always operated with some level of confusion. I was able to achieve a lot and I used to attribute this to the strong work ethic I inherited from my dad but now I have no doubt that he was autistic, too. Continue reading...
by Presented by Anushka Asthana and reported by Jon H on (#598FV)
All over the English-speaking world, conservative commentators have latched on to Sweden’s approach to coronavirus as a shining example other countries should follow. The country has managed to avoid enforced lockdowns but what did it do differently? And could the Scandinavian country’s methods be adapted for elsewhere?• Nick Cohen: Welcome to libertarian Covid fantasy land – that’s Sweden to you and meWhen politicians across the world were confronted by the reality of a spreading pandemic, with hospitals nearing capacity and deaths rising, almost all of them reached for emergency legislation to enforce lockdowns, curfews and other bans on social gatherings. But Sweden chose a markedly different approach. Continue reading...
by Tom Phillips and Dan Collyns in La Paz on (#59865)
Exit polls for presidential election project win for Luis Arce as rival concedes defeatEvo Morales’s leftwing party is celebrating a stunning political comeback after its candidate appeared to trounce rivals in Bolivia’s presidential election.The official results of Sunday’s twice-postponed election had yet to be announced on Monday afternoon, but exit polls projected that Luis Arce, the candidate for Morales’s Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas), had secured more than 50% of the vote while his closest rival, the centrist former president Carlos Mesa, received about 30%. Continue reading...
Leslie breaks down as verdict delivered after 23 minutes of deliberationsThe former Blue Peter presenter John Leslie has been cleared of sexual assault at a Christmas party.Leslie, 55, had been accused of grabbing a woman’s breasts after shaking hands with her at the gathering in the West End of London more than a decade ago. Continue reading...
Plans to convert the Dublin home in Joyce’s 1914 story The Dead provoked a swift backlash from writers including Sally Rooney and Colm TóibínDublin city council has greenlit a controversial plan to convert the house made famous by James Joyce’s story The Dead into a hostel, with a campaign group supported by writers including Sally Rooney, Colm Tóibín and Edna O’Brien saying they will appeal the decision.The property, at 15 Usher’s Island, was built in 1775 and was once home to Joyce’s great aunts. Known locally as “the House of The Dead”, it is the setting for the Irish writer’s 1914 short story, widely considered a masterpiece of the form. Continue reading...
Eighty investigations under way into suspected extremists as government faces pressure to actFrench police have raided dozens of Islamist groups and suspected extremists amid growing pressure on the government to clamp down on religious fundamentalism three days after a teacher was beheaded outside his school.The interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said on Monday that the swoops on Islamists – including individuals who expressed support for the attack – should send the message that “enemies of the republic cannot expect a minute’s respite” and more police operations would follow. Continue reading...
Beijing was fast to respond and increased public investment; it has not faced a second waveBy its own standards, China’s economy is having a bad year. After four decades of stellar growth, the east Asian country will barely expand at all in 2020.But just about every country – big or small – has faced a hit from the Covid-19 pandemic, and China has suffered less than most. Whereas most western industrialised nations are still struggling to get back to where they were before the virus struck, Beijing has reported that there was year-on-year growth in the third quarter. Continue reading...
Claire Williams, who worked for landlords, said she got rid of records despite knowing inquiry was under wayA project manager on the Grenfell Tower refurbishment has admitted “binning” her notebooks relating to the revamp despite knowing a public inquiry and police investigation were under way.Claire Williams, who worked for Grenfell landlords the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO), said she got rid of her records when she cleared her desk and left her job almost a year after the fire. Continue reading...
Maryland auctioneer puts $250,000 value on fixture from vessel, though such sales have attracted controversyA giant aluminium globe-shaped bar, complete with five brass barstools, will be offered for sale by a Maryland auctioneer – as the bar from “Hitler’s yacht”.Related: The man who sleeps in Hitler’s bed | Alex Preston Continue reading...
Auditor general referred matter to federal police because material was ‘suggestive that the commonwealth may have been defrauded’The head of Australia’s infrastructure department has agreed that it looks as though officials attempted to cover up an inflated valuation for a controversial land sale connected to the second Sydney airport – and insists that he’s embarked on a clean-up exercise.Simon Atkinson, the secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, faced hours of questions on Monday before Senate estimates about a decision by officials to spend $30m on a parcel of land near the Western Sydney airport worth just $3m – an acquisition that has been excoriated by the Australian National Audit Office. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#5985D)
State of Nature in the EU survey finds only a quarter of species have good conservation statusThe vast majority of protected landscapes across Europe are rated as in poor or bad condition and vital species and their habitats continue to decline despite targets aimed at protecting them, according to a report.Only a quarter of Europe’s species are rated as having a good conservation status, while 80% of key habitats are rated as being in poor or bad condition across the continent, in the State of Nature in the EU 2013-2018 assessment by the European Environment Agency. Continue reading...
by Miguel Soffia, Christopher Cherry, Charlie Phillip on (#5985F)
More than 400 people in Chile have suffered eye injuries after being shot by police while protesting against inequality. They allege that police deliberately aimed teargas canisters and rubber bullets at protesters' faces.We follow Carlos Puebla, a former construction worker who was blinded in one eye and subsequently lost his job. With Chile hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, he is struggling to pay the rent and feed his family. As Chile exits lockdown and inequality grows ever deeper, he heads back to the streets to seek justice Continue reading...
Melburnians can now travel up to 25km and spend more time out of the house; and federal parliament resumes with Senate estimates. This blog is now closed
On Saturday, Paris went under a night-time curfew that will last at least a month. France has reported another record for new coronavirus cases, with more than 32,000 registered in 24 hours
There were tense scenes in the streets of Santiago as demonstrators clashed with police on the first anniversary of mass protests over inequality that left more than 30 dead and thousands injured. The rallies were largely peaceful early on, but were later marred by the incidents of violence and confrontations with police. Protesters threw fireballs and rocks in the direction of police, with officers responding with teargas and water cannon. Two churches were set alight including San Francisco de Borja, used regularly by the Carabineros police force for institutional ceremonies. Demonstrators are also calling for Chileans to vote in favour of a new constitution in a referendum next weekend Continue reading...
Two-year BBC News Arabic investigation uncovers horrific conditions, with boys as young as five facing violence and sexual abuseAn April evening in the suburbs of Khartoum. After months of undercover work, I had learned to time my visits to khalwas, Sudan’s Islamic schools, to coincide with evening prayers. I entered while the sheikhs (teachers) and 50-odd boys dressed in their white djellabas were busy praying. As they knelt, I heard the clanking of chains on the boys’ shackled legs. I sat down behind them and started filming, secretly.I began investigating after allegations emerged of abuse inside some of these schools: children kept in chains, beaten and sexually abused. Khalwas have existed in Sudan for centuries. There are more than 30,000 of them across the country where children are taught to memorise the Qur’an. They are run by sheikhs who usually provide food, drink and shelter, free of charge. As a result, poor families often send their children to khalwas instead of public schools. Continue reading...
by Ben Doherty Pacific Editor, Sheldon Chanel in Suva on (#5981P)
Alleged incident, which comes amid soaring tensions between Beijing and Taipei occurred at a reception in Suva to mark Taiwan’s national dayA fight between Chinese diplomats and a Taiwanese delegate in Fiji left the Taiwanese official in hospital with a head injury, and has again highlighted tensions between Beijing and Taipei in their struggle for influence across the Pacific.The incident took place at a Taipei Trade Office reception at Suva’s Grand Pacific Hotel on 8 October, to mark Taiwan’s national day. Two officials from the Chinese embassy in Suva allegedly arrived uninvited and tried to photograph and film those in attendance, including at least two ministers from Fiji’s government, diplomats from other countries, international and local NGOs, and members of Fiji’s ethnic Chinese community, sources at the event told the Guardian. Continue reading...
Band repaid money plus fines and interest but case at different court could land them in jailThe Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós have claimed they face financial ruin or even jail following an “unjust and draconian” second prosecution for tax evasion.The band said the looming second court trial had caused them to lose faith in their country. One member of the band has already left Iceland and three others said they were so disheartened by the situation that they may also leave. Continue reading...
From a new couple buying a house to a diagnosis that helped a family reunite, five people share their positive life changesFor Rose de la Font and Aagash Vadera from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, lockdown has been a “really good acid test” for their 11-month relationship. “We figured out how to live together and resolve all the things you encounter when two lives become one,” said Vadera, 28. Continue reading...
Exhibition exploring how women have been treated in art world runs into criticismThe last face that meets visitors to the Prado’s first post-lockdown exhibition is one of the very few that appears to look the spectator squarely in the eye.The cool gaze of the Portuguese-Spanish artist María Roësset – free of guilt, shame, saccharine virtue or predatory intent – comes as something of a relief after the sanctimonious, salacious and often sad series of pictures that precede it. Continue reading...
Māori are calling for much-needed systemic change – but the question is whether Labour is willing to deliver itIt was one of the most gripping showdowns of Saturday night’s election – the Māori Party’s Rawiri Waititi and Labour’s Tamati Coffey were neck-and-neck until the end.Counting on the night put Waititi ahead by a narrow 415 votes, but the final result will come down to the remaining half a million “special votes” yet to be counted. Continue reading...
Tova O’Brien’s interview with Jami-Lee Ross, who has been accused of spreading misinformation, praised as ‘a masterclass’A New Zealand journalist is being praised around the world for her determined effort to shut down the spread of Covid-19 conspiracy theories during an interview with a minor party politician.Newshub’s political editor, Tova O’Brien, interviewed the leader of the Advance New Zealand party, Jami-Less Ross. The party failed to secure enough votes to enter parliament Saturday’s general election, after peddling rumours and misinformation on social media about the coronavirus. Continue reading...
Prisoners considered ‘less than an animal’ by regime, according to interviews with 15 former detainees by Human Rights WatchSuspects in North Korea are subjected to ritual torture, humiliation and sexual assault by a criminal justice system that considers them “less than an animal”, according to the first-ever report detailing the brutality of the country’s pretrial detention conditions.The US-based Human Rights Watch [HRW] said people who are arrested and sent to pretrial detention are placed in cramped, unhygienic cells, forced to confess and denied proper food and clothing. Continue reading...
by Charlotte Graham-McLay in Wellington on (#597YM)
Labour’s historic win delivered Ardern a second term while voters punished politicians who embraced populismJacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Labour prime minister who was returned to power for a second term with a commanding majority, has often been hailed internationally as a foil to global surges in right-wing movements and the rise of strongmen such as Donald Trump and Brazil’s leader, Jair Bolsonaro.But the historic victory of Ardern’s centre-left party on polling day – its best result in five decades, winning 64 of parliament’s 120 seats – was not the only measure by which New Zealand bucked global trends in its vote. The public also rejected some political hopefuls’ rallying cries to populism, conspiracy theories and scepticism about Covid-19. Continue reading...