Benjamin Netanyahu signals Israel?€?s bombardment will continue despite mounting global pressure to stop bloodshed
Two hundred Palestinians, including 59 children, have been killed during a week of attacks in Gaza, health officials in the territory have said, as Benjamin Netanyahu signalled Israel?€?s bombardment would rage on despite mounting global pressure to stop the bloodshed.
Early on Monday, warplanes launched more heavy airstrikes on Gaza City, rocking apartment blocks and sending fireballs into the air. Israel said it had ?€?struck 110 targets?€? overnight, including in a densely-populated neighbourhood.
Court will take up Mississippi?€?s bid to enforce a 15-week ban on abortion, setting up a showdown
The US supreme court agreed on Monday to consider a major rollback of abortion rights, saying it will take up Mississippi?€?s bid to enforce a 15-week ban on abortion.
The court?€?s order sets up a showdown over abortion, probably in the fall, with a more conservative court seemingly ready to dramatically alter nearly 50 years of rulings on abortion rights.
From an approval rating of 80% earlier in the year, now tough questions are being asked of PM?€?s leadership
The missing persons complaint was filed at Parliament Street police station in Delhi as a matter of some urgency: it concerned the ?€?disappearance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi?€? and 10 of his cabinet ministers during the pandemic.
Nagesh Kariyappa, the general secretary of the Indian national students?€? union who filed the report to police on Friday, said he wanted the absence of political leadership when India had been brought to its knees by Covid-19 to be a matter of official record. ?€?Where are the so-called leaders who had promised to make India a global leader but have instead made people suffer like this??€? said Kariyappa.
Controversial deal with China would be ?€?disastrous?€? for fishing and protected rainforest, say opponents
A $55m (£39m) deal struck by the government of Sierra Leone with China to build an industrial fishing harbour on 100 hectares (250 acres) of beach and protected rainforest has been criticised as ?€?a catastrophic human and ecological disaster?€? by conservationists, landowners and rights groups.
The gold and black sands of Black Johnson beach fringe the African nation?€?s Western Area Peninsula national park, home to endangered species including the duiker antelope and pangolins. The waters are rich in sardines, barracuda and grouper, caught by local fishermen who produce 70% of the fish for the domestic market.
Brexit minister urges EU to stop ?€?point-scoring?€? over Northern Ireland protocol
The UK has made a fresh attempt to solve the Brexit tensions in Northern Ireland by asking Brussels to phase in border checks in four stages, it has emerged.
The plan, revealed by BBC Northern Ireland, comes as the Brexit minister, David Frost, urged Brussels to stop ?€?point-scoring?€? over the Northern Ireland protocol, hinting that the UK would take unilateral action if needed.
Kim Potter, charged with second-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting Black man, has pre-trial hearing on Monday
A former suburban Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting the 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright is scheduled to appear in court via videoconference on Monday.
The former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter, who is white, has an omnibus hearing, also known as a pre-trial hearing, on Monday afternoon in Hennepin county district court. The purpose of such a hearing is to go over evidence and determine if there is probable cause for the case to proceed.
Former president, 79, faces charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering
A long-delayed corruption trial of Jacob Zuma has opened in South Africa but was adjourned almost immediately for nine days.
Zuma, who was president from 2009 to 2018, faces charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering relating to a $2.5bn (£1.98bn) deal to buy European military hardware to upgrade South Africa?€?s armed forces in 1994.
Police will not pursue case after boutique staff alleged they were slapped and hit on head in row over shoplifting
The wife of Belgium?€?s ambassador to South Korea will exercise her diplomatic immunity to avoid criminal charges on allegations she hit two boutique staff in a row over shoplifting, police have said.
The ambassador, Peter Lescouhier, previously said that he ?€?sincerely regrets the incident involving his wife?€?, adding that he ?€?wants to apologise on her behalf?€?.
As war forces more to flee, humanitarian organisations facing funding shortfalls and increasing demand are unable to keep pace
The number of people having to leave their homes in the Lake Chad region of central Africa has more than doubled over the past year with agencies warning they are struggling to feed people.
Monthly $2.99 subscription includes ability to organise tweets into collections and ?€?undo tweet?€? button
Twitter is considering launching a paid subscription service called Twitter Blue, according to unreleased features of the app discovered by an independent researcher.
Jane Manchun Wong, who has made a name for herself through uncovering accidentally-public upcoming features of popular apps, shared screenshots of the service, which is pegged at $2.99 a month.
A worsening coronavirus outbreak in Taiwan has raised urgent questions about how the virus slipped past the island?€?s ?€?gold standard?€? defences, and if it can quickly return to a zero-Covid life.
In 2020, the island state of 24 million people was producing extraordinary numbers: fewer than 1,000 cases, about 90% of them detected in recent arrivals, zero infection leaks from quarantine, a death toll of 12, and 253 days without a single local case.
Unemployment rose by 70% in the past year in the Portuguese region most reliant on tourism, so locals are delighted to see Kevin Rushby and today?€?s other arrivals
The mood at Faro airport was buoyant. Camera operators and photographers jostled to take pictures of smiling tourists, perhaps not as many as hoped, for but more are on the way. João Fernandes, head of the Algarve tourism board, was there, too, greeting arrivals while his staff handed out face masks, hand gel and sprigs of lavender.
?€?I feel good,?€? said Fernandes. ?€?The British tourists are a very big part of our economy. In 2018 half of the passengers coming through this airport were from the UK. They stayed for six million overnights out of a total of 16 million for international visitors. And on our golf courses, 83% of visitors were British or Irish.?€?
Supporters of a proposal to waive patent rights on Covid-19 vaccines at the World Trade Organization are expected to call on opponents to join the negotiations, stressing the gravity of the pandemic, a draft document showed. Talks at the WTO on temporarily waiving IP rights have been deadlocked for months, but U.S.President Joe Biden?€?s decision to back talks for a waiver has raised hopes that the few remaining opponents could also switch, Reuters reports. The EU has since backed a U.S. proposal to discuss waiving patent protections, although Switzerland said it left many questions unanswered. ?€?The cosponsors call on all delegations who have not yet indicated that they will join text-based discussions, to do so as soon as possible,?€? the 62 proponents of the waiver, including India and South Africa that initially floated the proposal, said in a co-authored draft statement. ?€?Continuous mutations and emergence of new variants of SARS-COV-2 highlight the significant uncertainties and complexities of controlling SARS-COV-2 and underscore the urgency of this proposal. ?€?A failure to respond in a timely manner on the waiver proposal undermines the legitimacy and credibility of the WTO.?€?
The head of the World Health Organization has said the protection of health workers and facilities in Gaza ?€?is imperative in all circumstances?€?, amid attacks on the coastal territory by Israeli warplanes.
In his first comments about the crisis, in which more than 200 people have been killed in the past week, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that ?€?the health situation is also highly concerning.?€?
In the recent escalation of conflict, dozens of incidents involving health workers and health facilities have occurred.
Furthermore, Covid-19 testing and vaccination has been severely impacted. This creates health risks for the world as a whole. Protection of health workers and health facilities is an imperative in all circumstances.
Airlines and travel firms have urged the government to move quickly to open up travel to more European destinations and the US, as thousands of people flew abroad after Britain?€?s ban on foreign holidays was lifted on Monday.
British Airways and Heathrow criticised the limited green list of 12 countries where quarantine-free travel is permitted, and called on the government to publish an ?€?expected list?€? of destinations under consideration for summer travel to allow customers to plan.
Pedro, 53, and Emma, 45, met in 2010 when he was visiting the UK from Spain. Despite the language barrier, they fell in love and now live together in Extremadura with their three dogs
Emma had always pictured herself with a family. But, by 2010, she hadn?€?t met the right person and was feeling lost. ?€?I was a teacher in Tunbridge Wells at the time,?€? she says. ?€?I really wanted to be a mum. I was 35, which was my self-imposed ?€?deadline?€?.?€?
Over the August bank holiday weekend, she went to a friend?€?s barbecue, where she spotted a man she had never seen before. ?€?He had a deep tan and was wrapped in a big coat. I knew he wasn?€?t English.?€? Pedro was a language student who was staying with Emma?€?s friend, Jenny. ?€?I came to improve my English and had the option to stay with a family. I thought I?€?d learn more,?€? he says. They tried to chat, but struggled to understand each other. ?€?My friend told me he was married with children,?€? she says.
Guardian investigation finds FBI failing to collect data from police departments on use of force - where?€?s the transparency?
In the weeks after George Floyd was murdered, US police flooded the streets in more than 100 cities with some form of teargas, according to an analysis by the New York Times.
A later analysis of 7,305 protest events in all 50 states, involving millions of attendees during May and June, found that police used teargas or related substances in about 183 of these events, or 2.5% of them. Experts called the use of teargas a dangerous choice during a pandemic involving a respiratory disease; hundreds of protesters in one city have reported lasting health effects, including abnormal menstrual cycles.
The Tokyo Olympics are due to begin on 23 July, but calls for the Games to be cancelled are growing due to the worsening Covid-19 situation in Japan. The Guardian's Tokyo correspondent, Justin McCurry, looks at the current state of play.
A recent spike in coronavirus cases has caused many prefectures to enter a state of emergency, including Tokyo. Japan has been reporting nearly 7,000 daily cases and the surge has put pressure on the country?€?s healthcare system, with the rollout of its vaccination programme slower than anticipated.
Organisers says tough anti-virus measures, including regular testing of athletes and a ban on overseas fans, will keep the delayed Games safe, but a new poll indicates more than 80% of Japanese people oppose hosting the Olympics this year. In addition, some elite athletes including tennis star Naomi Osaka have expressed their own concerns.
Sale of Kanye West?€?s 2008 Grammys pair for $1.8m heralded era of investment grade trainers
To most people they just look like a pair of trainers or sneakers, but for Gerome Sapp the Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototypes represent a watershed moment in design and modern commerce. ?€?If you?€?re a sneakerhead, you know that sneaker,?€? says Sapp.
The art market is paying attention, too. The shoes, co-designed by Kanye West and worn by him to the Grammys in 2008, became the most expensive ever sold when Sapp?€?s company Rares bought them for $1.8m (£1.28m) at Sotheby?€?s in a private sale in April.
Four years after escaping her marriage, the former Spice Girl talks about confidence, family - and why the pandemic has led to a rise in abusive relationships
Melanie Brown is in her tracksuit talking to me from her Leeds home. Her mother has popped round and is chomping away on an Easter egg she has just found, despite the fact that Brown has made her some ?€?amazing?€? spicy curry soup for lunch. Her oldest daughter, Phoenix, is going to extreme measures to get her attention. Meanwhile, tiny yorkshire terrier Cookie has jumped into Brown?€?s arms, as her French bulldogs Yoshi and Yoda and golden doodle Luna wander around making mischief. It?€?s a picture of contented domestic chaos.
But it wasn?€?t always like this. Four years ago Brown, better known as Mel B or Scary Spice, was living in Los Angeles, married to the American film producer Stephen Belafonte and, she says, terrified for her life. In her 2018 memoir Brutally Honest, she documented the horror of her day-to-day existence - alleging physical, sexual, verbal and financial abuse.
?€?When we played the first episode to Jamie?€?s parents, his mum left the room?€?
In 2015, my dad took me aside at a family gathering and said: ?€?I?€?m writing a book.?€? He didn?€?t say what it was about, but a month later he emailed it to me asking for my feedback. When I realised what it was, a pornographic novel, I had to share it with my friends - if only to purge the shame from my body.
More than 6,200 people get vaccine dose as doctors take pragmatic approach on eligibility
The race to tackle an outbreak in Bolton of the virulent new strain of Covid-19 first identified in India began with a flurry of phone calls on Thursday afternoon. The urgency at senior levels was clear to those on the ground, who were told: ?€?If we throw every bit of Pfizer at you that we can find, how many [people] can you jab this weekend??€?
In one meeting, Michael Smith, the chief officer of Bolton?€?s GP federation, told NHS England they could jab 5,000 people in one weekend - eight times the average rate. ?€?Everybody?€?s faces were a bit like: what? Really??€?
Benjamin Netanyahu is prepared to pay any price to protect the status quo, writes Dr Anthony Isaacs; plus letters from Ian Reissmann, Colin Jones, Neville Pressley and Yasmin Atuallah
Jonathan Freedland aptly captures the Groundhog Day character of the recurrent deadly Middle East war/ceasefire cycles (Once this violence in Israel and Gaza ends, there can be no return to ?€?normal?€?, 14 May). Israel, as the dominant and occupying force, has the capacity but not the motive to bring this to an end. Benjamin Netanyahu, who has no interest in the receding prospect of a two-state solution, is happy to accept the collateral damage to his own population as a price worth paying to maintain the status quo. If necessary, Trump-style encouragement of extreme-right thugs can usefully provoke the expected response. Hamas, committed to a pyrrhic form of defence, gains prestige, but no practical benefit for the Palestinians, while the weak and directionless Palestinian Authority has no leverage, and the international community has effectively washed its hands.
In the circumstances, the Palestinians may reasonably conclude that the only hope is to make the pain for Israel unbearable, whatever the cost to themselves. Over time, intercommunal violence will damage the social fabric, and rockets of increased range and accuracy will threaten far more of the Israeli population. Communal harmony is also at risk outside Israel, with an increase in antisemitic attacks in Europe and the UK. Many Jews support the Palestinian cause, but a significant intervention could be made if established communal organisations, particularly here and in the US, were prepared to call out racism in Israel and recognise the pragmatic as well as moral case for demanding equal rights for all who live in Israel/Palestine. Dr Anthony Isaacs London
Governor Henry McMaster signed law on Friday amid a shortage of lethal injection drugs for death row prisoners
The governor of South Carolina, Henry McMaster, has quietly signed into law a bill that requires inmates on death row to choose between a firing squad or the electric chair if lethal injection is not available.
The law, signed without ceremony on Friday, comes amid a shortage of lethal injection drugs that has affected the state?€?s ability to implement capital punishment. South Carolina has not executed any prisoners since 2011.
Indigenous people in the grip of a humanitarian crisis as Bolsonaro gives encouragement to wildcat miners with designs on their rainforest territory
A photograph of an emaciated Yanomami girl, huddled listlessly in a hammock beside an empty cooking pot over an unlit fire. Shaky footage of indigenous people screaming as they flee in panic to a soundtrack of gunfire.
Shocking images shared on Brazilian social media this week have cast a spotlight on a spiral of violence, malnutrition and disease that threatens fresh devastation for the Yanomami people and their ancestral territory in the Amazon state of Roraima.
Government signals sweeping changes to address ?€?reliance on temporary migrant labour?€?
New Zealand has become an increasingly appealing destination for those seeking a haven - from Covid-19, economic recession or chaotic international politics. In recent years, the country gained a reputation for ?€?billionaires?€? boltholes?€?, as mega-rich speculators including Peter Thiel bought up remote properties in scenic, isolated regions.
But in a post-Covid world, the emigration dream will be less accessible - at least for those who don?€?t fall into the mega-rich category. On Monday, the New Zealand government announced it would be narrowing pathways for those hoping to migrate and work in the country, particularly those it classed as ?€?low-skill?€? and low-wage workers. It simultaneously announced new measures to attract rich investors.
Western Australia?€?s Child and Adolescent Health Service releases damning report into death of seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath
Staff at Perth Children?€?s Hospital missed a ?€?cascade?€? of opportunities to escalate the care of seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath as she succumbed to a fatal infection.
The confronting finding is contained in a report by Western Australia?€?s Child and Adolescent Health Service, released in full on Monday.
Khet Thi, who captured the unflinching determination of the Myanmar public, was the third poet to be killed by the military since the coup
His words captured the unflinching determination of the Myanmar public in the face of military brutality: ?€?They shoot in the head, but they don?€?t know revolution dwells in the heart.?€?
The poet Khet Thi was taken from his home in Shwebo, in the Sagaing region, last Saturday. The next day, his wife collected his body from a hospital. His organs had been removed, she told BBC Burmese.
Former Australian PM wants Boris Johnson to make ?€?ambitious pledge?€? to support girls at Kenyan summit
The former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard has called for Britain to return its aid budget to pre-cuts levels ?€?as soon as possible?€?.
Gillard, who now campaigns for education in lower-income countries as chair of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), said she wanted the British government to step up with an ?€?ambitious pledge?€? for global education when it co-hosts the G7 summit next month.
Tourists threaten the island?€?s economic recovery by ignoring Covid protocols, including refusing to wear masks and even making a porn film
A Russian Instagrammer who launched his motorbike off a dock, crashing into the sea. Two YouTube pranksters who fooled a supermarket guard with drawn-on face masks, violating the island?€?s health rules. A couple allegedly filming porn on a sacred mountain.
Bali has hosted a range of badly behaved influencers during the pandemic. And now it?€?s had enough.
Man who took turn steering boat ?€?because he didn?€?t want to die?€? freed, with case opening way for others to appeal their sentences
An asylum seeker jailed on smuggling charges for helping to steer a boat filled with migrants from France to England has had his conviction overturned at a retrial after spending 17 months in jail.
Lawyers and campaigners say the verdict could lead to other migrants currently in jail on smuggling charges being freed, allowing the Home Office policy of prosecuting asylum seekers who play a role in piloting boats across the Channel to be challenged more widely.
Malcolm Bidali, a Kenyan who blogged about migrant workers?€? plight, detained by Qatari security services
A Kenyan security guard in Qatar who has written about the plight of migrant workers has been ?€?forcibly disappeared?€?, human rights group say.
Malcolm Bidali was detained by the Qatari security services over a week ago and is being held in an undisclosed location, according to a coalition of rights groups, which include Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Coronavirus restrictions will be eased further on Monday in England, Wales and most of Scotland. Northern Ireland will review its measures on Thursday, with a view to lifting more restrictions on 24 May.
The number of identified cases of the Indian variant in the UK has more than doubled in a week, from 520 to 1,313, according to the most recent figures. The areas with the highest numbers so far include Bolton, Blackburn with Darwen, Erewash in Derbyshire and Bedford, all in England, and Moray in Scotland.
Analysis: US president may find himself increasingly isolated in his resolute defence of Israel
In his staunch defence of Israel, Joe Biden is sticking to a course set decades ago as a young senator, and so far he has not given ground on the issue to the progressive wing of his party or many Jewish Democrats urging a tougher line towards Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden has even been prepared to face isolation at the UN security council, at the potential cost of his own credibility on multilateralism and human rights. But analysts say that as the death toll rises with no sign of a ceasefire, the domestic and international pressures on the president could become impossible to ignore.
Anti-Trump Republicans get lots of media attention. That doesn?€?t mean they are relevant within the Republican party
?€?Over 100 Republicans, including former officials, threaten to split?€? from the Republican party, the New York Times declared on Tuesday. The next day the Washington Post upped the ante, headlining that the 100 Republicans were vowing ?€?civil war?€?; the columnist Jennifer Rubin proclaimed the beginning of ?€?the stampede away from the GOP?€?.
At least 33 Palestinians have been killed and 50 injured in the deadliest airstrikes since the start of fighting between Israel and Hamas six days ago. Israel targeted the home of the Hamas leader Yehya al-Sinwar over the weekend and destroyed the building that housed the offices of Al-Jazeera and the Associated Press. At least 181 people in Gaza and 10 in Israel have been killed so far
The health secretary told the BBC's Andrew Marr that the next stage of opening England up from lockdown would still go ahead this week despite concerns about the India variant.
'I'm confident that we can take the step tomorrow, but we should all be careful about how we take that step,' Hancock said.
He added that the government would announce a decision on whether to end all lockdown measures - currently planned for 21 June - on 14 June
An Israeli airstrike destroys a 15-storey building in Gaza City that housed offices of the Associated Press and Al Jazeera among other media outlets as well as private flats. The Israel Defence Forces ordered people to evacuate the building about an hour before the strike brought the entire tower down
Israeli fighter jets have hit targets in central Gaza, the military said on Saturday, and Palestinian militants continued to fire rockets into Israel after a day of deadly violence rocked the West Bank and unrest persisted inside the Jewish state.
Early on Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces said they had hit a Hamas 'operation office' near the centre of Gaza City, with additional overnight strikes targeting what the military called 'underground launch sites'. In an escalation of the worst bout of fighting between Israel and Hamas for seven years, dozens of Hamas operatives were killed in the strikes by Israeli artillery, the IDF said
The Indian Covid variant could pose a threat to England's roadmap out of lockdown, Boris Johnson warned, as he announced that second vaccinations for the over-50s would be accelerated to combat its spread. 'The race between our vaccination programme and the virus may be about to become a great deal tighter,' the prime minister said. While he insisted the planned easing of restrictions on 17 May would go ahead as planned, Johnson said, 'This new variant could pose a serious disruption to our progress'
Israeli ground and air forces have attacked targets in Gaza, forcing residents to flee their homes, in a significant escalation during the worst bout of fighting for seven years. Red flames illuminated the skies above Gaza in the early hours of Friday as the deafening blasts from the outskirts of Gaza City, which lies about a mile from the frontier, jolted people awake
A group of wild boar surrounded a woman who had just come out of a supermarket near Rome and stole her shopping, rekindling a debate about the animal's presence in Italian towns and cities. A video posted on social media shows the boar pursuing the woman in a supermarket car park in the village of Le Rughe before raiding the shopping bag she is forced to drop. Italian farmers have protested in recent years about wild boar wreaking havoc on their land and causing fatal road accidents
Oppdatert for 11 år 349 dager 22 timer og 7 minutter siden: 4. juni 2009
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Informed Comment - Juan Cole Juan Cole er professor i historie og leder for Global Americana Institute. Han kommenterer hendelsene i Midt-Østen i sin blogg, som har blitt et vanningshull for newsjunkies over hele verden.
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Rigorous Intuition - Jeff Wells Jeff Wells er av få som kan skrive intelligent om temaer som UFOs, HAARP og andre 'konspirasjonsteorier' uten å ha det konspiratoriske verdensbilde som utgangspunkt. Han graver uansett tema, og kommer med mange kloke betraktninger. Han poster på DU under nick Minstrel Boy.
Wake Up Call Krigsveteraner fra østkysten i USA driver denne bloggen, som inneholder tanker om krig og USAs rolle i verdenspolitikken. Flere av disse er med i den ambulerende fredskampanjen Eyes Wide Open.
Lukery Lukery blogger mest om Sibel Edmonds, og er en person i kretsen rundt henne. Bloggen er vel verdt å ta en kikk på.
Organized Rage Organized Rage er en EU-relatert anglo-irsk blogg som skriver om livet fra arbeiderklassens perspektiv.
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Juan Cole er professor i historie og leder for Global Americana Institute.
Hun driver nyhetsstedet 