The BBC has obtained photos of Twitter office spacethat has been converted into bedrooms, which San Francisco authorities are investigating as a possible violation of building codes.
One image shows a room with a double bed, a wardrobe, and slippers.
According to an ex-employee, new Twitter CEO Elon Musk has been staying at the company’s headquarters since he purchased it.
He emailed all Twitter employees last month, saying they “will need to be extremely hardcore” to succeed.
San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection has confirmed it is investigating potential violations following a complaint.
Mr Musk said the city was attacking companies for providing beds to “tired employees”.
In a now-deleted tweet, Mr Musk posted that he would work and sleep in the office “until the org is fixed”.
The BBC has also been given pictures of sofas at Twitter being used as beds.
Image caption, Former staff say wardrobes have been moved into Twitter’s HQ
“It looks like a hotel room,” said one former worker. They went on to say that Mr Musk regularly sleeps at the Twitter HQ in San Francisco.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.
Last month Mr Musk – who completed his Twitter takeover in October – emailed all staff at the company saying they would need to work “long hours at high intensity”.
California state senator Scott Wiener told the BBC on Wednesday: “He’s now making them [workers] sleep at Twitter.
“It’s clear that he doesn’t really care about people. He doesn’t care about the people who work for him.”
A Department of Building Inspection official told the BBC’s US partner CBS News: ‘We need to make sure the building is being used as intended.”
Image caption, Two sofas with bedding on them
In a reply to a journalist on Twitter, Mr Musk posted that the city should prioritise protecting children from the consequences of opioid drug misuse.
‘Office armchairs’
Forbes broke the story of “sad little conference-room sleeping quarters at the company’s recently depopulated headquarters”, noting it was an apparent improvement on the improvised sleeping-bag-on-the-floor arrangement posted on Twitter by one employee.
The bedrooms, Bloomberg reported, are also said to accommodate staff from Tesla and other Musk-owned businesses brought in to work at Twitter, “some of whom travel to Twitter for work meetings”, sources told the publication.
Department of Building Inspection official Patrick Hannan told the San Francisco Chronicle it investigated all complaints and there were different rules for residential buildings, even those used for short-term stays.
In May 2020, before Mr Musk’s takeover, Twitter told employees they could work from home “forever” if they so wished because its remote-working measures during Covid lockdowns had been a success.
In Iraq, an activist has been sentenced to three years in prison for allegedly insulting an Iran-backed paramilitary force in a tweet.
Haidar al-Zaidi, 20, was found guilty of “insulting state institutions” after making a post about Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the late deputy commander of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF)
Zaidi denied writing the tweet and claimed that his account had been hacked.
Human Rights Watch termed Zaidi’s trial “”patently unfair.”
“Regardless of who posted the Twitter message, the Iraqi justice system should not be used to as a tool to suppress peaceful criticism of the authorities or armed actors,” said Adam Coogle, the campaign group’s deputy Middle East director.
“It is a sad reflection on the rule of law in Iraq that an activist like Zaidi gets three years in prison for a Twitter post he says he didn’t write while dozens of officials and armed groups enjoy impunity for killing activists and protesters.”
Zaidi was arrested in June in connection with a tweet that included a photograph of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and lamented how only in Iraq would a “spy” be given the label of “martyr”.
Muhandis was the leader of Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-backed Iraqi Shia Muslim militia designated by the US as a terrorist group.
He was also deputy commander of the PMF, an umbrella group of dozens of mainly Shia militias that is formally part of the Iraqi Security Forces but in practice operates independently and wields significant power.
In January 2020, Muhandis was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad alongside top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
Many Iraqis mourned the two men as martyrs, but some celebrated their deaths.
Both Iran and its militia allies have been accused of being behind the killings of hundreds of protesters who took to Iraq’s streets in late 2019 to protest against deteriorating public services, high unemployment, and rampant corruption.
They have also been blamed for an assassination campaign against prominent activists critical of their influence.
Activists in Baghdad told Human Rights Watch that the PMF were responsible for Zaidi’s arrest and that a committee within the PMF filed the legal complaint against him.
Human rights activistSalman Khairallah said the sentence was a “clear message to activists that any criticism of authorities and the PMF will be punished”.
Jonathan the tortoisehas lived through both World Wars, seven British monarchs, 39 U.S. presidents, and is older than the Eiffel Tower – and now he is celebrating another year around the sun as he turns 190.
Jonathan, the world’s oldest known land animal, lives on Saint Helena, a British territory off the coasts of Angola and Namibia in the Atlantic Ocean. Over the weekend, the island celebrated the longest-living chelonian with an official birthday bash at the governor’s residence. Along with broadcasts about Jonathan’s significance, the island held a “main event” in his honour on Sunday, where visitors could get Jonathan stamps and other Jonathan-themed souvenirs.
The island’s tourism department posted images of the celebration on Sunday, showing the planet’s longest-living tortoise and “national treasure” enjoying a “cake” of some of his favorite garden vegetables.
Jonathan’s long life has earned him two Guinness World Records – one in 2019 for becoming the world’s oldest land animal and another this January for becoming the oldest living chelonian, a term encompassing turtles, terrapins and tortoises.
He is believed to have been born in 1832, but according to Guinness, could be even older, as he wasn’t found until he wound up in St. Helena until 1882 when he was already fully mature.
According to the record-keeping group, Jonathan has lived through some of humanity’s biggest milestones: the first telephone call in 1876, the completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1887, the Wright brothers’ first power-driven flight in 1903 and the first people to walk on the moon in 1969.
A photo dated to c. 1882–86 taken in the grounds of Plantation on St Helena – shortly after Jonathan arrived on the island (Jonathan is shown on the left)GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
Through all of that, however, his vet told Guinness that Jonathan’s interests have stayed the same – sleeping, eating and mating.
“In spite of his age, Jonathan still has good libido and is seen frequently to mate with Emma and sometimes Fred – animals are often not particularly gender-sensitive!” the veterinarian, Joe, told Guinness earlier this year.
And the celebrations aren’t over. Saint Helena’s tourism site says that there is an application underway to make a national holiday in honor of the tortoise.
Taliban has carried out their very first public execution since assuming power in Afghanistan last year.
According to a Taliban government spokesperson, a man was killed after confessing to murder at a crowded sports stadium in south-western Farah province.
The hanging was attended by dozens of leaders, including the majority of their government’s top ministers.
It comes just weeks after judges were told to fully implement Sharia law.
Haibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, issued the edict last month, ordering judges to impose punishments that could include public executions, amputations, and stoning.
However, the exact crimes and corresponding punishments have not been officially defined by the Taliban.
While several public floggings have been carried out recently – including that of a dozen people before a crowded football stadium in Logar province last month – it marks the first time the Taliban have publicly acknowledged carrying out an execution.
According to their spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, the execution was attended by several Supreme Court justices, military personnel and senior ministers – including the justice, foreign and interior ministers.
Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, charged with imposing the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic law as minister for vice and virtue, was also present. However, Prime Minster Hasan Akhund did not attend, the statement said.
According to the Taliban, the executed man named Tajmir, a son of Ghulam Sarwar and a resident of Herat province, had stabbed a man named Mustafa about five years ago.
He was subsequently convicted by three Taliban courts and his sentence was approved by Mullah Akhundzada.
Before the execution, a public notice was issued publicising the event and “asking all citizens to join us in the sport field”.
The murdered man’s mother told the BBC that Taliban leaders had pleaded with her to forgive the man, but she had insisted upon his execution.
“Taliban came to me and begged me to forgive this infidel,” she said. “They insist me to forgive this man in sake of God, but I told them that this man must be executed and must be buried the same as he did to my son.”
“This could be a lesson to other people,” she added. “If you do not execute him he will commit other crimes in the future.”
During their rule from 1996-2001, the Taliban were condemned for regularly carrying out punishments in public, including executions at the national stadium in Kabul.
The Taliban vowed that they would not repeat the brutal repression of women. Since they seized power, women’s freedoms have been severely curbed and a number of women have been beaten for demanding rights.
At present, no country has recognised their new government and the World Bank has withheld around $600m (£458m), after the Taliban banned girls from returning to secondary schools.
The US has also frozen billions of dollars held by Afghanistan’s central bank in accounts around the world.
Ethiopia has restored power to Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray state. It should be recalled that during the two-year civil war that ended last month, Federal troops fought rebels there.
According to city sources, after being without electricity for more than a year, local residents are finally resuming full use of it.
“Electricity has been everywhere in the city since yesterday (Tuesday),” said a resident.
A spokesman for the government-owned Ethiopian Electric Electricity (EEP) was quoted by the state-affiliated Fana broadcast as saying that power had been restored following repair on a high-voltage line.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Energy Dr. Ing. Sultan Woli
Services in Shire town and the surrounding areas have also been restored by state-run telecommunications company Ethio Telecom.
Foreign-based families have revealed to newsmen how, after two years, they were finally able to call their loved ones.
After fighting broke out in the Tigray region in November 2020, power and telecommunications services were suspended. Meanwhile, a month after a truce was reached to put an end to the two-year fighting in the northern Tigray region, the rebels’ top commander reports that more than half of their fighters had left the frontlines in Ethiopia.
“We have accomplished 65% disengagement of our army,” Tadesse Wereda, commander-in-chief of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said in a video posted on the TPLF’s Facebook page late on Saturday.
“Our army left the front lines and moved to the place prepared for them to camp,” he said.
Ethiopia has restored power to Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray state. It should be recalled that during the two-year civil war that ended last month, Federal troops fought rebels there.
According to city sources, after being without electricity for more than a year, local residents are finally resuming full use of it.
“Electricity has been everywhere in the city since yesterday (Tuesday),” said a resident.
A spokesman for the government-owned Ethiopian Electric Electricity (EEP) was quoted by the state-affiliated Fana broadcast as saying that power had been restored following repair on a high-voltage line.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Energy Dr. Ing. Sultan Woli
Services in Shire town and the surrounding areas have also been restored by state-run telecommunications company Ethio Telecom.
Foreign-based families have revealed to newsmen how, after two years, they were finally able to call their loved ones.
After fighting broke out in the Tigray region in November 2020, power and telecommunications services were suspended. Meanwhile, a month after a truce was reached to put an end to the two-year fighting in the northern Tigray region, the rebels’ top commander reports that more than half of their fighters had left the frontlines in Ethiopia.
“We have accomplished 65% disengagement of our army,” Tadesse Wereda, commander-in-chief of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said in a video posted on the TPLF’s Facebook page late on Saturday.
“Our army left the front lines and moved to the place prepared for them to camp,” he said.
As a cold spell hits the UK, people are being advised to heat their living rooms during the day and their bedrooms before going to bed.
Health officials issued the advice to people who are unable to heat every room or are experiencing financial difficulties due to heating costs.
Northern Scotland is expected to have overnight lows of -10C (14F), with snow and ice warnings in place, as are Wales, Northern Ireland, and the east coast.
The level three cold weather warning for England goes into effect at 18:00 GMT.
It will be in effect until 09:00 on December 12th, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), but it could be extended further if forecasts predict continued colder temperatures.
The alert is issued when severe cold weather is expected to have a significant impact on people’s health, particularly those with pre-existing medical conditions.
England’s east coast has a yellow warning, for ice, from 18:00 GMT until 12:00 GMT on Thursday – with temperatures set to drop as low as -3C (26.6F).
And a yellow weather warning also applies to Wales and most of Northern Ireland from midnight until 18:00 on Thursday.
While sub-zero temperatures may not be unexpected in parts of northern Scotland in winter, readings of -6C are predicted for parts of rural England from Thursday.
Large parts of Scotland are set to experience a prolonged “Arctic blast”, with freezing temperatures, snow and ice forecast on Wednesday and Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol has been activated in London for the first time this winter, meaning homeless people will be given access to shelter.
BBC Weather’s Chris Fawkes said: “Frequent showers will turn to snow overnight and, during Wednesday in north Scotland, bringing the first snow of winter.
“Over coming days, cold weather will move south, with daytime temperatures around 5C below the December average – and probably not getting above freezing in places.
“Overnight frosts will be widespread and sharp, -2C to -6C commonly, but with much lower temperatures over snow cover in Scotland. Showers will increasingly turn to sleet and snow in parts of Northern Ireland, England and Wales.
“This abrupt change to cold winter weather will come as more of a shock to the system, given that this autumn has provisionally been the third warmest on record in the UK, in which frosts have been very rare.”
Rising cost concerns
The UKHSA said that, as well as heating rooms that are used the most to at least 18C, “several layers of thinner clothing will keep you warmer than one thicker layer”.
“Having plenty of hot food and drinks is also effective for keeping warm,” the agency added.
The rising cost of energy has prompted concerns that some people could resist using theirheating, even during the unseasonably cold temperatures expected this week.
Under the current energy price guarantee, a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity can expect to pay £2,500 annually. This rises to £3,000 a year for typical use from April.
Dr Agostinho Sousa of the UKHSA said: “Cold weather can have serious consequences for health, and older people and those with heart or lung conditions can be particularly at risk.
“If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you should heat your home to a temperature that is comfortable for you.”
Disability charity Scope said a survey of 1,000 disabled households suggested 43% had cut back on electricity and gas, with some saying they were switching off heating and using duvets to keep warm.
Additional support to help with energy costs is available for the most vulnerable, alongside a one-off £400 discount for all households.
Fuel poverty charity National Energy Action called on the government to “step in with more help for those at greatest peril this winter”.
Charities and councils have also set up so-called warm banks – heated buildings that members of the public can visit – to help this winter against the background of high energy costs.
The BBC visited one such facility in Cheltenham, which is open four days a week and has recently seen “more and more people coming through”.
Manchester United is offering the Red Cafe at Old Trafford as a free “warm hub” every Monday and Wednesday evening in December. Blackpool FC will be opening up a warm space at their Bloomfield Road ground later on Wednesday.
What does an unheated room do to your body?
Living in such low temperatures puts a considerable strain on the body, which has to work to warm up faster.
This can lead to an increase in blood pressure and a faster heartbeat – which in turn can exacerbate the risk of a stroke or heart attack.
At low temperatures, those who already have poor heart health and the elderly become even more susceptible to serious health issues.
Local authorities are also asking people to check on vulnerable family, friends and neighbours to see if they need extra help.
Cllr David Renard, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association (LGA), said: “During these cold spells, it is the elderly or those who have a respiratory disease who are more at risk of ill-health and in need of more support.
“As some people may choose to limit their heating use due to the impact of rising energy bills, it is all the more important that people check up on those that may need more help. It could help save lives.”
Councils in England and Wales have stockpiled 1.4 million tonnes of salt to grit roads this winter, but many told the LGA they were struggling to recruit and retain gritter drivers.
Yesterday, an NNPC tanker loaded with petroleum products exploded and caught fire in Abuja’s Central Area.
According to reports, the tanker was offloading products at the yet-to-be-completed headquarters of the National Library of Nigeria adjacent to the National Mosque in Abuja’s Central Area when the explosion occurred and the tanker caught fire.
Emergency personnel, particularly security personnel, including police, DSS officials, and the FRSC, rushed to the scene, fearing a bomb explosion.
Fire fighters from both the Federal Fire Service and FCT Fire Service arrived the scene with trucks to quench the fire, which later became difficult because the petroleum product gushed from different points.
The future of the UN mission in Mali(Minusma), according to Mali’s transition leader Col Assimi Goita, will rely heavily on a change in strategy and better relations with the country’s army.
Col Goita tweeted that he had met with UN Chief of Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who is on a two-day tour in Mali ahead of Minusma’s mandate renewal.
The state-linked L’Essor quoted Mr Lacroix as saying that this was about ensuring there was an agreement between Mali and the UN “so that when the time comes, the recommendations at the level of the [UN] Security Council are in line with the objectives of the Malian authorities”.
UN peacekeepers have been in the country since 2013, but relations with Bamako have recently deteriorated.
Several countries, including Germany and Cote D’Ivoire, have announced plans to withdraw from the mission or scale down their presence.
Former Spanish King Juan Carlos has won an appeal to block a portion of a case brought against him in the United Kingdom by his ex-lover.
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, a businesswoman, has accused the former monarch of directing a harassment campaign against her since their relationship ended in 2012.
However, UK judges ruled that the former king was immune from prosecution for allegations relating to his time as monarch.
Juan Carlos, 84, stepped down in 2014. He claims he did nothing wrong.
Ms zu Sayn-lawyers Wittgenstein’s in the UK said the ruling did not affect the “overwhelming” chunk of her claim.
She is seeking damages and an injunction over allegations that the former king caused her “great mental pain” as a result of “a continuous and ongoing campaign of harassment” since 2012.
Tuesday’s Court of Appeal judgment overrules a previous one earlier this year. That one had ruled that Juan Carlos’s behaviour before 2014 had been “private conduct” and, therefore, could be prosecuted.
Following the appeals ruling, Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein’s lawyer, Michael Kim, insisted that the judgement “applies to a very narrow issue” concerning “only the period when Juan Carlos was the reigning king of Spain.
“The overwhelming part of Corinna’s claim, from 2014, remains unaffected and should proceed to trial,” Mr Kim said.
Juan Carlos was credited with overseeing Spain’s transition from dictatorship to democracy in 1975. But he abdicated following a series of scandals involving his family, including a corruption investigation involving his daughter’s husband, Inaki Urdangarin, who was later jailed.
The former king has spent more than two years in self-imposed exile in the United Arab Emirates, after leaving Spain over allegations of fraud which were eventually dropped. A Swiss investigation into a multi-million dollar payment from Saudi Arabia was closed because of insufficient evidence.
The Libyan Government of National Unity, centred in Tripoli, has encouraged foreign oil companies with contracts with the national oil company to begin operationsthere.
The country’s National Oil Corporation, NOC, stated that it would assist the companies’ return and provide a safe working environment “in cooperation with the civil and military authorities in Libya.”
NOC Chief Farhat Bengdara
Over the past ten years, armed groups and demonstrators have repeatedly invaded oil fields, leading to production halts.
The ongoing struggle between opposing governments in the country’s west and east for control of resources and power has increased tensions.
With the greatest crude oil reserves in Africa, Libya is desperately trying to boost output in order to finance much-needed improvements to the nation’s infrastructure for housing, transportation, and energy.
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The National Unity Government also on said it had lifted the force majeure for oil and gas explorations. During the last major bout of conflict, groups affiliated with eastern commander Khalifa Haftar cut nearly all of Libya’s oil output for eight months.
“This call comes within the corporation’s efforts to lift force majeure after an objective follow-up and evaluation based on a realistic and logical analysis of the security situation, which has begun to improve dramatically,” NOC said.
It added that the improvement of the security situation has led to “the commencement of excavation work in sites where it was difficult to work in the recent past, in which there are now many global service companies.”
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NOC Chief Farhat Bengdara said in November that oil output had risen to 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) from 600,000 bpd three months agoand that NOC does not expect any disruption in production.
The Senate unanimously approved legislation to restrict private ownership of big cats such as lions and tigers in the United States.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act would prevent individuals from keeping the animals as pets and from exposing them to public petting and photographing.
Following the release of the Netflix documentary series Tiger King, efforts to limit private ownership have increased.
President Joe Biden must now sign the bill into law.
Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley, who introduced the bill into the House, said on social media that it will mean “a lot of big cats will live better lives”.
According to estimates from conservationists, as many as 7,000 tigers are living in the US either in zoos or privately owned – nearly double the estimated 3,890 tigers living in the wild worldwide.
Many in the US are on public display, where the hunt for profits in some privately-owned facilities are alleged to drive a ” relentless breeding cycle that floods the exotic pet trade with surplus tigers who have outgrown the cub stage”, according to the Animal Welfare Institute.
What’s more, the institute alleges facilities that offer cub petting have been known to kill tigers once they can no longer be used to make money.
Under the new bill, possession of lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars or any hybrid of these species would be limited to wildlife sanctuaries, universities and certified zoos.
Those on display would need to be kept at least 15 feet (4.5 metres) away from the public or behind a barrier to prevent contact.
However, current owners of big cats will be allowed to keep their animals – as long as they don’t allow direct contact between them and the public and register them with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Susan Millward, executive director of the Animal Welfare Institute,has said the Big Cat Public Safety Act “will end the horrific exploitation of big cats and bolster public safety”.
“These beautiful but powerful predators deserve to live in the wild, not be kept in captivity for people’s entertainment—even as cubs,” she added.
Carole Baskin, one of the stars of the Tiger King series and the founder of the Big Cat Rescue sanctuary, has become a champion of the bill and has said she is “thrilled” by the outcome.
Kwesi Arthur, a Ghanaian award-winning rapper, has just released visuals for his latest single ‘Animal.’ The street anthem, which features fellow Ghanaian singer Dayonthetrack, uses its lyrics to warn leaders whose actions limit the hopes of the society’s young generation.
Although the song is danceable, the music video depicts a group of seemingly upset young men grabbing a corrupt prime minister in the first scene. In the 3:18 video, both Ghanaian stars appear to be leading a vigilante movement.
Directed by David Duncan, the corrupt leader is accosted with loads of cash in his trunk as viewers are led from a shanty residence to a plush settlement where the politician is waylaid, showing the frustration of the growing population in the slums of GHANA.
The BET nominated 27 year old star uses his song ‘animal’ to show the condition of young people andperhaps a warning to what could happen if the needs of the youths are continually neglected. Recall that several Ghanaian stars have in the past months spoken up about the harsh standard of living within the country, with many like Actress Yvonne Nelson even calling out the president H.E Nana Akufo Addo.
“Humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction,” the head of the United Nations has warned at the start of a high-level nature summit in Canada.
Governments are meeting in Montreal to agree targets to reverse the loss of nature.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said we have a chance to stop the “orgy of destruction” which has put a million species at risk of extinction.
“It’s time to forge a peace pact with nature,” he added.
Biodiversity is the sum of all living things on the planet and the way they are connected in a complex web of life that we rely upon for food, clean air and water.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Governments must commit to conserve coral reefs and other ecosystems
In Montreal nearly 200 countries will try to agree on a way to put the world on a path to restoring nature by the end of the decade.
The stakes are high with the COP15 UN summitseen as a chance to do for biodiversity what the Paris agreement has done for the fight against climate change.
The two issues are intertwined, with warnings that a failure to secure a good outcome on protecting nature will make it far harder to fight climate change.
“The idea of biodiversity can be quite complicated for people, but it’s basically about nature,” said Dr Abigail Entwistle of conservation charity Fauna and Flora International.
“We’ve not been as good at getting the message across about what’s at stake and how urgent the situation is and we need to have our 1.5 degree moment for biodiversity in the same way we have for climate change.”
Some of the key ambitions of the agreement include:
Reducing the extinction risk threatening more than one million species
Protecting 30% of land and sea
Eliminating billions of dollars of environmentally-damaging government subsidies
Restoring degraded ecosystems.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, An estimated 40% of amphibians face extinction
Several issues threaten to derail the talks including financing of the plans and debate over how to protect the natural world without risking creating “paper parks” or “ghost forests” that are protected only on paper and from which indigenous people and local communities are excluded.
Cambodia Country Director for Fauna and Flora International, Pablo Sinovas, pointed to the need for better protection of areas of the world with undiscovered biodiversity, such as in the country’s Virachey National Park.
“You could say this forest area is the equivalent of the Amazon of Asia,” he said.
“It is a very large forest with outstanding biodiversity – there is much to be explored and much to be discovered, yet unlike the Amazon, it hasn’t received that much attention.”
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, The loss of natural habitat is one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss
The UK is among countries pushing for a key goal of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030. It said it was continuing to push for an ambitious outcome at the talks and would work with countries around the globe to put the natural world back on the road to recovery.
However, UK wildlife charities have accused the government of missing its nature targets at home.
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and is “going backwards” in terms of its domestic agenda, with many species at risk of extinction and in decline, Nick Bruce-White, director for bird protection charity RSPB England, said.
“We have to by the end of 2030 at least halt biodiversity decline and ideally be on a trajectory to try and restore biodiversity,” he said. “This is the last chance saloon.”
The government has faced criticism from environmental groups for missing a deadline to set legally-binding targets on nature as required by the Environment Act but has said it will publish these soon.
The UK lost much of its nature long ago. The south western county of Somerset is at the heart of a drive to restore habitat for wildlife through a string of reserves across the country.
At Streart Marshes on the Somerset coast, important wetland sites for birds and other wildlife have been created by letting the sea flood in and reclaim intensive farmland.
Reserves manager for the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Alys Laver, said nature has a fantastic ability to restore itself.
“I think what we’ve learnt here at Steart is providing space for nature on a landscape scale allows nature to take over and get those healthy ecosystems working and the rest just takes its course,” she said.
If elected in 2023, Nigeria‘s Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi and vice presidential candidate Yusuf Baba-Ahmed promised to end doctor and ASUU strikes.
Speaking to a large crowd of supporters in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, Obi promised that he and Baba-Ahmed would work to restore power to the people, particularly to youth and women.
Furthermore, he stated that the prime concern will be to prioritise exports, invest in agriculture, and create jobs.
Issues like the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike, deterioration in the health sector, and corruption will be a thing of the past for the LP presidential contender.
One of the front-runners for the general election in 2023 is Peter Obi. This is Obi’s first significant campaign event in Imo, and as the election year of 2023 approaches, the party in the state announced additional initiatives to lure voters.
This is coming after the Presidential candidate finally released his campaign manifesto.
The 72-page manifesto titled, ‘It’s POssible: Our Pact with Nigerians’, was released after a long wait, speculations and disagreements among members of the LP, opposition parties and other vested interests.
Announcing the release of the manifesto on his verified Twitter page Sunday morning,Obi wrote, “I have the honour to present our 72-page Manifesto, titled, ‘It’s Pssible: Our Pact with Nigerians.’ This Manifesto, its overarching and visionary policy planks, lays out our mission focus and mandate for securing, uniting and making Nigeria productive.
According to Paul Montague of the National Education Union, there is a “chronic ongoing recruitment issue.”
“It’s particularly bad right now, and something definitely needs to be done,” he said.
According to Liz Coffey, executive principal of the Secondary School Partnership, there is no “wholesale recruitment issue.”
Mr Montague spoke after a parent expressed concerns about staffing at St Sampson’s High School.
The parent, who requested anonymity, stated that the “system is broken” and that “they don’t have the staff.”
‘Progress blighted’
Mr Montague said: “I fully accept that people are working as hard as they possibly can to fill these gaps.
“We do have some very good agency staff but understandably agency staff are only here for one term.
“Sometimes we manage to extend that to a year, but it’s still not what’s required in terms of benefiting the youngsters in terms of their education.
“We have so many youngsters whose progress in a particular subject area has been blighted because they’ve had a massive turnover in staff and I just don’t think it’s acceptable.”
Mrs Coffey said there were currently three open teacher vacancies at St Sampson’s.
“We are in the process of making appointments and some new staff are due to start roles soon,” she said.
“While it is never ideal to have vacancies, we have taken steps to ensure the impact on students is minimal.
“Primarily, we have been using agency staff to continue the delivery of lessons, particularly in specialist subject areas where recruitment can be most difficult.”
A New Zealand court has directed that a child at the centre of a case involving blood transfusions from Covid-19-vaccinated donors be placed in temporary custody by health officials.
The four-month-old boy is being treated in an Auckland hospital for an urgent heart condition.
His parents had stopped the operation and asked a judge to order that he receive blood from unvaccinated donors.
The High Court, however, ruled that the operation was in the child’s “best interests.”
Justice Ian Gault ordered that the boy – identified as Baby W in court documents – be placed under the guardianship of the court “from the date of the order until completion of his surgery and post-operative recovery”.
He dismissed the parents’ request for unvaccinated blood, calling it unnecessary and impractical, and agreed with health authorities that the boy’s “survival [was] actually dependent on the application being granted”.
But he emphasised that the parents remained the boy’s primary guardians and said doctors must keep them informed at all times about his treatment and condition.
Justice Gault also rejected a request from the parents’ lawyer, Sue Grey, that a tailored donor service with blood from exclusively unvaccinated donors be established.
Ms Grey said the long-term effects of the vaccine were “untested” and accused doctors of refusing to provide an alternate donor service for ideological reasons.
Citing evidence from New Zealand’s chief medical officer, Justice Gault ruled that there was “no scientific evidence there is any Covid-19 vaccine-related risk from blood donated” by vaccinated donors.
The case has become a vector for anti-vaccine activists in New Zealand with demonstrators – many of whom carried placards – gathering outside the court before the ruling was delivered on Wednesday.
It also emerged during the case that during a meeting with doctors at the Starship hospital in Auckland, the parents had been accompanied by a “support person” who hijacked the conference.
They said the person presented a host of unfounded conspiracy theories, and went on to claim that children were dying from transfusions at the hospital.
Addressing the demonstrators outside the court house following the ruling, former TV host and leading anti-vaccine campaigner Liz Gunn said the decision was “wrong on every level”.
Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ) acknowledged that the case was a “difficult situation for all involved” but emphasised that its priority was the “the health and wellbeing” of all children in its care.
A BrewDog advertisement was banned for implying that its fruit-flavored beers counted as “one of your five-a-day.”
The brewer asserted the email was “tongue-in-cheek” but the advertising watchdog said it could mislead customers.
BrewDog’s advertisements frequently spark controversy, but some campaigns have backfired.
It was heavily chastised last month for launching a “anti-sponsorship” World Cup campaign while continuing to show matches in its bars.
To stay healthy, the government recommends that people eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day; however, this does not include alcoholic beverages, even if they have a high fruit content.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)said that many consumers would not have known that for sure when BrewDog sent them a marketing email in July with the five-a-day claim in the subject line.
BrewDog argued that the email was only sent to existing customers who had opted in to email alerts and would have been aware of its playful marketing style.
But the regulator said the advert cannot appear again in its current form and warned BrewDog not to repeat the claim.
A BrewDog spokesman said: “We respect the Advertising Standards Authority’s decision and are happy to confirm that beer is not a fruit or a vegetable. We hope that sorts it out”.
This is not BrewDog’s first run-in with the ASA.
Last year, the Scottish brewer offered shoppers the chance to find a gold can worth £15,000 hidden in cases sold from its online store.
But some winners complained to the ASA after they discovered the cans were not solid gold, but were gold-plated instead.
The regulator banned the adverts with BrewDog boss James Watt admitting the firm had got the campaign “wrong”.
World Cup backlash
Last month, the brand also faced a backlash after it said it would screen World Cup games at its bars while also running a marketing campaign criticising Qatar’s human rights record.
The pub and brewery chain promised that profits made from sales of one lager during the tournament would go to “causes fighting human rights abuses”.
But critics on Twitter accused it of a “PR stunt”, arguing it would still profit from all the other beers sold. Responding at the time, BrewDog said the campaign had “struck a nerve” and raised awareness of human rights abuses in Qatar.
The last few years have been stormy for the brewer, which built a loyal following for its independent craft beers before becoming a mainstream hit on supermarket shelves.
Last summer it faced a flood of allegations about its “toxic” workplace culture, which led to an independent review of the organisation.
Mr Watt apologised to former staff and said their complaints would help make him a better chief executive.
In June this year fresh claims about his conduct emerged in the US, with former staff accusing him of inappropriate behaviour.
After receiving an award for their work in racial justice and mental health, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said, “we know a ripple of hope can turn into a wave of change.”
At a gala in New York, Prince Harry and Meghan received the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights (RFKHR) organization’s Ripple of Hope Award.
They also discussed their “belief in courage over fear and love over hate.”
The ceremony was hosted by actor Alec Baldwin.
The RFKHR is a human rights organisation that advocates for issues such as mass incarceration, racial justice, and gender-based violence.
It recognises those who have shown “unwavering commitment to social change and worked to protect and advance equity, justice, and human rights.”
During the ceremony, Harry and Meghan announced a new collaboration between their Archewell Foundation and the RFKHR – the Archewell Foundation Award for Gender Equity in Student Film.
“Our hope with this award is to inspire a new generation of leadership in the arts, where diverse up-and-coming talent have a platform to have their voices heard and their stories told,” the couple said in a statement.
“The values of RFK Foundation and the Archewell Foundation are aligned in our shared belief of courage over fear, and love over hate.
“Together we know that a ripple of hope can turn into a wave of change.”
The ceremony was hosted by actor Alec Baldwin, who last year was involved in a deadly shooting on the set of a Western movie when a gun that Baldwin was using during rehearsal killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Last October, Baldwin reached a settlement with Hutchins’ family.
RFKHR President Kerry Kennedy said the royal couple had been “incredibly brave” in addressing the issues of mental illness and racial justice.
“For Meghan to get out there on national television and normalise discussion of mental health, at this point, is incredibly important and very brave,” Ms Kennedy, the daughter of the late Robert F Kennedy, told US outlet Extra.
Speaking on stage with Ms Kennedy during the event, Harry joked: “I’ll be honest with you, Kerry – I just thought we were just going on a date night, so I found it quite weird that we’re sharing the room with 1,500 people.
“We don’t get out much these days because our kids are so small and young, so this is completely unexpected.
“But it’s nice to share date night with all of you, so thank you for coming,” he added to laughter from the audience.
Harry and Meghan’s new show will be released on Netflix later this week.
In the second of two trailers, Prince Harry spoke of the “leaking” and “planting of stories” as part of a “dirty game”.
However, the trailers have been criticised for allegedly using footage and photos in misleading ways.
Meghan and Harry have long discussed their mental health struggles. Speaking in a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Meghan said she found life within the Royal Family so difficult that at times she “didn’t want to be alive anymore”.
In the revealing interview, Meghan also said Prince Harry was asked by an unnamed family member “how dark” their son Archie’s skin might be.
Last week, the outgoing Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner said the duchess received “disgusting and very real” threats while she was a working royal.
Prince Harry has also said he had to step back from royal duties to protect himself and his family from the “toxic” situation created by the UK press.
The duke told TV chat host James Corden that it was “destroying my mental health” add he “did what any husband[or] father would do”.
Emergency services have said, at least 150 people were injured when two trains collided in the Catalonia region of north-eastern Spain.
The crash happened around 07:50 (06:50 GMT) at a station on the outskirts of Barcelona.
According to local media, the trains were travelling in the same direction when they collided while one was parked at the station.
The cause of the accident is unknown, and officials have yet to comment.
The crash occurred at the Montcada I Reixac – Manresa station, about 12 kilometres (7 miles) from the city centre, according to emergency officials on Twitter.
Emergency services said on Twitter that 150 people were “in a mild condition” and five others were “in a less serious condition.”
They added that three people had been transferred to hospital.
Train traffic was briefly disrupted on several lines due to the accident, the national rail service Renfe said.
One passenger told RAC1, a local radio station, that “train was full and my carriage, which was the last one, was completelyfull” at the time of the collision.
Thousands of pupilsin Scotland will be absent from school on an unscheduled day as teachers continue their strike.
On Wednesday and Thursday, members of the SSTA and NASUWT unions will strike in their ongoing pay dispute.
It follows the EIS strike, which saw almost all schools close on November 24th, and the rejection of the most recent pay offer of 6.85%.
The Scottish government declared that the unions’ demands were “unaffordable.”
Shirley-Anne Somerville, Education Secretary, expressed her disappointment that the fourth offer made to the unions had been rejected.
On Wednesday, industrial action is taking place in: Argyll and Bute; Dumfries and Galloway; East Ayrshire; East Dunbartonshire; East Renfrewshire; Eilean Siar; City of Glasgow; Highland; Inverclyde; North Ayrshire; North Lanarkshire; Orkney; Renfrewshire; Shetland; South Ayrshire; South Lanarkshire; West Dunbartonshire.
The local authorities affected on Thursday are: City of Aberdeen; Angus; Aberdeenshire; Clackmannanshire; Dundee City; City of Edinburgh; East Lothian; Falkirk; Fife; Midlothian; Moray; Perth and Kinross; Scottish Borders; Stirling; West Lothian.
Disruption is expected in most areas through either partial or full closures of schools.
Although mainly limited to secondary schools, some primaries are affected. About a third of councils said they expected “significant” disruption.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said the pay demands were not affordable
With prelim exams taking place in many schools, older pupils are being prioritised and younger pupils are being given the day off.
The latest pay offer from the Scottish government was formally rejected last Wednesday.
Unions were offered a rise of between 5% and 6.85% but the EIS is asking for 10%.
On Tuesday the NASUWT said it was seeking a fully funded rise of 12% for 2022/23.
It said that a typical teacher in Scotland is almost £50,000 worse off as a result of their pay failing to keep pace with inflation since 2010, a loss they say will be further compounded by the current below-inflation pay offer.
The union also confirmed that following this week’s strikes, members would begin a programme of ongoing action, including a refusal to cover for absent colleagues and attendance at only one meeting per week outside pupil sessions.
“The fact it has come to this is a reflection of the depth of anger and frustration they feel at being continually told by ministers and Cosla that there is no more money to increase their pay, while their workloads spiral and the expectations on them mount.
“They are sick of warm words telling them how much they are valued, while their pay dwindles each year in real terms.
“Talk is cheap but actions matter and they are tired of being taken for granted and expected to work harder and harder for less and less money.”
‘Willingness to resolve the dispute’
Seamus Searson, the SSTA’s general secretary, said employers Cosla had not contacted the union since 22 November to avert the strikes.
He said teachers were striking to send a hard message that teachers demand to be respected and receive a professional salary that will retain staff.
“Hopefully, the employers and the Scottish government will understand that all teacher unions in Scotland are united in seeking a fair and reasonable pay settlement and there needs to be a willingness to solve the pay dispute,” he said.
“The latest offer was quickly rejected by the teacher unions and was deliberately divisive and inadequate. This apparent show of contempt to teachers by this offer has hardened the resolve of members and forced the SSTA to take the strongest form of action”.
Mr Searson apologised to pupils and parents and said the teachers would rather be in school teaching.
He added that the SSTA was always willing to meet at any time with the employers and Scottish government to find a resolution.
‘Engage constructively’
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Strike action is in no-one’s interest, least of all learners, parents and carers. We remain committed to a fair, sustainable settlement for Scotland’s teachers and will continue to engage teaching unions and Cosla constructively.
“It is very disappointing that the teaching unions have rejected the latest offer – the fourth which has been put to unions – which mirrors the deal accepted by other local government workers.
“The request for a 10% increase for all teachers – even the highest paid – is not affordable within the Scottish government’s fixed budget.
“While councils are responsible for managing the impact of industrial action, I expect schools to remain open wherever possible, so that disruption can be minimised. Any closures would follow risk assessments made in individual areas.”
The pay offer made by employers before the EIS strike a fortnight ago has not been improved or amended.
So is this dispute now deadlocked? Or will a new offer be made in time to avert the next wave of strikes after Christmas?
The Scottish government has made it clear that a bigger pay rise would mean tougher cuts and savings elsewhere.
The other potential difficulty is that teachers – who are employed by councils – could end up with a bigger pay rise than other local authority staff, including those on significantly lower salaries.
The council unions would almost certainly consider this when they submit their next pay claim.
But the spectre of regular school strikes is something nobody wants.
The teachers’ unions will have noted how an improved pay offer was made to NHS staff amid the threat of strikes.
Solving industrial disputes usually involves compromising. It is rare for one side to get everything it wants. But one side usually has to blink first.
Meanwhile the EIS has said its members should not cover for striking colleagues in the two other unions.
It said: “The EIS position is that no member should engage in any duty which is normally carried out by members of another union who are on strike action.
“We are aware that some local authorities are attempting to exert pressure on teachers to provide cover, but the EIS believes that it is unreasonable for our members to be instructed to strike break for colleagues of another trade union carrying out official industrial action in a common dispute.
“The EIS will offer its full support to any member who is subjected to this type of intimidation by their employer.”
After two days of jury deliberation in New York, the Trump Organization was convicted on all counts on Tuesday.
The business is synonymous with the former president, but neither he nor his family members were personally prosecuted.
Mr Trump said he was “disappointed” with the verdict and called the investigation a “witch hunt.”
For more than a decade, the company was convicted of enriching its top executives with off-the-books benefits.
Prosecutors stated that untaxed perks included luxury cars and private school fees, which compensated for lower wages and thus reduced the amount of tax the company was required to pay.
The company is expected to face a fine of around $1.6m (£1.3m) and may also face difficulty in securing loans and financing in the future.
Mr Trump previously criticised the trial as being politically motivated. He also attacked his long-serving former chief financial executive Allen Weisselberg after he pleaded guilty in August and testified against the business.
In his most recent statement, attacking the verdict, the former Republican leader asked why the Trump Organization should be prosecuted for Mr Weisselberg’s “personal conduct” – accusing him of “committing tax fraud on his personal tax returns”.
“There was RELIANCE by us on a then highly respected and expensive accounting firm, and law firm, to do this work,” Mr Trump said in the statement issued by his office.
“This case is unprecedented and… is a continuation of the Greatest Political Witch Hunt in the History of our Country,” he said, adding that New York City was now a “hard place to be a Trump”.
They said it ran a scheme that allowed some executives to “understate their compensation” so that their taxes “were significantly less than the amounts that should have been paid”.
“The smorgasbord of benefits is designed to keep its top executives happy and loyal,” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told the jury during closing arguments.
Two subsidiaries of the Trump Organization – Trump Corp and Trump Payroll Corp – were convicted on all 17 charges of tax fraud and falsifying business records.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg praised the verdict on Tuesday, saying the case was “about greed and cheating”.
“For 13 years the Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corporation got away with a scheme that awarded high-level executives with lavish perks and compensation while intentionally concealing the benefits from the taxing authorities,” he said.
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS Image caption, Allen Weisselberg, who worked for Donald Trump for decades, pleaded guilty to tax crimes in August (file image)
Mr Weisselberg, 75, testified against the company as part of a plea deal he struck with prosecutors that will mean he spends no more than five months in jail.
He will be jailed at the notorious Rikers Island prison and must pay back more than $1.7m (£1.4m) in concealed income.
Following the verdict, the judge set a sentencing date of 13 January.
Mr Trump and his three eldest children are facing a separate civil lawsuit which could see them banned from doing business in the state.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading that civil case, issued a statement hailing Tuesday’s verdict as a “big victory”.
“[It] shows that we will hold individuals and organisations accountable when they violateour laws to line their pockets,” she said.
San Francisco hasoverturned its decision to allow police to use lethal weapons-equipped robots.
The proposal, which was approved by the city’s legislators, the board of supervisors, last week, would have given police access to killing robots.
It had received harsh criticism from civil liberties organisations.
The board sent the proposal to committee for further review after unanimously voting to pause it on Tuesday.
The measure would have allowed the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) to use robots to kill suspects in extreme circumstances.
The vote came following a new California law requiring city police forces to keep inventories of military-grade equipment and seek approval for their use.
Dr Catherine Connolly, from the group Stop Killer Robots, told the BBC the move was a “slippery slope” that could distance humans from killing.
Protesters and several dissenting board members gathered on the steps of city hall to call for the city to reverse its decision.
The original proposal will now be refined or entirely scrapped.
Police have argued that the robots would only be used in extreme circumstances.
A spokesperson for SFPD said “robots could potentially be equipped with explosive charges to breach fortified structures containing violent, armed, or dangerous subjects”.
They also said robots could be used to “incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspects who pose a risk of loss of life”.
This type of lethal robot is already in use in other parts of the US.
In 2016, police in Dallas, Texas, used a robot armed with C-4 explosive to kill a sniper who had killed five officers and injured several more.
In raids across Germany, 25 people were apprehended on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.
According to reports in Germany, a group of far-right and ex-military figures planned to storm the Reichstag and seize power.
A German man named Heinrich XIII, 71, is reported to have played a key role in their plans.
According to federal prosecutors, two alleged ringleaders were among those arrested in 11 German states.
The plotters are said to include members of the extremist Reichsbürger (Citizens of the Reich) movement, which has long been in the sights of German police over violent attacks and racist conspiracy theories. They also refuse to recognise the modern German state.
An estimated 50 men and women are alleged to have been part of the group who are said to have plotted to overthrow the republic and replace it with a new state modelled on the Germany of 1871.
The Somali army and allied militias have driven al-Shabab fighters out of a strategic town in the country’s centre that the Islamist militant group had held for six years.
The government has retaken control of dozens of villages and towns in recent months.
Al-Shabab is facing serious challenges as a result of American airstrikes, African Union troops, the Somali army, and an allied militia.
According to the mayor of Adan Yabal, the town was taken without incident.
The jihadist group had used it as a training base and a hub for its operations across central Somalia.
After President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s election in May, he declared all-out war against al-Shabab.
Now he says the effort to clear the group out of Hirshabelle and Galmudug states is in its final stages.
Despite losing territory the militant group has been carrying out frequent deadly bombing raids – especially in the capital, Mogadishu.
Kenya’s health ministry is set to launch a two-week measles vaccination campaign targeting 1.2 million children aged nine months to five years.
This comes after an outbreak in seven counties in which 90% of children under the age of five did not receive the two-dose vaccine.
Due to the movement of people from one location to another in search of food and water, health workers have found it difficult to administer this life-saving vaccine to children.
The ministry has not disclosed how many cases and deaths have been reported, but is urging parents and guardians to ensure their children get vaccinated to contain the outbreak.
Measles is a highly contagious disease characterised by a high fever and a rash. The vaccination coverage has steadily declined globally since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kenya intends to abolish boarding schools for students in grades one through nine (roughly 14-15 years old) beginning next year.
Belio Kipsang, Principal Secretary for Education, told a conference of head teachers that parents would have to take their children to day schools.
He stated that the government had decided to allow children to be cared for by their parents or guardians. Children from nomadic pastoralist communities, on the other hand, will be exempt from the rules.
According to him, Kenya has about 28% of its primary school children in boarding facilities, which is relatively high when compared to other countries.
He said it was the responsibility of parents to take care of their children, as first educators, saying “we can’t outsource parenting to teachers”.
“We need to start socialising ourselves that we need to be with our children, and the only way we shall be with these children is for them to be in a day school environment,” he said.
He spoke shortly after Moscow accused Kyiv of carrying out drone attacks on three Russian airfields, two of which were hundreds of miles away from Ukraine.
Ukraine has made no comment on the matter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned the United States and its allies not to cross “red lines” by supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons.
The US-led Nato military alliance has ruled out providing such arms to Kyiv, amid concerns that this could lead to a major escalation with a nuclear-armed Russia that invaded Ukraine on 24 February.
Two Russian airfield explosions were reported on Monday, in the Ryazan and Saratov regions. The sites house strategic bombers used to carrying out regular missile attacks on Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure.
Russia said there was another attack was on Tuesday, in the Kursk region that borders Ukraine.
Russia’s latest missile attack on Ukraine was on Monday, when 70 rockets were fired on targets across the country. Four people were killed, local officials said.
Millions of people across the country are now without electricity and running water, raising fears people may die of hypothermia in sub-zero temperatures.
At a briefing on Tuesday, Mr Blinken accused Russia of “trying to take out the civilian infrastructure that is allowing people to have heat, to have water, to have electricity”.
He said Moscow was now “weaponising winter” and “that is the daily and nightly reality in Ukraine”.
“We have neither encouraged nor enabled the Ukrainians to strike inside of Russia, but the important thing is to understand what Ukrainians are living through every day with the ongoing Russian aggression against their country.
He said he was determined that Ukrainians have “the equipment that they need to defend themselves, to defend their territory, to defend their freedom.”
Speaking alongside him, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed that the US would not prevent Ukraine from developing its own long-range strike capability.
“The short answer is no. We are absolutely not doing that,” Mr Austin said, adding that Washington had already given Ukraine more than $19bn (£16bn) in security assistance.
In other developments on Tuesday:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops in the eastern Donetsk region where fierce fighting has been going for weeks
In the evening, one person was injured in Russian strikes in the central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, local officials said
Russian-installed officials in the city of Donetsk – controlled by Moscow since 2014 – said six people were killed in Ukrainian shelling
The South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), an umbrella group of ten opposition political parties, has urged the government to intervene immediately to deescalate the ongoing hostilities in the northern oil-producing state of Upper Nile.
On Tuesday, international ceasefire monitors based in the country who are assessing the implementation of the resurrected peace agreement reported “renewed fighting” between the national army and opposition forces in the Maiwut area.
According to the Ceasefire Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM), there has also been renewed fighting in the Fashoda area.
It did not provide details regarding casualties, but said “it was concerned that these incidents might pose a real threat to the implementation of the revitalised peace agreement”.
Local media reported that countless numbers were killed in the Fashoda clashes.
Brig-Gen Samuel Chan Mut, a senior representative of SSOA said, he feared that renewed fighting between the parties that are signatories to the revitalised peace agreement would impose “immense humanitarian challenges” and displacement of civilians.
It is unusual for Nigerian presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu to speak directly to the media.
Aides answered all of the press questions at a recent high-profile event in London.
Perhaps frustrating for those in attendance, but even more so for Nigerians eager for answers ahead of the February election, not just on the key policy concerns of insecurity and unemployment, but also on how Mr Tinubu amassed his personal wealth.
Finally, he has broken his silence and agreed to a BBC interview.
I asked him how a Tinubu presidency would differ from the current Buhari presidency, given that they both belong to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr Buhari has “done his best”, says Mr Tinubu.
“I am different. I am Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I have governed Lagos. I’ve built a modern state that could be a country on its own. I have led an administration that’s so prudent.”
Despite being credited with reshaping Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, the question of his personal wealth – and the source of it – is a big point of contention for Nigerians.
If you’re visiting the wealthy suburb of Ikoyi in Lagos, you can’t fail to notice Mr Tinubu’s enormous mansion.
What’s being claimed is that he has benefitted from the state since leaving office as governor in 2007. He told me that those allegations are unproven.
“The West is yet to feel comfortable enough with a Buhari administration to sell us the arms and technology necessary. We have to look at alternatives – the mass recruitment of individuals in the volunteer army to really clean up the system.”
By that he means beefed-up military and security forces.
And if he had to choose one of the two other main candidates, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is standing for the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party’s Peter Obi, popular among young Nigerians, who would it be?
He makes it plain – he feels neither are up to the job.
“They are not as competent as any other person out there. They have no track record. None of them is qualified except me.”
The final decision, of course, will be up to Nigerians.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’sstory will be told on the small screen in an upcoming Netflix docuseries, which will air very soon. On December 1, the streamer released the first teaser trailer for “Harry & Meghan,” but did not reveal a release date. Four days later, on December 5, Netflix released a longer trailer and announced the first instalment will be released on December 8.
The first teaser features a series of intimate black and white photos taken throughout their relationship that flash across the screen as dramatic music plays. The documentary’s director, Liz Garbus, is heard asking, “Why did you want to make this documentary?”As a photo is shown, Harry responds, “No one knows what’s happening behind closed doors “as a photo of a visibly emotional Meghan appears. He continues, “I had to do everything I could to protect my family.”
Aside from the two trailers, not much has been shared about the project from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex since they forged their partnership with the streamer two years ago. However, Markle gave a rare update on it in her Variety cover story published on Oct. 19, just days after Deadline reported that Netflix delayed the documentary’s release until next year.”It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story — a seasoned director whose workI’ve long admired — even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it. But that’s not why we’re telling it,” Markle shared of the docuseries. “We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens.”
Markle and Harry’s multiyear Netflix deal was announced in September 2020, which includes the production of documentaries, docuseries, feature films, scripted shows, and children’s programming. So far, the only other projects the couple has confirmed for the streamer are their other documentary centered on the Invictus Games and their since-canceled animated series titled “Pearl” (Netflix reportedly axed it due to a stock drop).
Harry and Markle’s documentary was rumored to be a reality TV series, but the couple previously slammed that idea in a statement provided to People. “The Duke and Duchess are not taking part in any reality shows,” a spokesman said.
Following said rumors, Markle stressed the difference between a “historical documentary” and a “reality docuseries” in her August profile for The Cut, though she didn’t specify which one her and Harry’s Netflix project is. “The piece of my life I haven’t been able to share, that people haven’t been able to see, is our love story,” she told the outlet of what it’ll cover.
In her profile, Markle said that, at the time, she wasn’t aware of what had and hadn’t been confirmed about the docuseries, but she did take time to praise its director and share what likely inspired the project. “I will tell you, the Liz Garbus is incredible,” she said. “. . . When the media has shaped the story around you, it’s really nice to be able to tell your own story.”
Read ahead for everything else we know about Harry and Markle’s upcoming documentary so far.
Netflix announced that Volume I will premiere Dec. 8 and Volume II will premiere Dec. 15. According to Deadline, Harry and Markle’s documentary has been unofficially slated to debut on Netflix for quite a while, though that date has been thrown into question for a variety of reasons. The outlet noted that the streamer was shaken up after “attacks” from former Prime Minister John Major were aimed at “The Crown” season five. Major, as per CNN, reportedly referred to the Netflix drama’s depiction of his time in office as “damaging and malicious fiction.” “They’re rattled at Netflix, and they blinked first and decided to postpone the documentary,” a source told Deadline. Now, however, the series will continue on as planned. Reps for Archewell did not immediately respond toPOPSUGAR’s request for comment.
A parliamentary debate on a damning report that suggested South African President Cyril Ramaphosa may have breached the constitution was scheduled for Tuesday but has been pushed back by a week.
Ramaphosa allegedly concealed a theft from his farm, according to the report. His spokesperson called the story “flawed,” and he denied any wrongdoing.
According to a decision made by the House of Representatives programming committee on Monday night, the discussion will take place on December 13 to allow lawmakers to travel to Cape Town, where parliament is located.
Although the ruling ANC party has stated it would vote against any attempt to impeach President Ramaphosa, the debate over the report may determine whether or not to do so.
A court ruling stating that any actions made by parliament in response to the publishing of the report are unconstitutional and unlawful was requested by the president on Monday.
If approved, the order would be applicable to the parliamentary vote on whether to begin impeachment proceedings.
This is coming days after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesman said he will not resign over allegations that he kept large sums of cash on his property then covered up its theft.
“President Ramaphosa is not resigning based on a flawed report, neither is he stepping aside,” Vincent Magwenya said.
Bola Tinubu, a two-time governor of Lagos state who is running for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February elections, has avoided the Nigerian media since winning the party’s ticket, instead delegating spokespeople to speak on his behalf.
In addition, in the run-up to the elections, he avoided presidential debates and town hall meetings with other candidates.
As a result, many people who tuned in to Mr Tinubu’s highly publicised appearance in London had high hopes of hearing him answer key policy questions.
How would he deal with widespread insecurity in Nigeria? How would he solve the country’s huge unemployment rate? How would he stop oil theft in the Niger Delta?
Thankfully, these questions were asked by journalists inside the packed hall but many were stunned as Mr Tinubu elected aides to respond on his behalf, a departure from the norm at the institute popular with those seeking elective offices in Nigeria.
A spokesman for the candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described it as “an abdication of responsibility” while many others said it confirmed Mr Tinubu’s lack of physical and mental rigour to lead Africa’s most populous country.
But Dele Alake, his media adviser – who answered a question on his behalf at the event – said those criticising Mr Tinubu “are ignorant of the nuance and dynamics of leadership”.
“He wanted to show the calibre of his team,” he said.
The APC candidate did take some questions though, speaking publicly for the first time on controversies surrounding his age and work profile.
He confirmed he was 70 sayinghe was born in March 1952 – there had previously been a lot of speculation about his age.
He also said that he had been schooled at Chicago State University and later worked at financial consultancy firm Deloitte, both facts have been greatly disputed in the past.
Mr Tinubu is one of three frontrunners seeking to lead Nigeria next year.
An eyewitness to the killing of a Palestinian by Israeli forces, the man was shot simply for punching a police officer.
Last Friday, Ammar Mefleh was killed at close range in the occupied West Bank.
He is the 10th Palestinian killed by Israeli forces in a week.
The video of the shooting sparked a massive online reaction, prompting Israel to issue a diplomatic rebuke to a top UN official who said he was “horrified” by the killing.
Israeli officials praised the officer involved, asserting that he reacted after a Palestinian stabbed a police officer in the face, preventing a “mass terror attack.”
Palestinian leaders described it as an execution “in cold blood”.
Mr Mefleh, 22, was killed in the Palestinian town of Huwara, which lies on a main road frequently used by Israeli settlers and has been the scene of growing violence in recent months.
Incident filmed
This year in the West Bank more than 150 Palestinians have been killed, nearly all by Israeli forces. The dead include unarmed civilians, militant gunmen and armed attackers.
Meanwhile a series of Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis, as well as militant gunfire at troops during arrest raids, have killed more than 30 people including civilians, police and soldiers.
The footage from Friday, shared extensively online, was rare in capturing in detail part of the event that led up to the shooting. The last 13 seconds are caught in a second video from another angle.
In the recording, the Israeli officer is seen holding Mr Mefleh in a headlock as the pair struggle. Two other Palestinians are in the melee at first, but then step back.
IMAGE SOURCE,HUWARA RESIDENT Image caption, Footage showed Ammar Mefleh trying to grab the police officer’s weapon during the struggle
After Mr Mefleh struggles out of the headlock, he tries to grab the policeman’s rifle. As they wrestle over the weapon the officer takes a hand off it – first to try to hit the Palestinian, who strikes him back – then to reach for his pistol.
Mr Mefleh for a split second has hold of the rifle but almost instantly throws it down or lets go of it, recoiling as he sees the officer raise his pistol. The policeman shoots him instantly, four times.
Following his killing, a popular Israeli news website reported that the officer had “eliminated the terrorist”. The footage was repeatedly circulated on Palestinian social media with people appalled at the killing.
The UN’s envoy to the region, Tor Wennesland, tweeted that he was “horrified by today’s killing of a Palestinian man, Ammar Mefleh, during a scuffle with an Israeli soldier,” calling for those responsible to be held accountable.
“The incident is a terror attack, in which an Israeli policeman was stabbed in his face and the life of another officer was threatened and consequently he shot his assailant,” Mr Nahshon added.
“This is NOT a ‘scuffle’ – this is a terror attack!”
Disputed account
The row drew increased focus on the precise events leading up to his killing.
On Friday evening, Israeli police said the incident began when a Palestinian armed with a knife picked up a rock and tried to break into an Israeli couple’s car. They said the driver, an off-duty soldier, shot the man leaving him injured – thought to be from the bullet or shrapnel glancing his head.
Police said the wounded Palestinian then approached two border police officers on patrol in their vehicle, stabbing one in the face, while the other – the policeman later seen in the video – got out and chased him, leading up to the events captured in the footage and the fatal shooting.
1/5 Terrorist Neutralized in the area of Huwara: Today at approximately 16:00, a Palestinian terrorist armed with a knife tried to break into a vehicle of an Israeli couple in the area of Huwara pic.twitter.com/MwMGAXGWfg
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter
Police published an image of an officer with his identity obscured with a wound to his face and a close-up picture of a knife lying on a roadside (although one Israeli media report cited the police investigation as saying the knife fell into the police car after the officer was stabbed).
Over the weekend police released footage of the officer who killed Mr Mefleh describing the events: “Me and my team were on a mission patrolling the road [when] the terrorist came and stabbed my driver in the face. Immediately I knew it was a terrorist attack. I got out of the vehicle and went after the terrorist,” said the policeman who is not identified.
“I identified the terrorist and the Israeli civilian vehicle he tried to infiltrate while armed with a knife, and the terrorist immediately confronted me violently,” he said in a further statement.
“[He] tried to steal my weapon. I knew that if he took my weapon there would be a mass terror attack and I took out my pistol. I succeeded in pulling out my gun and shot the terrorist until he was neutralised,” he added.
However, the accounts of four eyewitnesses who spoke to the BBC in Huwara did not match the police version of events.
One said the incident appeared to begin with a confrontation in the street, possibly connected to a road accident that was blocking traffic.
“I was standing over there next to the butchers,” said Nader Allan, who had just left a nearby wedding.
“A settler’s car stopped. I’m not sure if he hit the [Palestinian] guy’s car, or if the guy was walking in the street. They started yelling at each other and I heard a shot. The settler shot the guy in the face. He was bleeding and he fell on the floor,” he said.
Like the other eyewitnesses, Mr Allan said this was the moment the Israeli police officer arrived. A short video taken by one witness shows an officer – who looks similar to the one in the fatal shooting footage – giving directions on a police radio and standing close to Mr Mefleh who is lying with a bloodied face in the street, as passers-by gather.
Another photo shows a similar scene, which appears fairly calm as locals speak on their phones. A witness said people tried to give Mr Mefleh first aid.
IMAGE SOURCE,HUWARA RESIDENT Image caption, Eyewitnesses say Mr Mefleh had been attacked prior to the shooting incident
Another witness, Mahmoud Abed, who works in a kebab restaurant, said he also rushed out when he heard Mr Mefleh being shot at by the Israeli driver.
“We found a guy on the floor with his face covered in blood. A policeman came from far away. He looked at him and kicked him, then the policeman said something on the radio,” he said.
Both Mr Abed and Mr Allan say the wounded Palestinian then got up and confronted the Israeli officer, trying to hit him. They say this is what triggered the confrontation that led to the officer getting him in a headlock, before fatally shooting him.
Another eyewitness, Bahaa Odeh who runs an ice-cream shop, said he heard a commotion and came out to see the policeman holding Mr Mefleh in a headlock, and then saw him kill him.
“Because of how upset I got from what I saw I started shouting at the soldier telling him ‘you’re despicable… there was no danger to your life, why did you kill him?’
“I told him ‘you are a coward… you killed him because he punched you. He has a right to defend himself,’” said Mr Odeh.
Knife claims
As the sense of anger grew in response to Mr Mefleh’s killing, confrontations later broke out between Israeli forces and residents. Mr Odeh was hit by a rubber bullet, leaving him with wounds to his chest and arm.
Image caption, Bahaa Odeh shows his injury from being hit by a rubber bullet
Asked whether Mr Mefleh had a knife, all four witnesses insisted he did not. No weapon is visible in Mr Mefleh’s hands or anywhere in the photo of him lying wounded after being shot by the Israeli driver.
To add to the discrepancy over the sequence of events, on Saturday Israeli police were quoted as saying they were “97% certain” that it was Mr Mefleh who had stabbed the police officer in the car; whereas on Friday their statement contained no doubt over this.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz cited police as saying they had longer footage of the incident from several different cameras which “strengthens the assessment” that the Palestinian man who was killed was the one who stabbed the policeman.
Israeli police did not respond to questions about the eyewitness accounts compared to those of the officers.
The United States Supreme Court has heard arguments in the case of a graphic designer who declined to design wedding websites for same-sex couples.
It is the most recent case to reach the Supreme Court, and it pits free speech rights against anti-discrimination laws.
Lorie Smith of Colorado claims that her Christian faith prevents her from providing services to same-sex couples.
However, this may be a violation of a state law that prohibits businesses from refusing service based on sexual orientation.
Most US states have anti-discrimination legislation in place.
Ms Smith, 38, has argued Colorado’s public accommodation law violates her First Amendment right to free speech, as the state would be forcing her to express a message she does not agree with.
“If the government can censor and compel my speech, it can censor and compel anybody’s speech,” she told CBS News before arguments began on Monday. “We should all be free to live and work consistently with our deeply held beliefs.”
Her opponents, however, argue that a victory for Ms Smith could pave the way for businesses around the country to discriminate against customers for a variety of reasons such as religion, ethnicity or national origin.
The conservative-leaning court must now decide whether Colorado’s enforcement of the law violates the free speech clauses of the First Amendment.
And on Monday, its six conservative justices signalled sympathy for Ms Smith after more than two hours of arguments. The three liberal justices leaned towards the state.
Conservative Justice Samuel Alito asked if a business offering to write vows could ever refuse to write something. “Can they be forced to write vows or speeches that espouse things they loath?” he said.
But Justice Sonia Sotomayor, part of the court’s liberal minority, asked if ruling in favour of Ms Smith could lead to discrimination on other grounds such as race or disability. “Where’s the line?” she said.
In 2016, Ms Smith filed a lawsuit that sought to block the state’s public accommodation law. After two lower courts sided with Colorado, the case headed to the Supreme Court.
The case has highlighted a partisan rift in the US, with President Joe Biden’s administration and 20 largely Democratic states standing behind Colorado and arguing that a ruling in Ms Smith’s favour could have far-reaching consequences.
Another 20 Republican-leaning states, along with various religious groups, have voiced their support for Ms Smith.
The court has heard similar cases in the past involving a florist and a baker.
A case in 2018 centred on a Colorado-based baker, Jack Phillips, who argued that being legally required to create a cake for a same-sex wedding violated his rights to free speech and religious freedom.
The Supreme Court ruled narrowly in his favour, finding that Colorado failed to show tolerance for Mr Phillip’s beliefs.
A man has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for shooting and injuring Lady Gaga’s dog walker during a dog theft.
James Howard Jackson entered a no contest plea, which is similar to a guilty plea, to attempted murder.
According to the court, Ryan Fischer was walking the singer’s three French bulldogs in Hollywood in February 2021 when Jackson shot him in the chest.
Mr Fischer stated that following the attack, he had to have a portion of his lung removed.
According to CBS News, he attended Monday’s court hearing and stated that the shooting changed his life forever.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office called the attack “a cold-hearted violent act”.
Several other charges Jackson faced were dismissed as part of a plea deal.
Jackson and one of four other accomplices took two of the dogs, Koji and Gustav, following the shooting.
A third bulldog, Miss Asia, ran away and was later found by police.
At the time, police said that they thought the dogs were targeted because of their breed – and not because of who their owner was.
The two stolen dogs were returned unharmed two days later after Gaga offered a $500,000 (£359,000) reward.
One accomplice, Harold White, pleaded guilty on Monday to breaking the law that prevents former convicts from possessing firearms. He is due to be sentenced next year.
White’s son, Jaylin Keyshawn White, and Lafayette Shon Whaley both pleaded guilty last year to second-degree robbery and were sentenced to four and six years in prison respectively.
The person who returned the dogs, Jennifer McBride, was later charged with being an accessory to attempted murder and her case remains pending, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Jackson’s day in court was delayed after he was wrongly released from prison in April in what the US Marshals Service described at the time as a “clerical error”. He was re-arrested the same month.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has raised interest rates to a decade high, putting mortgage holders under even more strain as it seeks to calm soaring prices.
The RBA raised the benchmark rate, which determines how much commercial banks charge for loans, by a quarter percentage point to 3.1 percent on Tuesday.
The increase, combined with six previous increases since May, adds more than $1,000 Australian dollars ($672) to the monthly cost of an average mortgage.
The move follows a smaller-than-expected quarter-percentage-point increase in October, which deviated from counterparts such as the United States Federal Reserve’s aggressive stance.
According to RBA Governor Philip Lowe, inflation remains too high at 6.9 percent, far above the target range of 2-3 percent.
“Global factors explain much of this high inflation, but strong domestic demand relative to the ability of the economy to meet that demand is also playing a role,” Lowe said in a statement.
Lowe said he expected inflation to rise to 8 percent during the final quarter before easing next year.
“The board expects to increase interest rates further over the period ahead, but it is not on a pre-set course,” he said. “It is closely monitoring the global economy, household spending and wage and price-setting behaviour.”
He added that the central bank remains “resolute in its determination to return inflation to target” and will do “what is necessary to achieve that”.
The RBA noted that the labour market remains tight, with unemployment at 3.4 percent in October — the lowest since 1974 — and many firms struggling to hire workers.
Still, there are signs the rate hikes are already cooling the economy.
Australia’s inflation slowed to 6.9 percent in October, while home prices fell for a seventh straight month in November, a drag on household wealth that could curb consumer confidence and consumption over the months ahead.
BBC Persian ha reported that one of the six people sentenced to death in connection with the current anti-government protests in Iran has been subjected to mock executions three times in prison.
Last month, a Revolutionary Court in Tehran found Sahand Noormohammadzadeh, 26, guilty of “enmity against God.”
He was accused of setting fire to a bin and obstructing traffic, both of which he denied.
According to the source, Noormohammadzadeh was “asked to go on a chair blindfolded to be hanged” prior to his trial.
Cruel or degrading treatment of people in custody is prohibited under international human rights law.
Iran’s judiciary has announced that six defendants have so far been sentenced to death for either “enmity against God” or “corruption on earth” in connection to the protests.
It has not disclosed their identities, but Sahand Noormohammadzadeh’s lawyer confirmed in a video statement on Saturday that he was one of them.
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported last month that Noormohammadzadeh was on trial before a Revolutionary Court for “[acts of] vandalism and arson of public property with the aim of causing disruption to the country’s peace and order and confronting the Islamic government”.
Prosecutors accused him of “participating in riots” in Tehran on 23 September and blocking a highway by “tearing down the highway railings and setting fire to rubbish cans and tires”, according to Mizan.
They showed the court a video showing a man wearing a mask, who they alleged was Noormohammadzadeh, placing the railing between two lanes. The video also shows the same man pushing a burning rubbish bin on to the road.
Noormohammadzadeh maintained his innocence in court, while his lawyer said there was no evidence that his client was the masked man, Mizan reported.
It is not clear whether prosecutors submitted to the court a letter of apology signed by Noormohammadzadeh following his arrest.
BBC Persian’s source said he was told falsely by interrogatorsthat his mother had suffered a heart attack and that he would need to sign the letter if he wanted to talk to her before she died.
A lawyer in Tehran said such a letter was considered an admission of guilt.
Following Noormohammadzadeh’s conviction, Amnesty International expressed grave concern that he and the other defendants sentenced to death had been subjected to “sham” trials.
The death sentences handed to Noormohammadzadeh and the five other defendants can be appealed against, but judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said on Monday that the executions would happen soon.
Iranian authorities have cracked down violently on the protests that erupted after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was detained by morality police in mid-September for allegedly wearing her hijab, or headscarf, “improperly”.
More than 470 protesters, including 64 children, have been killed, while 18,200 others have been arrested, according to the Human Rights Activists’ News Agency (HRANA). It has also reported the deaths of 61 security personnel.
Many of those arrested have allegedly been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment in custody.
Arshia Emamgholizadeh, a 16-year-old boy, took his own life last week, six days after he was released from prison.
He was arrested in the north-western city of Tabriz and accused of “turban tossing” – a new trend among young protesters that involves sneaking up behind a Shia Muslim cleric on a street and knocking his turban off his head before running off.
“Arshia said he was given pills in prison and was beaten,” a source close to the family told BBC Persian. It is not known what the pills were.
Arshia did not leave a note and a video showed his mother crying over his grave and saying: “You were not suicidal, what did they do to you in prison?”
Police in Spain arrested 30 people on suspicion of smuggling cannabis disguised as aid for Ukraine.
Those detained in Andalusia included Ukrainians, Spaniards, Germans, and Moroccans.
According to police, the drugs originated in the southern region, were packaged in cardboard boxes, and were transported in convoys across several countries.
The seizure comes just a month after Spanish authorities announced the largest cannabis haul ever discovered in the country.
The Guardia Civil police force said in a statement on Monday that they became suspicious after identifying a group of Ukrainians on the Costa del Sol collecting cannabis and storing it in a flat in Mijas, near Malaga.
The drugs were packed in vacuum bags and placed in cardboard boxes on vans registered in Ukraine, which proceeded to travel “as a solidarity convoy so they could pass under the radar of police and border controls”, it said.
In raids in Malaga province and in the southern cities of Granada, Cordoba and Seville, police seized nearly €800,000 (£690,000; $847,000), six guns and 2,500 cannabis plants.
Thousands of people across Europe have been involved in efforts to alleviate the suffering of Ukrainian civilians since Russia launched an invasion of its neighbour on 24 February.
Glencore has agreed to pay $180 million to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to settle corruption allegations, the latest payment in a string of graft cases it has faced around the world.
The Anglo-Swiss mining company announced on Monday that the agreement with DRC covers “all present and future claims arising from any alleged acts of corruption” committed by the Glencore Group between 2007 and 2018.
It comes months after Glencore announced settlements with authorities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Brazil totaling $1.5 billion to resolve all allegations of corruption and market manipulation.
The US Justice Department said in May that Glencorepaid more than $100m to intermediaries over 10 years, “intending that a significant portion of these payments would be used to pay bribes to officials” in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Brazil, Venezuela and Congo.
In DRC, Glencore acknowledged that it paid $27.5m to third parties with the goal that a portion be used to bribe Congolese officials to secure improper business advantages, according to the Justice Department.
“Glencore is a long-standing investor in the DRC and is pleased to have reached this Agreement to address the consequences of its past conduct,” Chairman Kalidas Madhavpeddi said in a statement on Monday.
The company “looks forward to continuing to work with the DRC authorities and other stakeholders to facilitate good governance and ethical business practices in the country,” he added.
Last month, a British court ordered Glencore to pay more than 280 million pounds ($341m) for using bribes to bolster its oil profits in five African countries.
It pleaded guilty in June after an investigation launched by the United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office in 2019 found it paid bribes worth a combined $29m to gain access to oil in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Sudan.
A body-cam footage captures Mary O’Connor and her husband being stopped last month near their gated community by a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy.
“I’m hoping you’ll just let us go tonight,” she said as she identified herself, flashed her badge, and told the deputy.
On Monday, Tampa’s mayor stated that the police chief violated ethics rules.
“Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has requested and received the resignation of Police Chief Mary O’Connor,” the mayor said in a statement released by her office, adding that she violated policies on “standard of conduct” and “abuse of position or identification”.
Video released last week shows the 12 November incident in a suburb outside of Tampa, Florida’s third largest city.
Mrs O’Connor explains that she’s going to pick up food, and that she doesn’t normally drive the car on public streets.
She then asks the deputy if his body-cam is on. When he says it is, she tells him, “I’m the police chief in Tampa.”
The deputy is heard telling her they have “a lot of problems with golf carts around here”. She is seen handing him her business card before being let go without a ticket.
In an apology last week, Mrs O’Connor said she understood how “this matter could be viewed as inappropriate, but that was certainly not my intent”.
Mayor Castor’s statement on Monday said that the police chief was expected to lead by example and be held to “high standards for ethical and professional behaviour.”
“That clearly did not happen in this case,” she said calling it “unacceptable for any public employee, and especially the city’s top law enforcement leader, to ask for special treatment because of their position.”
Mrs O’Connor was sworn into office in March after serving for 22 years on the city’s police force.
In 1995 she was fired as an officer after being arrested for attacking deputies during a traffic stop before being re-hired the following year.
Qatari broadcaster says , the evidence presented refutes Israeli claims that the Palestinian journalist was killed in a crossfire.
The Al Jazeera Media Network has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC)to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the death of veteran Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Abu Akleh, a 25-year Al Jazeera television correspondent, was killed by Israeli forces on May 11 while covering an Israeli military raid on a refugee camp in Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank.
The 51-year-old Jerusalem native and US citizen was a well-known and respected journalist who gave Palestinians a voice through her coverage of Israel’s occupation.
‘A wider pattern’
The request includes a dossier on a comprehensive six-month investigation by Al Jazeera that gathers all available eyewitness evidence and video footage as well as new material on the killing of Abu Akleh.
The request submitted to the ICC is presented “in the context of a wider attack on Al Jazeera, and journalists in Palestine”, said Rodney Dixon KC, a lawyer for Al Jazeera, referring to incidents such as the bombing of the network’s Gaza office on May 15, 2021.
“It’s not a single incident, it’s a killing that is part of a wider pattern that the prosecution should be investigating to identify those who are responsible for the killing, and to bring charges against them,” he said.
“The focus is on Shireen, and this particular killing, this outrageous killing. But the evidence we submit looks at all of the acts against Al Jazeera because it has been targeted as an international media organisation.
“And the evidence shows that what the [Israeli] authorities are trying to do is to shut it up,” Dixon told Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera hopes the ICC prosecutor “does actually start the investigation of this case” after the network’s request, Dixon said. The network’s request complements the complaint submitted to the ICC by Abu Akleh’s family in September, supported by the Palestinian Press Syndicate and the International Federation of Journalists.
A new documentary by Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines shows how Abu Akleh and other journalists, wearing protective helmets and bulletproof vests clearly marked with the word “PRESS”, were walking down a road in view of Israeli forces when they came under fire.
Abu Akleh was shot in the head as she tried to shield herself by a carob tree. Al Jazeera producer Ali al-Samoudi was also shot in the shoulder.
The new evidence submitted by Al Jazeera shows “Shireen and her colleagues were directly fired at by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)”, Al Jazeera Media Network said in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement added the evidence overturns claims by Israeli authorities that Shireenwas killed in crossfire and that it “confirms, without any doubt, that there was no firing in the area where Shireen was, other than the IOF shooting directly at her”.
“The evidence shows that this deliberate killing was part of a wider campaign to target and silence Al Jazeera,” the statement said.
Next steps
Lina Abu Akleh, who has campaigned for justice for her aunt through media work and meetings with lawmakers in the US, where her aunt was a citizen, hopes Al Jazeera’s request will push the ICC to launch an independent investigation.
Walid al-Omari, the Al Jazeera bureau chief in Jerusalem and a friend and colleague of Abu Akleh said that it is critical to keep the case alive in public opinion. “We don’t think Israel should escape from accountability.”
Once the ICC has reviewed the evidence it will decide whether it will investigate Abu Akleh’s killing as part of ongoing investigations.
In 2021, the ICC decided it has jurisdiction over the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. Al Jazeera’s submission requests that the killing of Abu Akleh become part of this wider investigation.
“We’re making a request for an investigation that leads to charges being brought and those responsible being prosecuted,” said Dixon.
Investigations carried out by the United Nations, Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations, and international news outlets concluded that Abu Akleh was killed by an Israeli soldier.
The Abu Akleh family has called for a “thorough, transparent investigation” by the US FBI and Department of State to reveal the chain of command that led to the death of a US citizen.
“In short, we would like [US President] Biden to do in Shireen’s case what his and previous US administrationshave failed to do when other American citizens were killed by Israel: Hold the killers accountable,” Lina Abu Akleh wrote in Al Jazeera in July.
In November the US announced an FBI probe into the killing of Abu Akleh, news welcomed by her family.
But, Dixon cautioned, this probe should not be a reason for the ICC not to act.
“They can they can work together with … the FBI, so that this case doesn’t fall between the cracks, and that those responsible are identified and put on trial.”
Debunking shifting narratives
The Fault Lines documentary also looks closely at Israel’s shifting narratives.
Israel initially falsely blamed armed Palestinians for Abu Akleh’s death, but in September said there was a “high probability” an Israeli soldier “accidentally hit” the journalist but that it would not launch a criminal investigation.
Hagai El-Ad, director of Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem, which swiftly debunked the false claim by Israel that a Palestinian gunman was responsible for Abu Akleh’s death, told Fault Lines: “They’re also very used to getting away with lying about killings of Palestinians both in the public arena and in the legal arena.”
“The reason why Al Jazeera made this request is because the Israeli authorities have done nothing to investigate the case. In fact, they’ve said that they will not investigate, that there’s no suspicion of a crime,” said Dixon.
Al Jazeera Media Network calls the killing a “blatant murder” and a “heinous crime”.
“Al Jazeera reiterates its commitment to achieving justice for Shireen and to exploring all avenues to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable and brought to justice,” said the Network.
The FBI is investigating after two power plants in North Carolina were damaged by gunfire, leaving tens of thousands without power.
Since the attack on Saturday evening, no motive or suspect has been identified, but police have stated that it was deliberate.
According to officials, 35,000 people in Moore County are without power, and the damage could take several days to repair.
On Tuesday, a state of emergency has been declared, and schools will be closed for the second day in a row.
The declaration of emergency includes a countywide overnight curfew that will expire on Friday afternoon.
“This kind of attack raises a whole new level of threat,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said in a briefing on Monday, adding that protecting critical infrastructure must be a “top priority”.
The two substations are located around five miles apart (8km), and in one case a gate was breached to access the facility.
“The person, or persons, who did this knew exactly what they were doing,” Sheriff Ronnie Fields said at a news conference on Sunday. “We don’t have a clue why [they targeted] Moore County.”
He said the FBI was working with local authorities to determine who was responsible, adding that someone pulled up and “opened fire on the substation, the same thing with the other one”.
“It wasn’t random,” he said.
It could take until Thursday to restore power, officials say, as the damage to the two substations is significant. Around 45,000 people were initially affected by the outage.
“We are looking at a pretty sophisticated repair with some fairly large equipment and so we do want citizens of the town to be prepared,” Jeff Brooks, a spokesman for the local energy company Duke Energy, said at the news conference.
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS Image caption, Apparent bullet holes were seen at the damaged substations following the attack on Saturday evening
A fire chief, Mike Cameron, said there were several road accidents when the power went out including a four-vehicle pile up. “The car wreck was totally because the stop lights were out,” he told the Charlotte Observer newspaper.
A major hospital switched to using generator power, while water and sewage services are also running on back-up generators.
Federal officials are concerned about copy cat attacks. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said they were carefully watching developments in the investigation.
Temperatures hit a low of 32F (0C) on Monday morning, and the county opened an emergency shelter at a sports complex for those in need.
Grocery stores in the region were open, and running on generators on Monday, according to the local newspaper The Pilot.
Some local restaurants were giving away perishable goods as their freezers stopped working, the paper reported.
It is unclear how long schools in the county will remain closed, with officials saying decisions on openings will be made on a day-by-day basis.
While a suspect has not been identified and the motive in unclear, Sheriff Fields addressed social media rumours that the vandalism was an attempt to stop a drag show from taking place.
“[Investigators] have not been able to tie anything back to the drag show,” he said. The event had been scheduled for 19:00 on Saturday, which is around the same time the power went out.
According to the rights group, it is publicising the attack to raise awareness of the dangers that civil society faces.
Amnesty International’s Canadian office says its English-language unit was the target of a “sophisticated” hacking attempt that it believes is associated with China.
The digital security breach was discovered on October 5 when suspicious activity was detected on Amnesty’s IT infrastructure, according to a statement issued by Amnesty International Canada on Monday.
It also stated that it took immediate action to protect the systems and investigate the source of the attack.
“As an organization advocating for human rights globally, we are very aware that we may be the target of state-sponsored attempts to disrupt or surveil our work. These will not intimidate us and the security and privacy of our activists, staff, donors, and stakeholders remain our utmost priority,” Ketty Nivyabandi, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada, said in a statement.
The preliminary results of the investigation indicated the breach was perpetrated using tools and techniques associated with specific advanced persistent threat groups (APTs), Amnesty said.
Forensic experts with international cybersecurity firm Secureworks later established that “a threat group sponsored or tasked by the Chinese state” was probably behind the attack.
The forensic audit’s conclusion is based “on the nature of the targeted information as well as the observed tools and behaviors, which are consistent with those associated with Chinese cyberespionage threat groups,” it added.
A report released in August by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future said a hacking group known as RedAlpha, suspected of acting on behalf of the Chinese government, had conducted a years-long espionage campaign against numerous governments, think tanks, news agencies and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), including Amnesty.
Last year, the United States, United Kingdom and their allies accused actors affiliated with the Chinese government of a cyberattack on Microsoft Exchange, and blamed the Chinese government for a broad array of “malicious cyber activities”.
Amnesty said it had decided to speak publicly about the attack as a warning to other human rights defenders on the rising threat of digital security breaches to their work
“This case of cyberespionage speaks to the increasingly dangerous context which activists, journalists, and civil society alike must navigate today,” Nivyabandi said. “Our work to investigate and denounce these acts has never been more critical and relevant. We will continue to shine a light on human rights violations wherever they occur and to denounce the use of digital surveillance by governments to stifle human rights.”
Amnesty said no evidence had been found that any donor or membership data had been taken.
Thousandsgathered to protest the economy and rising inflation in the midst of a corruption scandal.
Thousands of people braved subzero temperatures in Mongolia’s capital to protest alleged corruption in the country’s coal industry and skyrocketing inflation, with some later attempting to storm the government house.
Protesters, many of them young people, gathered in Ulaanbaatar’s central Sukhbaatar Square on Monday in -21C (-6F) temperatures, demanding “justice” against corrupt officials and the dissolution of the country’s parliament.
“Help us our country is collapsing,” read one placard. Some herders also travelled to the city to take part in the rallies.
Protesters are frustrated with the country’s ailing economy, with inflation soaring to 15.2 percent in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and closed borders affecting trade with neighbouring China.
People are “suffering incredibly economically,” Jana Zilkova, country director for the aid group Caritas Czech Republic in Ulaanbaatar, told Al Jazeera.
Whistleblower claims that a group of legislators with ties to the coal industry had stolen billions of dollars have added to the discontent.
“People are upset and angry over this case because they were promised the wealth of the country would be shared with them,” Zilkova added.
The police tried to break up the demonstration at 9pm local time (13:00 GMT) but some protesters tried to force their way intothe government building, knocking down barriers and breaking windows, according to local media reports. Police intervened and most protesters had left the square a couple of hours later.
Last month, Mongolia’s anti-corruption authority announced that more than 30 officials — including the chief executive of the state-owned coal mining company Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi — were under investigation for embezzlement.
The firm controls the Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi deposits, which contain 7.5 billion tonnes of coking coal — an essential ingredient in the steelmaking process and a key component of Mongolia’s state budget revenue. It is yet to comment on the allegations.
Protesters in #Mongolia are trying to storm the Government House. The road to the prime minister’s residence has already been blocked by police.
According to media reports, protests in the country erupted after reports that officials had stolen large quantities of coal. pic.twitter.com/SlzsVMh3wS
The implicated legislators are alleged to have leveraged their ownership of coal mines and companies that transport coal across the border into China to make illegal profits.
Mongolia sends 86 percent of its exports to China, with coal accounting for more than half the total. A quarter of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) comes from mining.
Monday’s rally came a day after several hundred protesters gathered in the capital, according to the US embassy in Ulaanbaatar.
Protesters attempted to march on Ikh Tenger, the official residence of the President and Prime Minister, “where they were stopped by a police barricade,” the embassy said.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is fighting back after being politically harmed by allegations that he hid a large sum of foreign currency in a sofa on his game farm and then covered it up.
He has rallied his governing African National Congress (ANC) to back him in parliament, while his high-powered legal team is attempting to overturn a panel of legal experts’ damning findings against him in the biggest scandal to rock his presidency.
Former spy chief Arthur Fraser is Mr Ramaphosa’s accuser, and his allegations against the president appear to be straight out of a John le Carré novel – except that they are contained in statements he made to law-enforcement agencies and have been included in the panel’s report, which parliament will consider.
Mr Fraser alleged that a close aide of Mr Ramaphosa, Bejani Chauke, brought “large sums” of US dollars from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, and Equatorial Guinea, and, adding to the intrigue, he alleged that the aide hid the money in a couch at his home in a plush suburb in South Africa’s main city Johannesburg, before taking the cash to Mr Ramaphosa’s game farm with his “full knowledge and acquiescence”.
But in a nightmare for the president, robbers, allegedly working in cahoots with one of his employees, stole what is “speculated” to be somewhere between $4m (£3.3m) and $8m.
That is small change compared to the spymaster’s other allegation – that a whopping $20m was “moved” to a South African citizen, whom he named, after he asked police to investigate the president.
While some would dismiss Mr Fraser’s claims as nothing more than a good bed-time read, they have given Mr Ramaphosa a huge political and legal headache, as about eight bodies – including the central bank – became involved in investigations.
Mr Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing, and the panel – led by a former chief justice – said it could not “verify” the allegations, while “the President has rightly criticised the evidence contained in Mr Fraser’s statements as full of hearsay”.
Mr Chauke had also denied the allegations.
What Mr Ramaphosa did admit was that $580,000 had been stolen from his farm in February 2020.
While Mr Fraser alleged that this was part of the cash previously stashed in Johannesburg, the president gave a completely different version of events – that his lodge manager had sold 20 buffaloes to a Sudanese businessman on Christmas Day 2019,and this was the money stolen.
But in a blow to Mr Ramaphosa, the panel said there was “substantial doubt” that this sale took place, noting that neither the lodge manager nor the Sudanese national had confirmed this is what happened.
“We think that the President has a case to answer on the origin of the foreign currency that was stolen, as well as the underlying transaction for it,” the panel added.
It also questioned whether only $580,000 was stolen, saying the information at its disposal suggested that an apprehended suspect had confessed to stealing $800,000, while an investigator, in an audio clip, mentioned an amount of “20 million”.
“Whether the investigator was referring to US$ or ZAR [South African rand] this amount is far more than $580,000 that was alleged to have been hidden inside the sofa [at the president’s farm],” the panel said.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, South Africa’s president is seeking re-election as the governing ANC’s leader later this month
The panel said that in another “troubling feature”, the theft was neither reported to local police as an “ordinary crime” nor to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), the police unit responsible for stamping out money-laundering and organised crime in South Africa.
The panel said this was despite the fact that, in its view, the president, as the farm’s owner, was required by the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act to report it to the DPCI.
It believed there were grounds for an impeachment committee of parliament to investigate whether or not Mr Ramaphosa had committed a “serious” violation of the Act, which, the panel noted, imposes a fine or a prison sentence on anyone who fails to report a theft of more than 100,000 rand that they become aware of.
“A person who keeps huge sums of illicit money concealed at his or her house is unlikely to report the theft of such money for fear of being discovered that he or she is involved in money laundering,” the panel said.
“For this reason, the legislature considered it prudent to require any person who has knowledge of the commission of the offence of theft to report it,” the panel added.
The panel also concluded that the head of Mr Ramaphosa’s bodyguard unit, Gen Wally Rhoode, put together a team that “surreptitiously” investigated the theft, tracking down suspects in Cape Town and across the border in Namibia.
Despite this, no-one has been prosecuted or convicted of the theft, the panel’s report said, adding: “All of this occurs amid accusations of torture and bribery of the suspects to buy their silence.”
The panel also said that the information before it suggested that Mr Ramaphosa had sought the help of his Namibian counterpart, Hage Geingob to apprehend a suspect, and Gen Rhoode had travelled to Namibia as part of the investigation.
The panel said it had noted that Mr Geingob’s office issued a press statement earlier this year denying any wrongdoing on the Namibian leader’s part, but “significantly” it did not deny that President Ramaphosa had approached him.
“Nor does it deny that the request was acceded to,” the panel added.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Mr Ramaphosa, 70, became president in 2018 on a promise to fight corruption
In another damaging blow to Mr Ramaphosa, the panel went on to say that the South African leader “abused his position as Head of State to have the matter investigated and seeking the assistance of the Namibian President to apprehend a suspect”.
As if that was not enough, the panel said it appeared that Mr Ramaphosa had “thrust himself into a situation where there was a conflict of interest between his official responsibilities as the Head of State and as businessperson involved in cattle and game farming” and he had “acted in a manner that was inconsistent with his office”.
As a result, the panel felt there were sufficient grounds for parliament to establish an impeachment committee – which would have the power to subpoena witnesses, and documents – to carry out further investigations, before deciding whether or not the president should be removed from office for endangering “our constitution and the rule of law”.
“The authority to impeach is deeply rooted in the principle of accountability,” it said.
However, Mr Ramaphosa has challenged the panel’s report in South Africa’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, with his lawyers describing it as “unlawful” and saying it should be annulled.
And in a sign of his strong position in the ANC as he seeks a second term as party leader later this month, its top leadership body has ordered its MPs, who form a majority in parliament, to vote against the report’s adoption because of the court case.
The law states that a president can be impeached only if his alleged violations of the constitution and law are “serious”.
Mr Ramaphosa’s many supporters will be hoping that South Africa’s most senior judges rule in his favour, and, at most, he is accused of minor transgressions.
As for the stolen money, its current whereabouts are unclear.
Namibian police reported – according to the panel – that they had identified bank accounts, lodges, houses and vehicles suspected to have been purchased with the proceeds of the crime, while Mr Fraser alleged that Gen Rhoode had “seized” cash in Namibia, although the president’s main bodyguard has “emphatically denied that he investigated the theft of money”.
Actress Kirstie Alley, best known for her role in the comedy series Cheers in the 1980s and 90s, has died of cancer at 71, according to a family statement.
“We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away, ” her children wrote.
Alley won an Emmy award for her role as a pub manager on the popular TV series.
The native of Wichita, Kansas has also appeared in the films Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and the Look Who’s Talking series.
The family statement did not specify what cancer she had, but said it was “only recently discovered”.
“She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead,” it continued.
“As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother.”
They also praised her “zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating”.
John Travolta, who co-starred with her in the Look Who’s Talking series, took to Instagram to pay his respects
“Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had. I love you Kirstie,” he wrote alongside a photo of her.
“I know we will see each other again.”
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, The cast of NBC’s Cheers
On Cheers, the beloved NBC sitcom about a bar in Boston, she played character Rebecca Howe opposite actor Ted Danson.
She appeared in 147 episodes after joining the show at the height of its popularity and continued to appear until its end in 1993.
In 1993, she won a second Emmy for best lead actress, this time for a CBS TV movie called David’s Mother.
The UK is “sleepwalking” into a food supply crisis, according to the National Farmers Union (NFU), and the government must intervene to assist farmers.
Tomato and other crop yields are expected to fall to record lows this year, with potential supply issues ahead, as seen with eggs.
Farmers were under severe strain as a result of rising fuel, fertiliser, and feed costs, according to the report.
The government, however, stated that the UK has a “highly resilient food supply chain.”
Some supermarkets are restricting egg sales after farmers reduced or ceased production due to rising costs, a situation exacerbated by the Avian flu outbreak.
The NFU, on the other hand, warned that food producers in other areas were now facing difficulties.
It said yields of energy-intensive crops like tomatoes, cucumbers and pears were likely to hit their lowest level this year since records began in 1985.
It also said milk prices were likely to fall below the cost of production, while beef farmers were considering reducing the number of cows they breed.
Rising costs were to blame, it said, with fertiliser prices for farmers more than tripling since 2019 and the cost of feed and diesel up by 75%.
Wholesale gas prices have also jumped more than six-fold in that time, and businesses importing food items from Europe have faced extra red tape and checks because of Brexit.
“Shoppers up and down the country have for decades had a guaranteed supply of high-quality affordable food produced to some of the highest animal welfare, environmental and food safety standards in the world,” said NFU president Minette Batters.
“But British food is under threat… at a time when global volatility is threatening the stability of the world’s food production, food security and energy security.”
“I fear the country is sleepwalking into further food supply crises, with the future of British fruit and vegetable supplies in trouble,” she added.
But Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said that retailers were used to managing pressures across their supply chains.
“Supermarkets source, and will continue to source, the vast majority of their food from the UK and know they need to pay a sustainable price to farmers,” he said, although they are facing additional costs.
Costs challenge
The war in Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic have driven up the price of food, energy and fuel over the last year, affecting consumers and businesses alike.
Grocery prices are rising at their fastest rate for 45 years, the latest official figures show, with the cost of staples such as milk, cheese and eggs surging.
Steve Dresser, the boss of Grocery Insight, told the BBC that the big challenge comes from consumer appetite.
“[The] customer’s focus is on saving money and local foods generally come at a higher prices, which can be difficult,” he said.
He said that rising prices meant farming “has taken a real battering this year”, and added that “food security is increasingly important, as we saw during lockdown restrictions and indeed the period afterwards that led to empty shelves.”
“It’s clear that we facing real challenges in our supply chain and as a nation, we should be looking to back our farming community, especially as Brexithas made things harder around importing foods.”
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
The NFU also called on the government to do more to help farmers who have been pushed out of business since the pandemic hit.
It said there were currently 7,000 fewer registered agricultural businesses in the UK than in 2019.
The NFU wants the government investigate whether an “exceptional market conditions” declaration should be made under the 2020 Agriculture Act, given the disruption egg producers and UK consumers are facing.
This would enable the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to provide support to egg producers whose livelihoods are under threat.
It also wants ministers to lift a cap on seasonal overseas workers and establish a new “food security” target, which would include an obligation to monitor and report on domestic food production levels.
A Defra spokesman said: “Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes.”
He added that the government is in touch regularly with farmers and that the food and farming minister will meet with businesses in the egg industryon 6 December.
