TIG Post

Author: Abigail Ampofo

  • Who is Rishi Sunak? The UK’s first British Asian prime minister

    We look at how the Southampton-born banker made his way to the top job in Downing Street.

    Just seven weeks ago, Rishi Sunak was licking his wounds after losing the Tory leadership race to Liz Truss.

    Now, he has become the youngest prime minister of the modern era.

    As he settles into his tenure in Number 10 as the third PM of 2022, let’s look back at how he made it to the top job.

    First-class Oxford degree

    Born in 1980 in Southampton, he is the eldest of three children to his parents of Punjabi descent.

    He attended England’s oldest public school, Winchester College, where he became the first Indian-origin head boy and was editor of the school paper.

    He has since said his experience at the boarding school was “intellectually transforming” and put him “on a different trajectory”.

    Mr Sunak went on to study philosophy, politics and economics at Lincoln College at Oxford University, where he obtained a first-class degree.

    After completing an MBA at Stanford University, where he met his future wife, Akshata Murthy, Mr Sunak worked for the investment bank Goldman Sachs as an analyst.

    He was said to have already had job offers from investment banks under his belt while still in his second year at Oxford.

    He moved to work for hedge funds in 2006 when he joined TCI, known as a very aggressive fund, and left three years later to cofound a new hedge fund.

    Mr Sunak then turned his attention to politics.

    Replacing a Tory grandee

    In 2014, Mr Sunak was selected as the Conservative Party candidate in the Yorkshire seat of Richmond – previously held by former Tory leader William Hague – before the following year’s general election.

    Nicknamed the “maharajah of the Yorkshire Dales”, he recalled being introduced as “the new William Hague” to his constituents after winning the ballot, to which a Yorkshire farmer replied: “Ah yes Haguey!

    “Good bloke. I like him. Bit pale, though. This one’s got a nice tan.”

    Soon after his entry into the Commons – where, as a Hindu, he took his oath on the Bhagavad Gita – the first big political fight of his career came along in Brexit.

    Mr Sunak supported leaving the EU, claiming the UK would be “freer, fairer and more prosperous” outside the bloc.

    His side won, and he bided his time on the backbenches, supporting Theresa May’s negotiations and writing papers on the benefits of freeports, before being appointed to government in January 2018 as a junior minister at the housing ministry.

    After Mrs May’s demise, he joined with colleagues Oliver Dowden and Robert Jenrick to write an article in The Telegraph, backing Boris Johnson as the only person who could “save” the Tory party.

    His support paid off, as when Mr Johnson became prime minister in July 2019, Mr Sunak secured a promotion to become chief secretary to the Treasury, becoming the right-hand man to Mr Javid as chancellor.

    It was the exit of that boss that led to his real rise to prominence when he was made chancellor in February 2020 – a month before COVID took hold.

    From relative unknown to household name

    Sunak won praise throughout the pandemic for rapidly introducing support schemes worth billions of pounds to keep jobs and businesses afloat during 18 months of lockdowns.

    The likes of furlough and the “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme led to “dishy Rishi” becoming a household name, and a popular one with the public.

    At the height of this popularity, he was seen by many Tory MPs as the sure-fire favourite to succeed Mr Johnson when the time came.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak places an Eat Out to Help Out sticker in the window of a business during a visit to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Scotland.
    Image:The then-chancellor’s Eat Out to Help Out plan made him a household name.

    But he seemed to fall from grace as quickly as he rose to fame.

    Mr Sunak introduced a number of policies that went down badly with Tory MPs, especially the rise in national insurance to fund more money for the NHS and social care.

    He was also fined for attending the prime minister’s birthday party during lockdown in 2020, compromising his ability to separate himself from the partygate scandal.

    But it was revelations about his wife that really damaged his standing with the public.

    Wife’s non-dom status damages leadership hopes

    Ms Murty is a multimillionaire and the daughter of billionaire NR Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of the Indian technology giant Infosys.

    In April, it was revealed she held non-dom status, meaning she did not have to pay UK tax on her sizeable international income, and it led to an uproar.

    Akshata Murthy, wife of former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, hands out tea to the waiting media outside their home in central London following his resignation on Tuesday. Picture date: Wednesday July 6, 2022.
    Image:Akshata Murthy’s tax affairs brought his position as chancellor into question.

    She later confirmed she would begin to pay tax on her international earnings as it had “become clear that many do not feel [the non-dom status] is compatible with my husband’s role as chancellor”.

    The row led to opposition parties highlighting his family’s wealth, with Mr Sunak facing accusations that his personal circumstances made him an unsuitable candidate to take over and tackle the cost of living crisis.

    Although he remained as chancellor, many wrote off his chances of becoming the next Tory leader.

    But his resignation in July sparked a ministerial exodus and Mr Johnson’s resignation, paving the way for his first attempt at Downing Street.

    In the ensuing leadership race, Mr Sunak came out on top in each of the five parliamentary rounds of the contest, making it to the final two along with Ms Truss.

    But as the campaign hit its stride and widened to the party membership, Mr Sunak found himself transformed from favourite to underdog.

    While he warned of “tough choices ahead” to tackle record levels of national debt incurred during the pandemic, Ms Truss promised tax cuts as a priority.

    He accused his competitor of “fairy-tale” economics and peddling “something-for-nothing” plans that even Jeremy Corbyn would baulk at.

    But Ms Truss doubled down, landing blows on Mr Sunak for putting taxes up to the highest level in 70 years.

    Staying in the background

    She went on to win the party leadership after securing 57% of valid votes cast, compared to 43% for Mr Sunak.

    While Ms Truss embarked on a path of economic turmoil thanks to her tax-slashing mini-budget, the former chancellor kept a low profile, only appearing in the Commons for a few backbench debates and staying away from the cameras.

    And after her resignation following a historically short tenure, all eyes were back on Mr Sunak as the candidate to bring back stability to the markets and, perhaps, the party.

    He announced he was running to replace Ms Truss on Twitter three days later, having already reached the 100+ nominations needed to get a place on the ballot.

    But that was all we saw of the favourite for PM as he again kept out of the spotlight, despite going for the highest-profile job in the land.

    Source: Skynews.com

     

  • Conservative MP calls for an investigation into Braverman’s appointment.

    A Conservative MP has demanded an investigation into Suella Braverman’s appointment as Home Secretary.

    Ms Braverman resigned on Wednesday last week after using a private email to share government information with a backbench MP. This week, she was rescheduled for Tuesday.

    Speaking to the BBC this morning, Caroline Nokes said there are “big questions hanging over this whole issue”.

    “And to be frank I would like to see them cleared up so that the home secretary can get on with her job,” she added.

    “If that means a full inquiry then I think that’s the right thing to do.”

    Meanwhile, the government confirmed Rishi Sunak “sought assurances” from Ms Braverman that she would not breach the ministerial code again when he re-appointed her home secretary.

    Oliver Dowden, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster was asked in the House of Commons by Labour about the claims Ms Braverman breached the ministerial code “multiple” times (6.31 am post).

    Mr Dowden said the home secretary had accepted she made “errors of judgment” – and that the prime minister had “sought assurances to ensure that would not happen again”.

    He once again refused to share any private communications between the cabinet secretary and prime minister about the appointment of Ms Braverman, saying this was never done in government.

    Mr Dowden repeated what was being said by Downing Street yesterday, in that an independent ethics adviser is set to be appointed soon.

     

  • General Staff: Ukraine beefs up forces near the border with Belarus in case of an attack

    Ukraine has increased the number of forces deployed in northern regions near Belarus to counter any potential renewed Russian attack across the border, according to the country’s general staff.

    “At the current time, the creation of a strike force [in Belarus] is not observable. [But] there are and will be threats. We are reacting, we have already increased our troops in the northern direction,” Oleksii Hromov, deputy head of the general staff’s main operations directorate, told a regular news briefing.

    Belarus is a close ally of Russia and has previously allowed Moscow’s forces to use its territory as a springboard to attack Ukraine.

    Earlier this month, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Belarus and Russia would deploy a joint military task force near Ukraine in response to what he claimed was a clear threat to his country from Kyiv and its backers in the West, without providing evidence for the assertion.

     

     

  • Manchester: University student stabbed to death

    University student dies in hospital after being stabbed, despite police efforts to save him.

    On Wednesday night, a 19-year-old student was stabbed to death in Manchester.

    The man was killed in the early hours of Wednesday morning in Fallowfield, a popular student area.

    Officers from Greater Manchester Police gave him CPR but he died later in the hospital.

    The victim has not been named, but his next of kin have been informed and are now being supported by officers.

    Detective Superintendent Neil Jones said that officers are “working round the clock” to work out what happened and catch the killer.

    “This was a terrible crime that has robbed a young man of his life, and my thoughts are with his family at this devastating time,” he added.

    “We are actively pursuing leads and will relentlessly pursue the offender to ensure they are brought to justice.”

    Since the stabbing, more officers have been sent to patrol student areas.

    The additional forces will be sent to Fallowfield and the surrounding area on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

    It is hoped the patrols will help “gather intelligence and reassure the community”, Det Supt Jones said.

    “I hope this goes some way to reassure the community, and if anyone has any information about this incident or has any concerns, I urge you to speak to these officers,” he added.

    Anyone with information about the attack has been asked to contact the police.

     

  • Lee Jae-yong: Samsung names convicted heir to top position

    Samsung has appointed convicted heir and de facto CEO Lee Jae-yong to the position of executive chairman.

    The symbolic move means that the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer will now be led by the third generation of its founding family.

    Mr Lee was granted a special presidential pardon in August after being convicted of bribery and embezzlement in 2017.

    He was imprisoned twice for bribing a former president.

    “The Board cited the current uncertain global business environment and the pressing need for stronger accountability and business stability in approving the recommendation,” the company said in a statement.

    The announcement formalises the role Mr Lee – who is also known as Jay Y Lee – has held since 2014. He took over after his father, the late Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee, was hospitalised. He died in 2020.

    The 54-year-old has been vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, the crown jewel of South Korea’s biggest business conglomerate, since 2012.

    In August last year, Mr Lee was released from a South Korean prison on parole after serving 207 days in jail.

    It was just over half the sentence he received after being convicted in January.

    In a statement, then-President Moon Jae-in’s office said his release was made in the national interest and asked for understanding.

    “We are well aware that there are supporting and opposing views on Vice-Chairman Jay Y Lee’s parole. The views of the people who are opposed are also right,” it said.

    At the time, the country’s Justice Ministry said it made the decision to release Mr Lee after considering the effects of the pandemic on South Korea’s economy and global markets.

    A year later, he was pardoned by new President Yoon Suk-yeol.

    Mr Lee has largely resumed his public duties as a Samsung executive, meeting with the US leader in Seoul in May.
    IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Mr Lee has largely resumed his public duties as a Samsung executive, meeting with the US leader in Seoul in May

    Mr Lee was found guilty of bribery, embezzlement, and concealment of criminal proceeds worth about 8.6 billion won ($6m; £5.2m).

    The case involved the country’s former President Park Guen-hye, who was also jailed for bribery and corruption.

    Samsung Electronics was founded by Mr Lee’s grandfather and he has been the de facto head of the company since 2014.

    Global headwinds

    Today’s announcement came as Samsung Electronics faces mounting problems as demand for its products falls due to soaring inflation, rising interest rates, and the gloomy economic outlook.

    On Thursday, the world’s top maker of memory chips and smartphones reported a 31% drop in its third-quarter profit.

    It also warned that uncertainties around the world are likely to dampen demand until early next year, as the global economic downturn hits the market for electronic devices.

     

  • Court again clears Nnamdi Kanu, denies Nigerian government’s application on rendition suit

    The Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia, Abia State capital on Wednesday denied the Nigerian government’s application to transfer the suit filed against it by the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

    Recall that Kanu through his Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, had sued the Nigerian government, challenging his abduction and extraordinary rendition from Kenya.

    The IPOB leader in the suit among other things is praying for the court to order his return to Kenya where he was abducted or UK where he resides.

    The Nigerian government had through its counsel, Simon Enoch of the Federal Ministry of Justice, in adopting his written addresses on Tuesday had prayed the court to dismiss the suit claiming that it is an abuse of court processes.

    He further argued that the matter had already been decided by the Abia State High Court, and further claimed that Kanu had earlier jumped bail before his re-arrest in Kenya.

    The federal government also applied that the case be transferred to Abuja.

    But on Wednesday morning, the presiding Judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike, denied the Federal government’s application to transfer the suit to Abuja. The judge ruled that “Umuahia has the jurisdiction to hear and determine the suit”.

    Confirming the court’s decision on his Twitter page, Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor stated that “Federal High Court, Umuahia denies Federal government’s application to transfer the ‘extraordinary rendition’ suit to Abuja, and rules that “Umuahia has the jurisdiction to hear and determine the suit”. Reading of the rest of the judgment continues.”

    He added that “Court denies federal govt’s second preliminary objection to its jurisdiction based on Res Judicata. The Court rules that the Abia State High Court judgment of Jan 19, 2022 was specific to the 2017 military invasion, not the 2021 extraordinary rendition.”

    Source:saharareporters

  • Mark Zuckerberg urged to spend less on metaverse after suffering ‘supersized and terrifying losses’

    When asked why his company is focused on experimental bets, Zuckerberg said: “It would be a mistake for us to not focus on any of these areas that will be fundamentally important to our future.”

    Facebook’s parent company is metaverse under pressure to focus less on the metaverse – as investors say it is an experimental bet causing “supersized and terrifying losses”.

    The tech giant changed its name to Meta last year under plans to build a virtual world that would be used by millions of people.

    But Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse has been beset by technical problems, with user numbers far below the targets set by executives.

    Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies at a House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, U.S., October 23, 2019

    The latest figures show Reality Labs, the division building the metaverse, lost £3.16bn between July and September, compared with £2.27bn in the same period a year earlier.

    Investors rushed to dump Meta’s stock after the company warned that losses linked to the metaverse “will grow significantly” next year.

    When asked why his company is focused on experimental bets, Zuckerberg said: “It would be a mistake for us to not focus on any of these areas that will be fundamentally important to our future.”

    But analysts have said that the metaverse “feels like one big gamble” – especially given the current economic crisis – and fear the road ahead will be “long and painful”.

    The virtual reality headsets required to get the best experience in Meta’s virtual world are pricy. One costs £1,300 – putting it out of the reach of many consumers.

    Paolo Pescatore from PP Foresight said: “People are not rushing out of their seats to buy a VR headset or even watch 360-degree videos … The new device still feels like an expensive toy.”

    Earlier this week, a fund that invests in Meta called on the company to cut its yearly investment in the metaverse from $10 billion to $5 billion.

    Altimeter Capital’s CEO, Brad Gerstner, warned: “Meta has drifted into the land of excess – too many people, too many ideas, too little urgency.

    “This lack of focus and fitness is obscured when growth is easy but deadly when growth slows and technology changes.”

    Meanwhile, Insider Intelligence analyst Debra Aho Williamson has warned that Meta needs to turn its business around – focusing less on the metaverse and more on fixing its core business.

    “As Facebook Inc, was a revolutionary company that changed the way people communicate and the way marketers interact with consumers. Today it’s no longer that innovative groundbreaker.”

    Meta – which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp – has other clouds on the horizon as it battles falling advertising sales and stiff competition from TikTok.

    Revenue in the third quarter fell for a second consecutive time to £23.83bn.

    Meta’s share price is in danger of falling to its lowest level in six years – and the stock has plunged by 61.6% since the year began.

    Source: Skynews.com

     

  • Enslaved African Chico Rei hid gold in his hair to raise funds to buy his freedom

    Chico Rei is believed to have hailed from the West Central African Kingdom of Kongo. He was born in the early 1800s into the royal family. His fortunes took a different twist when some members of his family and himself were captured by slave raiders and shipped to work on the plantations in Europe.

    Chico and his family were put in the hilly region of Vila Rica where they worked in the gold mines of Minas Gerais. While working the mines, Chico was determined to attain his freedom from the harsh conditions of the mine pits.

    He began hiding the gold he picked from working in the mines. When he had enough, he sold it to buy his freedom. He proceeded to rescue his family after he made enough profits from a goldfield he bought in Vila Rica, shortly after he became a free man.

    Oral tradition also states that the gold he used to purchase his freedom came from his former slave owner as a gift for his sterling work output. Historical records posit that when Chico and his family established themselves after their freedom, they initiated steps to have the Church of Saint Iphigenia built which is currently being used by the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Rosary.

    Brazilian historian Diogo Luiz de Almeida Pereira de Vasconcelos wrote about the exploits of Chico in his book ‘História antiga de Minas’ published in 1904. Chico has become a folklore legend in Brazilian popular culture with schools and theatres staging drama and plays about his feats. In 1964, Rio de Janeiro’s Salgueiro samba school held a play depicting the heroic deeds of Chico Rei.

    The character Chico symbolizes the horrors of Africans captured and placed in the mines and plantations of European states, their trials while under captivity and their eventual freedom. His story has been used by playwrights and local Afro-Brazilian groups to promote the story of resilience and victory by enslaved people.

    A discovery of a mine blocked with stones by a local resident in 1946 has been named Chico Rei’s mine. The mother of the teenager who found the gold mine was resolute it was synonymous with what was described in Histórias da terra mineira by Maria Bárbara de Lima. It has been decorated with lights to increase visibility in the one-mile-deep mine shaft.

    The authorities have used the place to promote tourism by setting up a small restaurant and opening it to the public. Over half a decade now, there has been a conscious effort to promote the values of Chico Rei in scholarly articles and literature in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

    His story is important because the Afro-Brazilian population, though in the minority, has become a significant pillar in the history and economic growth of Brazilian society.

    He is believed to have lived the different sordid experiences many enslaved people endured after being shipped from Africa to work in the gold mines of southeastern Brazil and earn his freedom through his ingenuity.

    DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana

    Source: face2faceafrica.com

  • As Madame Tussauds removes waxwork, Skechers escorts Kanye West off its property

    Following the lead of Adidas and Gap, the two companies have distanced themselves from the Grammy-winning musician after he made anti-Semitic remarks.

    Kanye West was escorted out of Skechers in Los Angeles after he “showed up unannounced and uninvited,” and Madame Tussauds removed its waxwork of the controversial rapper from public view.

    An increasing number of companies are distancing themselves from the award-winning musician – who has legally changed his name to Ye – after he made antisemitic remarks.

    In a statement, the US footwear company said West had turned up at one of its corporate offices and then engaged in “unauthorised filming”.

    Executives ejected him from the building after a “brief conversation”, and a statement added: “Skechers is not considering and has no intention of working with West.

    “We condemn his recent divisive remarks and do not tolerate antisemitism or any other form of hate speech.”

    It comes days after adidas ended its lucrative partnership with West – and announced that production of the popular Yeezy line would stop immediately.

    Meanwhile, a Madame Tussauds spokesperson said: “Ye’s figure has been retired from the attraction floor to our archive.

    “Each profile earns its place at Madame Tussauds London and we listen to our guests and the public on who they expect to see at the attraction.”

    The figurine was originally launched in the museum in 2015 alongside a waxwork of his then-wife Kim Kardashian.

    In the past few days, Kardashian and members of her family have called for an end to the “terrible violence and hateful rhetoric” towards the Jewish community.

    Kanye West arrives at the Givenchy show in france
    Image: Companies are distancing themselves from the West because of antisemitic remarks

    West had been ranked at 1,513 on the Forbes rich list earlier this year and was valued at £1.7bn because of his fashion brands and deal with Adidas.

    But the sportswear brand’s decision to terminate the partnership means West is no longer a billionaire, with his net worth dwindling to £344m.

    Clothing company Gap Inc, which terminated its tie-up with West in September, is also taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap products from its stores.

    Talent agency CAA and the Balenciaga fashion house have also cut ties with the 45-year-old – and a completed documentary about West has been shelved.

    Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek has said West’s comments were “awful” but that his music would stay on the platform.

     

  • We’re now selling TV sets to feed our families – Nigerian Army personnel lament

    Some junior personnel of the Nigerian Army has again called on President Muhammadu Buhari to increase their salaries.

    They alleged that the Nigerian government and army authorities had impoverished those of them in the lower cadre with no increment in their salaries for years with some enduring about 12 years of stagnant pay.

    The soldiers noted that to meet their basic financial needs, they now sold their cars, televisions, housing properties, and others.

    They urged President Muhammadu Buhari to increase their salaries and inaugurate a committee to investigate happenings in the military, particularly issues involving and affecting the rank and file.

    “We the other ranks in the Army are suffering with this current inflation in Nigeria. Sir, we now find it difficult to pay our children’s school fees,” a soldier told SaharaReporters.

    “There is serious hunger all over army barracks. As I’m writing this, our soldiers now sell their housing properties before the end of each month, televisions, fridges, or any item that can bring a little amount of money to buy foodstuffs.

    “Some even sold their cars, this life is not easy for us soldiers at all, we are all in debt because our salaries are not enough to pay children’s school fees, let alone feeding the families.”

    This is coming a few weeks after a soldier, Sergeant Ismaila Ukwuhcodu, wrote a letter to the President over their “meager” pay.

    The sergeant had noted that to meet financial needs, soldiers now got “involved in illegal duties, sabotage, arms and ammunition deal, armed robbery and kidnapping” while calling on the President to attend to their plight.

    “As a trustee of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, I humbly wish to address this letter to you who called us to serve the nation. The Nigeria Army (NA) is the land component of the Armed Forces created to defend and maintain its territorial integrity from external aggression and act in aid of civil authorities to restore order when called upon by Mr President,” the letter had read.

    “In the face of security challenges bedeviling the nation, men of the armed forces sacrifice their lives. Despite the risks involved, NA fall in their responsibility and duty to meet the benefits and services of soldiers not minding the consequences it will breed with time. Perhaps the concept is that “soldiers are illiterates with no prospect for a successful future”.

    “The system preaches patriotism, discipline, loyalty, and dedication to duty, regrettable sir, our meager salary makes it difficult for us to care for our families and own personal house while in active service.

    “Painfully, we buy uniforms, boots, and other military kits from the same salary to serve Nigeria. Below is the salary breakdown of your soldering per day/month.

    “a. Warrant Officer’s Salary is N95,000/31 days =N3,064 per day (28 yrs in service)
b. Staff Sergeant Salary is N84,000/31 days = N2,709 per day(26 yrs in)
c. Sergeant Salary is N68,000/31 days =N2,193 per day(21 years in)
d. Corporal salary is N62,000/31 days = N2,000 per day (16 yrs in)
e. Lance Corporal N57,000/31 days = N1,838 per day (10 yrs in)
f. Private salary is N50,000/31 days = N1,612 per day (5 years in service)

    “To meet financial needs, soldiers involve in illegal duties, sabotage, arms & ammunition deal, armed robbery, and kidnapping. The insensitive negligence to enhancing the salary and welfare of soldiers is the cause of the mass resignation of trained troops.

    “The day soldiers will demand their rights will be a sad day for the Nation, on that day, all moral sanctity would have been lost. With due respect Sir, I need respectfully request Mr President and other action addresses to please stand for the principle of truth and moral sanctity by holistically and reflectively acting on serial 3 above with a view to addressing the salary and welfare package of SOLDIERS of the Nigeria Army.”

    Source: Saharareporters 

     

  • Shell reports $9.5 billion in profits for the third quarter of 2022, but not at the record levels seen in the first half of the year

    Despite soaring oil and gas prices, the London-listed oil and gas company reported record profits in the first half of the year.

    Shell reported operating profits of $9.5 billion (£8.19 billion) for the third quarter of this year, which were lower than the previous three months but more than double the same period in 2021.

    In the first half of the year, the London-listed energy giant reported two consecutive quarters of record profit despite rising oil and gas prices.

    The earnings are lower than expected. Shell had been forecast to report net earnings of $10.5bn in the third quarter, compared with net earnings of $11.5bn in the second quarter.

    The profits were lower compared with the second quarter because of lower liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading, lower chemicals, and refining margins, and higher underlying operating expenses.

    The total amount paid to shareholders during the three months was $6.8bn. The company paid a dividend of $0.25 for each share held.

    But Shell wants that amount to increase. Subject to board approval, it intends to increase the amount per share by 15% for the fourth quarter, which would be paid in March next year.

    On Thursday the company also said it is to buy back shares worth $4bn from shareholders by the time fourth-quarter results are announced, it follows a $6bn round of share buybacks announced in the second quarter results statement.

    The profits are likely to increase calls for more one-off windfall taxes.

    When she was prime minister Liz Truss ruled out any additional windfall tax beyond the one introduced in May. The May energy profits levy taxed profits at 25% and was introduced by current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak when he was chancellor.

    The chief executive of Shell had himself called on the government to tax oil and gas companies in order to protect the poorest people in society from soaring energy costs.

    Speaking at the Energy Intelligence Forum in London, Ben van Beurden said: “One way or another there needs to be government intervention that somehow results in protecting the poorest.

    “That probably may then mean that governments need to tax people in this room to pay for it.”

    The government recently announced it is to go ahead with a windfall tax on the renewable sector which has been enjoying bumper profits off the back of high gas prices.

     

     

  • Kenya battles unsafe Chinese contraceptive pill a decade after ban

    When Susan Wamaitha started feeling sick a year ago, she thought it was the side effects of a contraceptive pill she had started taking a few months earlier – but it turned out that she was eight weeks pregnant.

    The 32-year-old is now a mother of three children. Unbeknown to her, the pill that she began using in June 2021 was banned in Kenya.

    Its street name in Kenya is “Sofia” but it is manufactured in China and all the details about the product on the packaging are only written in Chinese.

    A translation of the first line says it contains “Levonorgestrel Fast Estradiol Tablets“. The pill is a “long-acting oral contraceptive”, according to the second line. Then there is information about the manufacturer on the third: “Zizhu Pharmaceutical Co Ltd”.

    The sale of the pill was prohibited by Kenya’s authorities 10 years ago because of high levels of levonorgestrel – more than 40 times the recommended levels.

    Levonorgestrel is a hormonal medication used in a number of birth control methods.

    The health ministry did not share the full lab results about its findings but said children conceived after the pill failed were found to have developed early puberty.

    Headaches and nausea

    “I did not know it was banned. Many of my friends were using it and had no side effects,” Ms Wamaitha told the BBC.

    Like many other Kenyan women, she was attracted to the pill by its affordability and the convenience of taking it only once a month.

    Women tend to buy the Sofia tablet each month – most suppliers will not sell it in bulk. Each pill costs between 300 Kenyan shillings ($2.50; £2.20) and 400 Kenyan shillings.

    Other family planning methods available in the country include the daily contraceptive pill. A month’s supply costs about $1.70 from government hospitals but their stock is not always guaranteed so women then have to buy it from pharmacies for considerably more.

    This makes the hormonal implant that lasts three months, offered at state clinics at a cost of around $5, and various intrauterine devices, like coils, that last several years and cost up to $9, more common alternatives.

    Condoms are offered for free in public offices and toilets but sometimes run out, though they can be bought in shops.

    “Because I had a non-hormonal copper T-shaped coil that was giving me back pains, I decided to remove it and use the pill,” Ms Wamaitha told the BBC.

    She was also impressed that her friends who recommended Sofia had not gained any weight – a key consideration for her as she says she struggles with keeping the pounds off.

    However, right from the beginning she did not feel great on it – though she thought it would just take time for her body to get used to the new medication as she had to take two pills initially followed by one a month.

    “I started having headaches and nausea. The first month I missed my period,” Ms Wamaitha said.

    But she did not worry as she had her period the following month. It was only when it skipped again in the third month that she began to get concerned.

    Her husband then started researching the contraceptive pill and that is when he found out it had been banned.

    “We started panicking about using a banned pill and when I realised I was pregnant I was worried about the effects it may have on my baby,” she said.

    They now have a healthy three-month-old girl, but the couple are upset by the lack of information and possible implications for their daughter as she grows up.

    ‘One size does not fit all’

    Only 50% of women in sub-Saharan Africa in need of modern contraceptive methods have access to them, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

    Dr Josephine Kibaru

    Josephine Kibaru
    A woman is likely to trust a neighbour and friend more than a healthcare worker who has been posted at the dispensary”
    Dr Josephine Kibaru
    Population and development expert
    1px transparent line

    In Kenya, contraception tends to be discussed in hushed tones – mostly because of cultural and religious beliefs in what is a patriarchal society.

    Some men do not allow their wives to use contraceptives while some religious sects are against it. The Kavonokya Sect in eastern Kenya, for example, rejects all modern medicine as it believes the Bible only recommends prayer as an intervention.

    For population and development expert Dr Josephine Kibaru, a grassroots approach would be best to gain acceptance for modern family planning methods.

    “We need community health volunteers to be more empowered with information because a woman is likely to trust a neighbour and friend more than a healthcare worker who has been posted at the dispensary,” Dr Kibaru told the BBC.

    She says there is a chasm of ignorance about the birth control methods available, along with many myths and misconceptions that need to be dispelled.

    A combination of both is probably what is required as gynaecologist Brigid Monda says women should consult healthcare providers to be able to find a family planning method that works for them.

    “One size does not fit all,” she told the BBC.

    Yet some women have also been forced to mix different contraceptive methods because of a lack of consistent supply at dispensaries located in rural areas.

    Sofia remains easily available despite its ban. The fact that women do not know it is banned is down to poor public health messaging, according to Dr Kibaru.

    “Using the media alone is not enough. Intentional public messaging at grassroots level is important to ensure the masses understand well why a drug has been banned,” she says.

    Sold to trusted customers

    Pharmacists do know it is banned – another warning was issued by the health ministry last month – yet they still sell the pill because of demand.

    It is not on display but sold under the counter to trusted customers who come in to buy it each month.

    The BBC visited several pharmacies in the capital, Nairobi, to make inquiries about Sofia – most said the drug was not for sale.

    One seller – who spoke on condition of anonymity – explained that it was available, just not on display, and pharmacies were able to buy it from suppliers who brought it in from neighbouring countries.

    Earlier this month, a Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) official told Kenya’s Standard newspaper a shipment had been intercepted at the Ugandan border.

    Ms Wamaitha says she actually bought her pills from a friend who gets them in bulk from one of these suppliers.

    She says this friend and others knew the pill was banned when they recommended it to her.

    Her pregnancy has not persuaded them to stop using it – nor do any of the complaints on the various Facebook groups for Kenyan mothers.

    On at least three of these forums there have been discussions about Sofia, where several women taking it said they had fallen pregnant.

    This has convinced Ms Wamaitha to keep on urging her friends and other women to consider a different form of birth control.

    “I just know that the mention of that Sofia pill makes me get chills on my body. I don’t know what family planning method I will use to prevent a fourth pregnancy, but I’m done, done with that pill.”

    Source: BBC.com

     

  • Zambia receives $270 million from the World Bank for Covid debt recovery

    The World Bank has approved a $270 million (£232 million) loan to Zambia to assist it in recovering from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the economic impact of the Ukrainian war, and managing its debt crisis.

    In late 2020 Zambia became the first African country since the onset of the pandemic to default on its debt.

    In August, the International Monetary Fund approved a $1.3bn loan to help Zambia – a major copper producer – restructure its debts.

    The president of the World Bank has urged other creditors to help reduce Zambia’s debt.

     

  • A Madagascan lemur points to the ‘benefits’ of nose-picking

    Researchers studying a rare Madagascar lemur have observed the nocturnal creature picking its nose and eating mucus.

    The Aye Aye, a cat-sized primate that lives in the forests of the Indian Ocean island, was known to hunt for insect grubs in hollow logs with its unusually long middle finger.

    But for the first time, it’s been recorded sticking its finger up its nose and then licking it clean.

    Similar behaviour has been seen in other primates, including humans, prompting scientists to suspect the unpalatable activity could have health benefits.

    It’s thought nasal mucus may contain proteins beneficial to an animal’s immune system.

     

     

  • Kenya’s William Ruto new cabinet to be sworn in

    Kenya’s new 22-member cabinet will be sworn in on Thursday, a day after parliament approved them.

    President William Ruto has kept one minister from his predecessor’s cabinet as a national security adviser and established the position of prime cabinet secretary.

    The former head of the central bank, Njuguna Ndung’u, will be the new treasury secretary, while former parliament speaker, Justin Muturi, will be the new attorney general.

    The president rewarded his political allies with cabinet appointments.

    Despite promising 50% of cabinet appointments to women, Mr Ruto nominated only seven women to the 22 ministerial positions, with two women as presidential advisers and one woman as cabinet secretary.

    The new cabinet’s immediate focus will be to reduce the cost of living and the food crisis caused by failed rains.

    On Tuesday, the president said that he will need at least a year in order to reduce the price of maize flour – the country’s staple food.

     

  • Georgia Senate race: Second woman called Herschel Walker a “hypocrite” for opposing abortion

    A high-profile Republican Senate candidate running on an anti-abortion platform is facing allegations from a second woman that he paid for her abortion.

    Herschel Walker, a former American football star, hopes to unseat Georgia’s Democratic incumbent in the midterm elections next month.

    The latest accuser called him “a hypocrite” unfit to be a US senator.

    The ex-NFL star has denied both claims, calling the latest one “foolishness”.

    Mr Walker, backing former US President Donald Trump, is running neck and neck with Democrat Raphael Warnock in November’s mid-term race.

    The second woman spoke anonymously to reporters over Zoom, saying Mr Walker pressured her into ending her pregnancy. Neither woman has revealed her identity publicly.

    The woman, who is being named by her lawyer only as “Jane Doe”, told reporters on Wednesday that she had a years-long relationship with Mr Walker while he was married and that he had driven her to a clinic.

    She did not appear on camera during the virtual news conference in Los Angeles.

    “He had publicly taken the position that he is about life and against abortion under any circumstance, when in fact he pressured me to have an abortion and personally ensured that it occurred by driving me to the clinic and paying for it,” she said.

    Her lawyer, Gloria Allred, cited exhibits including alleged love letters, a 1992 voicemail, and a hotel receipt that proved the two had a relationship in the late 1980s and 1990s. The BBC has not inspected the purported evidence.

    Speaking at a campaign event in Dillard, Georgia, just before the news conference, Mr Walker – who has staked out a strong anti-abortion stance – called the latest accusation a “lie”.

    “I’m done with this foolishness,” he said. “I already told people this is a lie, and I’m not going to entertain, continue, to carry a lie along.”

    “And I also want to let you know that I didn’t kill JFK either,” he joked, accusing the Democrats of politically dirty tricks against him.

    The new accuser, who says she is an independent voter that supported Donald Trump, said she became pregnant in 1993 by Mr Walker while he was playing for the Dallas Cowboys.

    She said Mr Walker “encouraged” and gave her money to have an abortion, but after she became emotional on her first visit to the clinic to complete the procedure, he returned with her the following day and “waited for hours in the parking lot until I came out”.

    “I was devastated because I felt like I was pressured into having the abortion,” she said.

    Earlier this month, Mr Walker denied a claim from another anonymous woman that he had pressured her and paid for her to get an abortion in 2009.

    Mr Walker is challenging the incumbent, Mr Warnock, a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta who supports abortion. The extremely close race could determine which party controls the US Senate after next month’s elections.

    Warnock campaign spokeswoman Rachel Petri said in a statement on Wednesday: “Today’s new report is just the latest example of a troubling pattern we have seen play out again and again and again.”

    Mr Warnock has himself been assailed over reports his church was evicting low-income tenants from apartments it owns, and that he ran over his ex-wife’s foot in a car during a domestic dispute.

     

  • Rochdale grooming gang: Adil Khan and Qari Abdul Rauf lose appeal against deportation to Pakistan

    In their application to stay in the UK, Adil Khan and Qari Abdul Rauf cited the European Convention on Human Rights and stated that they had renounced their Pakistani citizenship.

    Two members of a sex grooming gang in Rochdale have lost their long-running appeal against deportation to Pakistan.

    Adil Khan, 51, and Qari Abdul Rauf, 52, had fought the deportation on human rights grounds but an immigration tribunal said they should be removed from the UK.

    Judges said Khan had shown a “breathtaking lack of remorse” and that there was a “very strong public interest” in both men being kicked out.

    The decision was made in August and released publicly today.

    The pair were convicted in May 2012 and were part of the gang that groomed dozens of girls for sex in the Lancashire town.

    The gang of nine operated for two years from 2008, plying girls as young as 12 with alcohol and drugs and gang-raping them at various locations, sometimes “pimping” them out for money.

    As many as 47 girls were abused, according to police. The victims were often criminalized by authorities and were in and out of court.

    Khan’s abuse included getting a 13-year-old pregnant and using the threat of violence to pass a 15-year-old around to other men.

    He had argued at his last hearing in June that he shouldn’t be deported because his son needed a role model.

    Father-of-five Rauf also trafficked a 15-year-old girl for sex, driving her in his taxi to secluded areas and to a flat where he and others would abuse her.

    After being freed from jail in 2014 and 2016 respectively, Rauf and Khan mounted a long campaign to try to avoid being kicked out of the UK after their British citizenship was revoked.

    They cited article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to a private and family life, as the reason why they shouldn’t be deported.

    Lawyers for the men also argued they were “stateless” because they had certificates showing they had renounced their Pakistani citizenship.

    Grooming victims ‘treated with contempt’

    The grooming case was dramatised in the BBC programme Three Girls, but there’s still anger in Rochdale that none of the men have been deported.

    The girl Khan got pregnant with reportedly once came “face to face” with him and a child in Asda and ran out of the shop crying.

    In April, Greater Manchester Police apologised to three victims for failing to protect them. The force admitted: “GMP could and should have done much more to protect you and we let you down.”

    Campaigners criticised the apology as being “10 years too late” and said the girls had been treated with contempt.

    A report also revealed that the ringleader of the Rochdale gang, Shabir Ahmed, had once been employed as a welfare rights officer by Oldham Council despite multiple concerns being raised against him.

    Ahmed is serving a 22-year sentence.

    A Home Office statement after the deportations were approved said: “The crimes committed by the Rochdale child sexual exploitation group who preyed on the young and vulnerable were truly appalling and have no place in our society.

    “That is why we are determined to take whatever action is available to us within the law to make sure perpetrators are brought to justice and to protect victims”

     

  • More stand-ins for the King, but Prince Andrew and Prince Harry remain

    The number of royals permitted to stand in for King Charles for official duties is likely to be increased, according to sources.

    The current pool of five “counsellors of state” could be expanded, possibly including royals such as Princess Anne and Prince Edward.

    Prince Andrew and Prince Harry would retain their positions.

    Counsellors can carry out important constitutional duties if the monarch is unwell or overseas.

    But there were questions in the House of Lords this week about the need to update the rules for eligibility.

    Labour peer Viscount Stansgate had challenged how Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, could be two of the five potential replacements when one had “left public life” and the other had “left the country”.

    Any update will require an amendment to the Regency Act, which is under the auspices of the Cabinet Office, but there appears to be momentum behind such a constitutional change.

    However, it is expected that the response will be to widen the number of royals who can act on behalf of the monarch, making a more flexible list of available working royals – rather than removing Prince Andrew and Prince Harry.

    Prince Andrew and Prince Harry
    IMAGE SOURCE,MAX MUMBY/INDIGO Image caption, Peers questioned the status of Prince Andrew and Prince Harry as two of the current five counsellors of state

    Depending on the legislative timetable, there could be changes later this year, reflecting the need to have stand-ins in place when both the King and Queen Consort and Prince and Princess of Wales could be on overseas trips in 2023.

    Under the Regency Act, counsellors of state are the spouse of the monarch and the next four in the line of succession, over the age of 21.

    At present these are Camilla, the Queen Consort; Prince William, the Prince of Wales; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex; Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and his daughter, Princess Beatrice.

    They can carry out official duties, such as signing documents, receiving ambassadors, or attending Privy Council meetings, if the monarch is temporarily ill or abroad,

    Royal family
    IMAGE SOURCE, PETER NICHOLLS Image caption, Counsellors of state could be needed if the King is travelling overseas

    This authority was used earlier this year to allow the then Prince Charles to carry out the State Opening of Parliament on behalf of the late Queen.

    Labour peer Viscount Stansgate – who is Stephen Benn, the eldest son of Labour politician Tony Benn – said this showed the value of updating the Regency Act, to ensure royals were available to stand in.

    “It is the only reason why it was possible to open the current session of this Parliament,” he told peers in the House of Lords.

    He called on the government to approach the King over changes to the current arrangements, now that Prince Harry was living in the United States and Prince Andrew no longer carried out royal duties.

    Lord Addington, a Liberal Democrat, suggested that working royals – “somebody who actually undertakes royal duties” – should be given priority for these roles.

    In response, the Lord Privy Seal, Lord True, said he would not comment on “specific circumstances” of counselors, but he did not rule out a change.

    “The government will always consider what arrangements are needed to ensure resilience in our constitutional arrangements,” Lord True told peers.

    “And in the past we have seen that the point of accession has proved a useful opportunity to consider the arrangements in place.”

    Changes to the legislation would be the responsibility of the Cabinet Office and a spokeswoman referred back to the comments of the Lord Privy Seal.

    Representatives of Prince Harry and Prince Andrew declined to comment.

     

  • Waukesha Christmas parade killings: Darrell Brooks found guilty of killing six people in a car attack

    Brooks claimed that his car had a throttle malfunction and that he had no intention of injuring anyone, but the jury did not believe him.

    A man has been found guilty of killing six people last year when he drove his car into a Christmas parade near Milwaukee.

    Darrell Brooks was found guilty of six counts of intentional homicide in the November 21 attack in Waukesha, about 15 miles from the Wisconsin city.

    An eight-year-old marching with his baseball team and three members of the Dancing Grannies group were among the dead.

    More than 60 people were also injured.

    Somebody in the court shouted “burn in hell you piece of s***” as the verdicts were read to the Madison court.

    The 40-year-old initially pleaded guilty by reason of mental disease but withdrew that plea in September.

    The following month he dismissed his lawyers and began representing himself.

    He mounted an erratic defence during a trial that included heated arguments with the judge, refusing to acknowledge his name and meandering cross-examinations.

    What happened at the Waukesha Christmas parade?

    On one occasion, after being moved to another courtroom, he removed his shirt and sat bare-chested on the table with his back to the camera.

    Another day, he hid behind a barricade of boxes containing legal documents.

    Brooks suggested his car had a throttle malfunction, that he had no intention of hurting anyone, and had sounded the horn to warn bystanders.

    However, a vehicle inspector testified that the Ford Escape SUV was in good working order.

    Prosecutors said Brooks had fled after an argument with his girlfriend but didn’t know why he drove into the parade other than being enraged.

    He was out on bail from a domestic violence charge at the time.

    “When you ride through a parade route and roll over children… your intent is known. That’s not an accident,” said Waukesha County District Attorney Sue Opper in closing arguments.

    She said his refusal to stop showed he intended to kill people.

    Brooks now faces a mandatory life sentence for each homicide conviction.

     

  • Fracking ban: Rishi Sunak reinstates – another Truss policy is reversed

    Liz Truss lifted the Conservatives’ 2019 ban on fracking for shale gas, claiming it would help with rising energy costs. However, the measure was opposed by many Conservatives whose constituents are opposed to fracking in their areas.

    Rishi Sunak is reinstating the ban on fracking that Liz Truss controversially lifted.

    During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, the new prime minister said he stands “by the manifesto” on fracking.

    The Conservative 2019 manifesto placed a moratorium on fracking in England following opposition from environmentalists and local communities.

    Mr Sunak’s spokesman explicitly confirmed he was reinstating the ban after PMQs.

    Ms Truss lifted the ban last month as part of her plan to limit rising energy costs but said fracking would only resume where there was local consent.

    Fracking was ultimately what brought her government down after Labour tabled an opposition day motion last Wednesday calling for a draft law to ban fracking.

    But the Tory party whips said the motion was actually a vote of confidence in the government and told Conservative MPs they had to vote against it or face being suspended.

    However, many of them and their constituents are opposed to fracking and said they could not vote to support fracking, even if the whips saw the vote as something different.

    As the vote was taking place there were accusations of “bullying” and “manhandling” of Tory MPs who were being told to vote against the motion.

    The following day, Ms Truss stepped down as PM.

    Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow climate and net zero secretaries, said Mr Sunak voted against Labour’s fracking ban last week and is now putting a moratorium on the practice.

    “Whatever their latest position, the truth is that the Tories have shown that they cannot be trusted on the issue of fracking,” he said.

    Ms Truss had to make a number of U-turns after her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng brought in a raft of unfunded tax cuts which unleashed economic turmoil in the UK for weeks.

    Mr Sunak has, so far, kept most of those U-turns but the fracking ban is the first Truss policy he has reversed since he became PM on Tuesday.

     

  • Qatar World Cup: LGBT football fans told to be respectful

    LGBT football fans attending the World Cup in Qatar should show “a little bit of flex and compromise,” according to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

    On Wednesday, he told LBC that fans travelling from England and Wales should be “respectful of the host nation,” where same-sex activity is illegal.

    Within hours, the prime minister’s official spokesman stated that LGBT World Cup fans should not be expected to “compromise who they are” if they visit Qatar.

    Labour called Mr Cleverly’s remarks “shockingly tone-deaf”.

    In a separate interview with Sky News, the foreign secretary reiterated his message when asked how the government was pushing for LGBT equality in Qatar.

    He said: “These are Muslim countries, they have very different cultural starting points for us. I think it’s important when you’re a visitor to a country that you respect the culture of your host nation.”

    Harry Kane wears LGBT captain's armband
    IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, During England matches, Harry Kane wears a white One Love captain’s armband, with a rainbow design in support of the LGBT community

    The decision to stage the World Cup in Qatar, a country where homosexuality can be punishable by death, has been criticised by LGBT groups.

    England and Wales have both qualified for the tournament, meaning they will each play three group matches, plus knock-out matches if they progress.

    England’s three initial matches are being played in Doha, Al Khor, and – against Wales – in Al Rayyan. Wales are playing all three of their matches in the latter city.

    Earlier this year, LGBT organisations engaging with Fifa said “progress has been slow” in ensuring the safety of LGBT fans – and that reassurances from Qatar had “not been adequate”.

    Some footballers have been taking a defiant stand in support of the LGBT community in the run-up to the World Cup. Footballer Harry Kane has said he intends to wear his OneLove rainbow captain armband during World Cup matches, even if it is not approved for use by the football’s global governing body, Fifa, which runs the World Cup.

    Fifa regulations state that a player’s kit and other “basic compulsory equipment. must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images”.

    Some politicians, including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, said they would not attend the tournament due to Qatar’s human rights record.

    Wales’s First Minister, Mark Drakeford, is still expected to be there.

    Mr Cleverly said he would be attending the World Cup, adding that the UK has “incredibly important partners in the Middle East”.

    Mr Cleverly’s remarks come as Qatari officials stopped UK campaigner Peter Tatchell from staging an LGBT rights protest in Doha on Tuesday.

    Mr Tatchell said he was “surrounded and interrogated” by authorities following the one-man protest, believed to be the first LGBT rights protest to take place in any Gulf state.

    The campaigner said the foreign secretary should not attend the World Cup, and instead “highlight the abuses being carried out by the regime”.

    By planning to be at the event, Mr Cleverly would be “colluding with a homophobic, sexist and racist regime“, he said.

    Shadow digital, culture, media, and sport secretary Lucy Powell hit out at the foreign secretary’s remark, describing it as “shockingly tone-deaf”.

    She said: “Sport should be open to all.

    “Many fans will feel they can’t attend this tournament to cheer on their team because of Qatar’s record on human, workers, and LGBT+ rights.

    “The government should be challenging Fifa on how they’ve put fans in this position, and ensuring the full safety of all fans attending, not defending discriminatory values.”

    James Cleverly
    IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES Image caption, James Cleverly was appointed as the foreign secretary on 6 September by Liz Truss – and retained his position under Rishi Sunak

    Liberal Democrats MP Layla Moran criticised Mr Cleverly’s remarks and said: “The World Cup should be a celebration of the beautiful game, instead it’s being used by countries like Qatar to sport-wash their atrocious human rights records.

    “Any UK officials who attend should be using their position to highlight human rights abuses, not endorsing the regime.”

    The Foreign Office, which is now headed by Mr Cleverly, has always issued and updated official online travel advice for Britons when they travel to any country in the World. For Qatar, the relevant page says: “Homosexual behaviour is illegal in Qatar.

     

  • Gunmen kill 15 in attack on Shia mausoleum in southern Iran

    State media report that an attack at the Shah Cheragh mausoleum in the Iranian city of Shiraz has resulted in at least 15 deaths and ten injuries.

    According to the Irna news agency, three armed men entered the shrine at 17:45 (14:15 GMT) and fired on pilgrims.

    It also stated that police special forces had detained two of the attackers and were on the lookout for the third.

    Officials were cited as saying they acted like “takfiri terrorists” – a reference to Sunni Muslim extremists.

    Irna published photographs showing broken glass, prayer beads, and blood on the floor of the mausoleum.

    The mausoleum includes the tombs of two sons of the seventh Shia Imam Musa al-Kadhim, who are also the brothers of the eighth Imam Ali al-Rida.

  • Canada: Quebec separatist party proposes breaking off from the British monarchy.

    The Canadian province of Quebec is bringing back a debate about the country’s ties to the British monarchy in light of King Charles III’s upcoming coronation.

    Following the introduction of a motion by Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet that compelled a discussion about the Crown in the House of Commons, parliamentarians will vote on whether Canada should sever ties with the monarchy on Wednesday.

    His move follows the refusal of 14 recently-elected Quebec politicians to recite an oath of allegiance to the King during their swearing-in to the provincial legislature, as required by Canadian law.

    Speaking to reporters, Mr Blanchet admitted that his motion is likely to fail, but he said the failure will show Quebecers that federal politicians “prefer to support the King than the people”.

    In Canada, the monarch – now King Charles – is the head of state. The monarchy serves a mainly symbolic role, with the power to govern entrusted to the Canadian government.

    Changing the current system would need approval from both the House of Commons and the Senate in parliament, as well as the unanimous consent of all 10 provinces

    Members of Canada’s governing Liberal party have already said they will oppose the motion.

    While Mr Blanchet’s motion may fail, the future of Quebec politicians who refused to swear the oath to the Crown remains uncertain.

    Their refusal could lead to a bill that seeks to redefine the requirement to take the oath of allegiance in the province – if they are able to sit in Quebec’s legislature at all – and political watchers say they are eager to see how the dispute unfolds.

    Quebecers have long opposed the Crown

    Quebec’s relationship with the monarchy is complex.

    Many Quebecers are in favour of Canada being a republic rather than a constitutional monarchy – a sentiment that is tied to the province’s history of being a French-speaking region that was once under British colonial rule.

    The province has twice voted against independence in referendums, and the push for Quebec sovereignty has weakened over the years. But Quebec politicians have continued to put forward policies that seek to define the province as distinct from English Canada.

    When tabling his motion on Tuesday, Mr Blanchet said he believes Canada’s tie to the British Crown is “archaic.”

    “It is a thing of the past, it is almost archaeological, it is humiliating,” he said.

    Frustration with the oath of allegiance to the Crown isn’t new. As early as 1970, members of the sovereigntist Parti Quebecois, a separatist provincial political party in Quebec, had openly opposed it.

    Their opposition led to the creation of a second, supplementary oath in 1982 that also pledges loyalty to the people of Quebec.

    Since then, politicians in that province have had to recite both oaths before taking office. In 2018, some recited the oath to the Crown behind closed doors in protest.

    Mr Blanchet, whose party represents Quebec interests in the federal House of Commons, said many recite the oath only because they have to.

    “We are a conquered people that still have to swear allegiance to a conquering King,” he said.

    This sentiment was echoed by the 14 members of Quebec’s National Assembly, who have not yet recited the oath ahead of the assembly’s commencement in November – an unprecedented number of politicians to do so.

    “What’s happening now is really dramatic,” said Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, who added that politicians may not be able to sit or receive their salary without reciting the oath.

    “The Constitution Act of 1867 clearly states that to become a member of a provincial legislature, you need to perform the oath of allegiance,” Beland said.

    “There is quite a bit of suspense about what will happen.”

    Ewan Suaves, the spokesperson for Quebec Premier Francois Legault, said the law is clear that politicians must recite the oath in order to sit. But added that the premier, too, opposes it.

    “We agree that it’s time to end the obligation to swear allegiance to King Charles III, but it takes a Bill in order to do so. And to present or pass a Bill, the [members] must sit,” Mr Suaves said.

    How does the rest of Canada feel about the Crown?

    Opinion polls suggest Canada as a whole remains divided on the monarchy. In an Ipsos survey conducted following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, half of the Canadian respondents – around 54% – said their country should sever its ties with the Crown.

    That sentiment is strongest in Quebec, where 79% agreed.

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, however, has said the monarchy offers his country “extraordinary stability”.

    In response to Mr Blanchet’s motion asking Canada to sever its ties to the Crown, Mr Trudeau said “there is not one Quebecer who wants the [Canadian] constitution reopened.”

    Mr Beland said that at a time when Quebec’s independence movement has weakened, there has been more emphasis on symbolic assertions of sovereignty – like refusing to take the oath of allegiance.

    He added the refusal to take the oath could be a way to seize political momentum by the Parti Quebecois, who lost seats in the recent election.

    “This is about broad principles, but this is also a lot about political posturing,” Mr Beland said.

    Amending the oath requirement is also a complicated task, and there is disagreement among experts on how it can be done.

    Some believe a bill passed by the Quebec National Assembly would be enough to replace or amend the oath of allegiance. Others, however, believe any changes to the oath would require an amendment to Canada’s constitution.

    The latter, “of course, is much more difficult to do,” said

     

  • Sunak to soon appoint a new ethics adviser’ shortly,’ filling a position that has been vacant since June

    Rishi Sunak has announced that he will appoint a new independent ethics adviser to fill the vacancy left by Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

    Downing Street announced on Wednesday that the new Prime Minister will soon appoint a new independent ministerial interests adviser.

    Lord Geidt, the previous ministerial interests adviser, resigned in June and was not replaced when Boris Johnson resigned.

    Ms Truss, during her brief tenure in Downing Street, had not appointed an ethics adviser.

    The prime minister’s official spokesman said that the appointment of the new ethics adviser would be “done shortly”.

    Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quin also confirmed in the Commons that “it is absolutely the prime minister’s intention to appoint an independent adviser”.

    Under Mr Johnson’s tenure, two ethics advisers quit within two years.

    Veteran civil servant Sir Alex Allan resigned as ethics adviser in November 2020 after Mr Johnson failed to act on a critical report on alleged bullying by then Home Secretary Priti Patel.

    His successor, Lord Geidt, resigned in June this year after accusing Mr Johnson of proposing a “deliberate” breach of the ministerial code.

     

  • Iran protests: Clashes after crowds gather at Mahsa Amini’s grave

    Clashes have been reported in Mahsa Amini’s hometown between Iranian security forces and protesters after crowds gathered near her grave to mark 40 days since her death in custody.

    Security personnel in Saqqez’s Zindan Square fired live rounds and tear gas, according to a Kurdish rights group.

    The semi-official news agency Isna reported a clash on the city’s outskirts.

    Earlier, thousands of mourners at the Aichi cemetery shouted “Woman, life, freedom” and “Death to the dictator”.

    They are two of the signature chants of the anti-government unrest that has swept across Iran since Ms Amini died.

    The 22-year-old Kurdish woman was detained by the morality police in the capital, Tehran, on 13 September for allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly”.

    She fell into a coma after collapsing at a detention centre and died three days later. There were reports that officers beat her on the head with a baton and banged her head against a vehicle, but the police denied that she was mistreated and said she suffered a heart attack.

    Many Iranians were enraged and the first protests took place after Ms Amini’s funeral in Saqqez, when women ripped off their headscarves in solidarity. The protests spread quickly and evolved into one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

    Women have been at the forefront, defiantly waving their headscarves in the air, setting them on fire, and even cutting their hair in public.

    Schoolgirls have also been demonstrating in playgrounds and on the streets in an unprecedented show of support.

    Norway-based Iran Human Rights says at least 234 protesters, including 29 children, have been killed by security forces in a violent crackdown on what Iran’s leaders have portrayed as “riots” fomented by foreign enemies.

    Riot police and members of the paramilitary Basij Resistance Force were reportedly deployed in large numbers in Saqqez and other parts of Kurdistan province on Wednesday, in anticipation of fresh unrest on the 40th day of mourning for Ms Amini – a culturally significant occasion for Iranians.

    However, videos showed thousands of residents walking along a highway and through a field – apparently to bypass roadblocks – to reach the Aichi cemetery.

    “They tried to stop us from entering the cemetery… but I managed to get in,” Reuters news agency quoted a witness as saying.

    Kurdish human rights group Hengaw, which is also based in Norway, posted several videos that it said showed a large crowd shouting “Down with traitors” and “Kurdistan, Kurdistan, the fascists’ graveyard”.

    In another clip, men and women were seen waving scarves and shouting “Freedom, freedom, freedom”.

    It was not clear whether members of Ms Amini’s family were at the cemetery. Activists said security forces had warned them not to hold a mourning ceremony and had threatened the safety of their son.

    State news agency Irna, meanwhile, cited what it claimed was a statement from the family saying that they would not hold an event in order to avoid “unfortunate issues”. But a source close to the family told the BBC they had written no such message.

    Kurdistan Governor Esmail Zarei Koosha said the situation in Saqqez was calm on Wednesday morning and denied that roads had been shut.

    “The enemy and its media… are trying to use the 40-day anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death as a pretext to cause new tensions, but fortunately, the situation in the province is completely stable,” he was quoted as saying by Irna.

    Later, Hengaw posted videos it said showed a crowd of protesters walking towards the governorate’s office in Saqqez and clashes between protesters and security forces in the Qukh neighbourhood.

     

    Isna reported that “a limited number of those present at Mahsa Amini’s memorial clashed with police forces on the outskirts of Saqqez and were dispersed”. It added that the local internet service was cut off “due to security conditions”.

    Hengaw also reported protests in the nearby cities of Sanandaj and Mahabad as well as general strikes in cities and towns across Kurdistan.

    Authorities closed all schools and universities in the province “because of a wave of influenza”, according to state media.

    Opposition activist collective 1500tasvir said protests were also held on Wednesday at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, as well as at universities in Tehran, the north-eastern city of Mashhad, and in Ahvaz, in the southwest.

    Video also appeared to show that security forces fired tear gas inside Amirabad girls’ school in Tehran in response to a protest by students.

     

  • Body language expert: Sunak ‘came alive’ during PMQs – and was far more ‘confident’ than his Number 10 speech

    Earlier in the day, Rishi Sunak asked Sir Keir Starmer his first Prime Minister questions.

    Body language expert Darren Stanton says the new prime minister “came alive” in the Commons, and was far more “animated” than his “lacklustre” speech outside Number 10.

    He said: “Rishi Sunak was definitely thrown in at the deep end. The pleasantries were short-lived as both the PM and Sir Keir wasted no time in the gloves coming off.

    “Sir Keir vigorously challenged Mr Sunak’s decision to reinstate the Home Secretary [Suella Braverman] after she had resigned – Sir Keir was robust, articulate and animated as he challenged Mr Sunak, and it encouraged Mr Sunak to adopt a very different stance to his lacklustre and hollow speech outside of Number 10 yesterday.

    “From a non-verbal perspective, Mr Sunak came alive having to deliver information at short notice.

    “Responding to rebuttals from his peers, Mr Sunak gave a much more polished and much stronger performance than we have recently seen.

    “He was far more animated and his arms weren’t static like they previously were.

    “Instead, he used illustrators – like finger pointing – to hammer home his points, proving that his mind and body were congruent with the messages he was sending.

    “It suggests his words during PMQs were much more genuine and from the heart.”

     

     

  • Mercedes-Benz is the latest automaker to withdraw from the Russian market

    Mercedes-Benz has announced its intention to exit the Russian market and sell shares in its industrial and financial services subsidiaries to a local investor, making it the latest carmaker to do so.

    Japan’s Nissan this month took a $687m loss in handing over its business in Russia to a state-owned entity for 1 euro, mirroring an earlier move by Renault, which sold its majority stake in Russia’s Avtovaz for 1 rouble.

    Now shares in Mercedes’s local subsidiaries are expected to be sold to the car dealer chain Avtodom.

    Mercedes stopped manufacturing in Russia in early March.

     

     

  • Biden and Sunak have agreed to back Ukraine

    White House has reported that US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have agreed to work together to support Ukraine.

    They first spoke just hours after Sunak became Britain’s third prime minister this year.

    The two leaders also reaffirmed the “special relationship” between the US and the UK, and said they would work together to advance global security and prosperity, the White House said in a read-out of the conversation.

    “The leaders agreed on the importance of working together to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its aggression,” the statement said.

     

  • Putin observes exercises by Russia’s strategic nuclear forces

    RIA news agency reports that Putin observed exercises by Russia’s strategic nuclear forces.

    “Under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Vladimir Putin, a training session was held with the ground, sea, and air strategic deterrence forces, during which practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles took place,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

    State television showed Putin overseeing the drills from a control room.

    Source: Aljazeera.com

  • Kremlin: Prisoner swap talks must be confidential

    The Kremlin says it keeps the door open for talks on a possible prisoner swap with US basketball star Brittney Griner but reiterated that discussions must be kept strictly confidential.

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked if Griner could be freed as part of a prisoners swap with Washington and said, “We always say that any contacts about possible exchanges can only be conducted in silence under a tight lid on any information.”

    On Tuesday, Russian courts rejected Griner’s appeal against her nine-year sentence for drug possession.

     

  • IMF: Attacks on critical infrastructure will cost $4bn to repair

    Russia’s air strikes on civilian infrastructure raise the cost of Ukraine’s recovery, which will require nearly $4 billion per month to maintain power and water supplies, according to the International Monetary Fund’s chief.

    In an interview with Reuters, IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said the organisation was focused on keeping Ukraine afloat while working on a longer-term plan.

    “We still hope that we can stay within these parameters of 3-4 billion, but what changed since we had this discussion in Russia’s terrible bombing of civilian infrastructure,” she said.

    “Just to get electricity back and water supply back we are moving towards the upper range of 4 billion…Just imagine a worst-case scenario.”

    Georgieva also signalled that China should be allowed to join an international platform that the European Commission wants to set up this year for Ukraine.

     

  • Prominent Haitian journalist has escaped an assassination attempt

    Roberson Alphonse, a journalist for the daily newspaper Le Nouvelliste and the radio station Magik9, is recovering in a Port-au-Prince hospital.

    Officials said a well-known Haitian journalist survived an assassination attempt in which he was shot in his car while on his way to work in the capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday.

    According to Frantz Duval, chief editor of both the daily newspaper Le Nouvelliste and the radio station Magik9, Roberson Alphonse has undergone two operations and is currently hospitalized and expected to recover.

    The incident highlights the deteriorating security situation in a country racked by gang violence.

    Haiti’s Ministry of Culture and Communication said it learned “with horror the news of the assassination attempt” that occurred in the Delmas neighbourhood.

    “His rigour, his effort to be impartial, and his sense of perfection make him a model for the profession,” the ministry said in a statement.

    Haiti
    Motorcycle drivers pass through a burning roadblock as anger mounted over fuel shortages that have intensified as a result of gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti [File: Ralph Tedy Erol/Reuters]

    Many colleagues echoed the sentiment, including Widlore Mérancourt of the online news site AyiboPost.

    “My friend, Roberson Alphonse could be anything he wants anywhere in the world. He picked Haiti. He also could’ve (made) millions selling his platforms. He opted for integrity and independence. I love him and I wish him well,” he wrote.

    Duval thanked an unidentified person he said rescued Alphonse and applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding before medical help arrived. He noted the car had more than 10 bullet holes.

    Body of another journalist found

    The attack on Alphonse comes just weeks after Haitian leaders requested the immediate deployment of foreign security forces as the country faces an unprecedented crisis.

    Also on Tuesday, authorities found the body of another journalist who had been missing for several days.

    Garry Tess used to host a political talk show in the southern city of Les Cayes, according to the government’s Office of Citizen Protection, which said it was extremely worried about the security of journalists in Haiti and urged they be protected.

    No one has been arrested in either case, although journalists in Haiti have long been the target of warring gangs who have grown more powerful since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

     

    Meanwhile, the president of Haiti’s Senate, Joseph Lambert, demanded a judicial investigation.

    The attacks come more than a month after two other journalists identified as Tayson Latigue and Frantzsen Charles were fatally shot and their bodies set on fire while reporting in a slum controlled by gangs.

    In January, gang members killed two other journalists who were reporting in Laboule, a community south of Port-au-Prince.

    The Miami-based Inter-American Press Association says this year has been one of the most violent for the press since record-keeping began in 1987.

    Journalists also are still seeking justice in the March 2018 disappearance of freelance photographer Vladjimir Legagneur, who was last seen in Port-au-Prince’s Grand Ravine, one of its poorest and most dangerous areas.

    Foreign troops

    The government’s decision to seek international security assistance has triggered anger and protests, with Haitians shouting against “foreign occupation” and demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who had asked international partners for “the immediate deployment of a specialised armed force, in sufficient quantity” to stop the “criminal actions” of armed gangs across the country.

    One of Haiti’s most powerful gangs surrounded the main fuel terminal more than a month ago, demanding Henry’s resignation as they prevented the distribution of petroleum.

    Gas stations have shut down, banks and grocery stores are operating on limited hours and potable water is becoming scarce as the country battles a cholera breakout that has killed at least 40 people, with more than 1,750 suspected cases so far.

    UNICEF warned on Monday that the actual number of cholera cases is likely much higher, given under-reporting. The agency noted that it has only been able to find a third of the 318,000 litres (70,000 gallons) of fuel needed to serve more than half of 16 cholera treatment centres in Port-au-Prince.

    On Tuesday, the European Union said it was extremely concerned about the deterioration of Haiti’s situation, adding that it has reached unsustainable levels.

    “The EU regrets that as a humanitarian catastrophe unfolds and protests have been co-opted by gangs, escalating into violence, looting and territorial gains for armed gangs, political actors have so far failed to find a political solution to the crisis,” it said.

    “The EU, therefore, urges all political actors to …engage in constructive negotiations to overcome the current political crisis and its security and humanitarian consequences

     

  • ‘Come back to us when Labour’s had a Jewish, woman and Asian PM’: Sajid Javid hits back at criticism of lack of women in cabinet

    Former home secretary Sajid Javid has responded to criticism about the number of women in Rishi Sunak’s cabinet by drawing attention to the party’s diversity.

    Earlier today, shadow women and equalities secretary, Anneliese Dodds, criticized the lack of women in the top jobs, pointing out that just one in five members of the cabinet were women.

    She said: “This isn’t a fresh start, it’s just jobs for the boys.”

    In response, Mr Javid said Ms Dodds should “come back to us” when  Labour had seen a Jewish, Asian, and female prime minister.

    Source: Skynews.com

     

  • Norway arrests a man suspected of being a Russian spy

    Norway’s security services say they have arrested a university lecturer accused of spying for Russia.

    The man was arrested on his way to work by Oslo’s internal security agency, the PST after he was identified as a “threat to fundamental national interests.”

    The suspect, said to be in his 30s, had posed as a Brazilian academic, but officials say he is actually Russian.

    Moscow’s embassy in Oslo told local media it was unaware of the man’s identity.

    Norwegian officials said the man had worked as a researcher at the University of Tromso in the north of the country since 2021. His lawyer told local media that he denies the allegations.

    But the PST’s deputy chief, Hedvig Moe, told reporters that investigators had become concerned that the man “may have acquired a network and information about Norway’s policy” in the north of the country.

    “Even if this … is not a threat to the security of the kingdom, we are worried it could be misused by Russia,” she added. She declined to say what had prompted the arrest, simply saying “that it was was the right point to stop the activity he was involved in”.

    A court ordered that the man be held for four weeks, and a PST spokesperson told local media that the case is “huge”.

    Officials believe the suspect was working in Norway as part of Russia’s so-called “illegals” programme.

    First operated by the KGB during the Cold War, and revived in recent years by President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s intelligence agencies craft fake identities, or “legends”, for spies before deploying them to foreign countries.

    “Typically illegal agents are talent scouts recruiting agents for later, and preparing the ground for other spies to do traditional intelligence work,” Ms Moe said. “It is a long-term project to have an illegal agent. It costs a lot of money. Major state actors only use them and it is known Russia has used them in the past.”

    The man has not been officially identified, but local media reported that his social media accounts showed he had won a masters from the University of Calgary’s Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies in 2018.

    The suspect arrived in Norway in December last year to work on a research group that worked with Norwegian government agencies on “hybrid threats” linked to “Arctic Norway”.

    The group’s head said the man was working as an unpaid researcher, which was unusual but not unprecedented.

    “He first contacted me in autumn last year… We assessed him like we would other researchers. One of his references was a professor I knew very well,” said Gunhild Hoogensen Gjoerv, a professor of security studies at the University of Tromso.

    “He was a really lovely guy, very good at his job,” she said. “We had no reason to suspect him of being anything else than what he said he was.”

    She told the Guardian that while the man did not have access to classified information, he did “get an understanding and insights into the sort of discussions and debates that we are having about security”.

    In recent weeks, Norway’s security services have arrested several Russian citizens accused of working for Russia as spies. Eight people have been arrested for flying drones near, or taking pictures of, critical infrastructure.

    The country – a key Nato member that has replaced Russia as the biggest gas supplier to Europe – has been concerned by sightings of drones near critical oil and gas infrastructure.

     

  • PMQs gave an insight into what Sunak’s premiership will look like – and the obstacles he will face

    Today provided some insight into what a Rishi Sunak premiership would entail.

    The man who had just taken over at No. 10 appeared confident, relaxed, and ready for the challenges that lay ahead.

    Labour clearly think his vast personal wealth will put off voters, but the criticism couldn’t wipe the smiles from most Conservative faces.

    Desperate to put the past few weeks behind them, a majority of Tory MPs clearly feel they’ve got the unity candidate they need to begin the recovery.

    But there was also a hint of some of the obstacles he will face.

    Firstly, his newly appointed home secretary is already giving him a bit of a headache, with Labour calling for an inquiry into Suella Braverman’s recent security breach.

    Other issues will be his lack of mandate, the party’s tricky fracking policy, and, of course, the partygate inquiry which the opposition will try to drag him into.

    But so far he hasn’t stumbled.

    And although it was a low bar, he’s delivering on his promise to bring the party together and provide competent and professional leadership.

    Labour will be a little worried.

    DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana

    Source: Sky News, Liz Bates 

     

  • PM listed Coca-Cola history as one of his interests at Stanford University

    Among the interests listed by new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during his time at Stanford University were the history of Coca-Cola and Star Wars.

    A screenshot of the Tory leader’s alumni profile, shared by a political science student at the university, Tianyu M. Fang, shows details of Mr Sunak’s course at the prestigious US university.

    And among his skills and hobbies is the history of  Coca-Cola.

    It comes after a clip of the Tory leader emerged in 2021 in which he spoke of his love for the fizzy beverage and admitted he was addicted to coke.

    During the clip, Mr Sunak, who was chancellor at the time, told two school students: “I’m a coke addict. A total coke addict.”

    He then realised how the statement might be perceived and added: “Coca-Cola addict for the record. I have seven fillings to show for it.”

    He went on to say he now only allowed himself one coke a week and expressed his affection for a drink called “Mexican coke” which he claimed was made with “cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup“.

     

  • Sunak dodges the question of whether officials expressed reservations about Braverman’s appointment

    Sir Keir Starmer begins by welcoming Rishi Sunak at the despatch box.

    He congratulates Mr Sunak on becoming the first prime minister of British Asian descent.

    Unsurprisingly, Sir Keir starts with the home secretary, asking if Suella Braverman was right to stand down from that role last week.

    Mr Sunak says she made an “error of judgment”, but he was “delighted to welcome her back to the government.

    The PM labels Labour as “soft on crime”.

    But Sir Keir notes that he was “far from soft on crime” when he was head of the Crown Prosecution Service.

    He then asks if officials have raised concerns about the reappointment of Ms Braverman.

    Mr Sunak retorts by asking of Sir Keir would welcome “15,000 new police officers” – and says Labour backs “the lunatic protesting fringe”.

    Sir Keir notes this is not a “no” to his question about concerns from officials.

    “A grubby deal” is how Sir Keir summarises the reappointment of Ms Braverman – suggesting she got the job in exchange for supporting Mr Sunak.

    He says that as always the Tories have put “party first, the country second” Crown Prosecution Service.

     

  • UK: PM accused of ‘shamelessly swapping red boxes for political support’

    A Labour MP has slammed Rishi Sunak’s decision to promote a key ally despite their previous dismissal for national security reasons.

    Gavin Williamson, a former education secretary who oversaw the pandemic exam fiasco, was appointed minister without portfolio last night.

    Questioning Mr Sunak in the Commons, Labour’s Stephen Kinnock accuses the prime minister of trying to “shamelessly swap red boxes for political support”.

    He says there are “serious consequences to all this horse trading” and asks whether the PM sought any advice on security concerns about Mr Williamson, who was sacked previously for leaking sensitive information relating to national security.

    Mr Sunak says this happened four years ago, although the Labour MP is “right” to raise the topic of national security.

    He says that four years ago, Labour was busy supporting Jeremy Corbyn – who had wanted to abolish NATO.

    “We won’t take any lectures on national security,” he says.

     

  • Iran protests: Iran blacklists EU officials, entities for allegedly ‘inciting terrorism’

    Tehran sanctioned several media outlets and a French town mayor in addition to parliament members.The Iranian government has blacklisted a number of European Union officials and organizations, primarily because of their stance on the country’s ongoing protests, which Iran claims are “inciting terrorism.”

    While the bulk of the sanctions is related to recent developments concerning the weeks-long protests that erupted last month after the death of a young woman in custody, others deal with Tehran’s repeated grievances with the bloc’s officials and member states over issues that have led to longstanding political disputes.

    The Iranian foreign ministry said on Wednesday it had imposed sanctions on 12 individuals and eight organizations for their “intentional actions in supporting terrorism and terrorist groups, inciting terrorism and propagating violence and hatred that has led to riots, violence, terrorist acts and violation of human rights of the Iranian nation”.

    The sanctions entail an entry and visa ban for the individuals in addition to the confiscation of any assets they may have in Iran.

    The targeted entities include the Friends of Free Iran and the International Committee in Search of Justice, two informal groups in the European Parliament, in addition, to Stop the Bomb, an organization that has advocated sanctions on Iran with the stated goal of preventing it from acquiring nuclear weapons – which Tehran maintains it will never seek.

    The Persian-language services of Germany’s Deutsche Welle and France’s RFI were also targeted, extending Iran’s push against foreign-based channels that it says are promoting “terrorism” on Iranian soil. Two directors of the German newspaper Bild were also blacklisted.

    The Karl Kolb and Rhein Bayern Fahrzeugbau companies were blacklisted for “delivering chemical gases and weapons” too late Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein, who is said to have used them against the nascent Islamic Republic during the eighth-year conflict that began with Iraq’s invasion of Iraq in 1980.

    A number of European Parliament members were also targeted, in addition to Martine Valleton, the mayor of Villepinte, a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris where French authorities said a plot had been uncovered to bomb a 2018 rally of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq group, which is outlawed in Iran. This led to the arrest of Iranian diplomat Asadollah Assadi, who served at Iran’s embassy to Austria, in Germany, and his subsequent sentencing in a Belgian court.

    The measures mark the first time Iran has officially sanctioned EU officials and institutions, a move that comes as a reaction to the bloc’s sanctions on Iran’s so-called morality police and others earlier this month over their alleged roles in what it called the “brutal repression” of the protests that have gripped Iran since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody 40 days ago.

    Separately, Iran has previously blacklisted a group of British individuals and organizations in retaliation for their sanctions related to the protests.

     

  • Philippines: At least 26 injured in magnitude 6.4 earthquake

    Tremors were felt as far away as Manila, more than 330 kilometres (205 miles) to the south of the epicentre.

    A magnitude 6.4 earthquake rocked the northern Philippines, forcing the closure of an international airport, sending panicked residents into the streets, and causing significant damage to a hospital.

    The earthquake, which struck at about 10:59 pm on Tuesday (14:59 GMT) near the upland town of Dolores, was felt as far away as the capital Manila, more than 330km (205 miles) to the south.

    Police and civil aviation officials said that at least 26 people were injured in Ilocos Norte, the home province of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, where the international airport in the capital city of Laoag was ordered to close temporarily on Wednesday due to damage from the earthquake.

    INTERACTIVE_PHILIPPINES_EARTHQUAKE_OCT26
    (Al Jazeera)

    The president – also known as Bongbong – warned of aftershocks on Wednesday and advised people, in a tweet, to stay out of tall structures.

    Patients were evacuated from the 200-bed Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital in Batac city, about 60km (37 miles) north of the epicentre, which sustained some of the worst reported damage so far.

    At least two towns in Cagayan province temporarily lost electricity due to damaged power lines. A number of bridges and roads in outlying provinces were damaged.

    In the town of La Paz in Abra, a century-old Christian church was damaged, with parts of its belfry collapsing and some walls cracked, littering the church’s grassy yard with debris, officials said.

    Dolores town police officer Jeffrey Blanes said that “buildings were shaking so people ran outside”.

    A member of the public in Aparri municipality, located more than 100km (62 miles) from the epicentre, posted on the website of the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) that it was the most extensive tremor they had experienced.

    “The longest earthquake I’ve ever felt. Thank God we’re safe. Stay safe everyone,” the post read.

    Photos of collapsed ceilings in some of the hospital rooms, as well as dozens of patients waiting in chairs on the driveway outside, were posted on the local fire service’s official Facebook page.

    “The authorities made us leave the building while they checked the building integrity… We are currently conducting an assessment of the damage,” hospital worker Tom Tabije told the AFP news agency by phone.

    The civil defence office in Abra province, where Dolores is located, said there were no immediate reports of casualties, but the extent of the damage would not be known until morning.

    “We are unable to make a thorough assessment of the impact now because it is nighttime and we are also thinking about our people’s safety,” Abra rescuer Joel de Leon told AFP by phone.

    Eleven people were killed, and several hundred were injured in July when a magnitude 7.0 quake hit the mountainous Abra province triggering landslides and ground fissures. In October 2013, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the central island of Bohol, killing more than 200 people.

    Earthquakes are a daily occurrence in the Philippines, which sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic and volcanic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

     

     

     

     

  • Macron-Scholz: Challenging Paris summit awaits German chancellor

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron will no doubt be beaming when they meet in Paris to discuss future European cooperation.

    But, behind the smiles, both sides are aware that the EU’s central relationship is under strain like never before.

    On a variety of issues, including defence, energy, business assistance, and EU expansion, the two countries are currently pulling in opposite directions.

    And underlying everything is a fear fast becoming an obsession in Paris.

    The French concern is that the war in Ukraine has ripped up Europe’s geostrategic rule book, leaving Germany enhanced and pushing France to the Western side-lines.

    Symbolic of the rift was the cancellation of what had been until now a routine set-piece of Franco-German friendship – the regular joint meeting of the two countries cabinets.

    After a pause for Covid, these encounters were meant to resume at Fontainebleau on Wednesday. But faced with a glaring lack of common ground – as well, according to France, as the studied uninterest of several German ministers – it was agreed to call the session off.

    Mr Scholz’s arrival for a bilateral summit with the French president is an attempt to minimise the differences, but no one is deceived.

    Lamenting what it called the “glacial” state of cross-Rhine relations, Le Figaro newspaper said in an editorial that it was “the result of a profound geostrategic change – a continental shift that started a long time ago and which is destined to transform the face of Europe”.

    The essence of this shift – according to French analysts – is the awakening of the slumbering giant that is Germany and its dawning realisation that it must shift for itself in an increasingly dangerous neighborhood.

    For France, this is bad news because it casts doubt on a central assumption of the last half century: that by walking lockstep with Germany, France can not just restrain its richer and stronger neighbour, but also project its own vision of European unity.

    With almost masochistic relish, French commentators have taken to listing the ways in which Berlin has lately chosen to go its own way rather than find an accord with Paris.

    The German chancellor alongside a US F35 fighter jet earlier this year
    IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Earlier this year the German chancellor decided to buy F35 fighter jets

    On re-arming, Germany has shown a clear preference for US kit – like F-35 fighter jets and Patriot air-defence systems – and seems content to leave once-vaunted European defence initiatives on hold.

    Stung by criticism that it was suckered by Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Germany appears anxious to reassure its eastern neighbours by promoting itself as the European arm of Nato, rather than – as France would like it – a partner in EU defence.

    On energy, Germany is against a cap on gas prices, which France wants. It also wants France to authorise a new pipeline to carry gas – and eventually green hydrogen – from Spain. But France refuses.

    And then there is Germany’s decision to offer €200bn (£170bn) in state aid to businesses and households to get them through the energy crisis.

    For France, this will create severe economic distortions because other European countries will be unable to compete with that level of subsidy. Germans reply that France is hardly in a position to give lessons about the iniquity of state aid.

    In an article titled “The late Franco-German couple”, veteran French commentator Nicolas Baverez said France had only itself to blame for letting itself be eclipsed by Germany over the years.

    What has happened now with the Ukraine war, he said, merely revealed the imbalance that was already there. “While France is content to talk about sovereignty, Germany exercises it,” he wrote.

  • ‘No cancellations this Christmas,’ as Heathrow makes effort to avoid travel chaos

    Managers say it will be a “huge logistical challenge” to recruit and train 25,000 people to return the airport to pre-COVID capacity.

    The UK’s busiest airport is still less busy than it was before the pandemic, but it is planning measures to avoid Christmas travel chaos.

    Demand for air travel is still below 2019 pre-pandemic levels, Heathrow Airport said, with numbers expected to be down a quarter on 2019 for the whole of 2022 at between 60 and 62 million people.

    The numbers won’t return to 2019 levels for a number of years, the airport said in its financial results for the nine months ending 30 September.

    Heathrow served 18 million passengers over the summer, more than any other European hub.

    Airport bosses blamed the headwinds of a global economic crisis, the war in Ukraine, and the impact of COVID-19 for the lower passenger numbers.

    But there was some good news for the airport as it managed to turn a £1.4bn loss in the first three quarters of last year into a £643m profit this year.

    In order to bring up passenger numbers and cope with peak demand, the “huge logistical challenge” of recruiting and training 25,000 security-cleared staff needs to be done by businesses across the airport.

     

  • COVID-19: A new report predicts the number of daily cases by February

    Infections are predicted to increase by about two million per day globally, but only by a fraction of what was recorded last winter.

    Global coronavirus cases are expected to gradually increase in the coming months, reaching approximately 18.7 million per day by February.

    The current daily average is around 16.7 million, according to the University of Washington report.

    It is far fewer than last winter when the Omicron variant pushed the estimated peak daily average to about 80 million – and the increase is also not expected to cause a big increase in deaths.

    The university’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) forecasts average deaths will rise from about 1,660 now to 2,748 on 1 February.

    COVID infections in the US are predicted to rise by a third to more than a million per day over the same period, driven by factors such as people being inside more over the winter.

    But a surge in Germany has already peaked, according to the study’s authors, who expect cases there to fall by more than a third to about 190,000.

    The IHME suggests the recent rise in cases and hospitalisations in Germany could be down to Omicron subvariants BQ.1 or BQ.1.1, and that it might spread to other parts of Europe in the coming weeks.

    Another Omicron subvariant called XBB is also driving a surge in admissions in Singapore, according to the analysis.

    The University of Washington researchers say the variant is more transmissible but less severe.

     

  • Ford to stop producing Fiesta cars as it expands its electric vehicle lineup

    Ford has announced the end of the Fiesta, one of the most popular cars ever sold in the United Kingdom.

    No more Fiestas will be produced in the manufacturer’s factory in Cologne, Germany, by the end of June next year.

    Since 1976, more than 22 million have been produced worldwide, and the model has been sold in over 50 countries.

    The withdrawal of the popular vehicle comes as Ford makes changes to its portfolio to make space for more electric cars.

    Production of the S-MAX and Galaxy models will also end in Ford’s factory in Valencia, Spain, by next April.

    Ford is to only produce electric cars by 2030 and all vehicles it makes are to be electric by 2035.

    Three new electric car models and four commercial vehicles are to be launched in Europe by 2024, Ford said.

    The plans are part of the maker’s aim to sell more than 600,000 electric vehicles in the region by 2026.

     

  • China accused of setting up illegal police stations in the Netherlands

    The Chinese government is accused of setting up at least two unregistered “police stations” in the Netherlands.

    The Dutch media discovered evidence that “overseas service stations,” which promise diplomatic services, are being used to silence Chinese dissidents in Europe.

    The existence of the unofficial police outposts, according to a spokeswoman for the Dutch foreign ministry, is illegal.

    The Chinese embassy says it is not aware of their existence.

    The investigation was sparked by a report entitled Chinese Transnational Policing Gone Wild, by the Spain-based NGO Safeguard Defenders.

    According to the organisation, the public security bureaus from two Chinese provinces had established 54 “overseas police service centres” across five continents and 21 countries. Most of them are in Europe, including nine in Spain and four in Italy. In the UK, it found two in London and one in Glasgow.

    The units were ostensibly created to tackle transnational crime and conduct administrative duties, such as the renewal of Chinese drivers’ licences. But, according to Safeguard Defenders, in reality, they carry out “persuasion operations”, aimed at coercing those suspected of speaking out against the Chinese regime to return home.

    RTL News and the investigative journalism platform Follow the Money shared the story of Wang Jingyu, a Chinese dissident who said he was being pursued by Chinese police in the Netherlands.

    Speaking in English, Wang told Dutch journalists he received a phone call earlier this year from someone claiming to be from one such station. During the conversation, he said he was urged to return to China to “sort out my problems. And to think about my parents”.

    Since then, he described a systematic campaign of harassment and intimidation, which he believes is being orchestrated by Chinese government agents.

    In response to the revelations, the Chinese embassy told RTL News it was not aware of the existence of such police stations.

    Dutch foreign ministry spokeswoman Maxime Hovenkamp told the BBC: “The Dutch government wasn’t made aware of these operations through the diplomatic channels with the Chinese government. That is illegal.”

    She said it would have to investigate and decide the appropriate response. “It is very worrying a Chinese national has apparently been subjected to intimidation and harassment here in the Netherlands. Police are looking into options to offer him protection,” she added.

    Services such as passport renewals or visa requests are usually handled by an embassy or consulate. Diplomatic rules apply in these locations, as laid out in the Vienna Convention, of which both the Netherlands and China are signatories.

    Policing outposts like the ones China is accused of running could violate the territorial integrity of a host country by circumventing national jurisdictions and the protections afforded under domestic law.

    Safeguard Defenders said China’s policing tactics were “problematic” as they targeted suspects without firmly establishing links to crime or adhering to due process in host countries.

    This is primarily done by coercing or making threats against the family members of alleged fugitives, as a method to “persuade” them to return home, the organization said.

    On 2 September, a national Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law were adopted in China, establishing a claim of extraterritorial jurisdiction over all Chinese nationals worldwide suspected of these types of fraud.

    In theory, the new legislation – in tandem with Chinese police units on foreign soil – leaves dissidents with nowhere to hide.

    The pressure is now on the Dutch government to ensure critics of the Chinese government who are granted asylum can be protected, and that in the Netherlands, Dutch law prevails.

     

  • North Korean tensions: Why is Kim Jong-un putting more on the country?

    Tensions with North Korea come and go, but the situation on the Korean peninsula is the most volatile it has been in five years, and it appears to be getting worse.

    The North has fired a missile over Japan in the last month, forcing residents to seek shelter; this is a hostile and provocative act. It has launched several other ballistic missiles, flown warplanes close to the South Korean border, and fired hundreds of artillery shells into the sea, which have landed in a military buffer zone established by the two Koreas in 2018 to maintain peace.

    Technically, the two countries are still at war.

    On Monday a North Korean merchant ship crossed the countries’ sea border, causing both sides to fire warning shots. South Korea says the incursion was intentional.

    So, what is Kim Jong-un up to? There are three reasons North Korea tends to launch missiles – to test and improve its weapons technology, to send a political message to the world (primarily the US), and to impress its people at home and shore up loyalty to the regime.

    It can be hard to decipher which of these ends Pyongyang’s actions serve, but this time Mr Kim has been explicit. State media has reported several times that the recent launches and drills are in response to military exercises being run by the US, South Korea, and Japan. The North has blamed its enemies for escalating tensions and says its launches are a clear warning they should stop.

    Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo have been holding large-scale military exercises, separately and together, for the past two months, to show they are ready for a North Korean nuclear attack. There is little doubt these have antagonised Mr Kim, who has always viewed such exercises as his enemies rehearsing for an invasion. The reason North Korea started developing nuclear weapons in the first place was to stop itself from being invaded.

    But there is a less explicit reason he could be upping the pressure now. Some believe may be preparing the ground for a more provocative test – the detonation of a nuclear weapon for the first time in five years, or even a small-scale attack on South Korea.

    Last year he laid out a five-year plan, detailing all the new weapons he planned to develop. It included smaller battlefield nuclear bombs and short-range missiles to carry them. The recent tests are evidence Mr Kim is not only working his way through this weapons wish list but that he is training his troops to use them. He used some of the recent drills, he said, to simulate a nuclear attack on South Korea.

    Now Mr Kim needs attention. He needs the world to notice the progress he has made if he is one day to get harsh international sanctions on his country lifted. Sanctions haven’t stopped North Korea from developing weapons, as they were designed to, but they are hurting its economy.

    Talks aimed at reducing those sanctions have long stalled and North Korea is slipping down the global agenda. The world is far more concerned with the war in Ukraine, and the rise of an authoritarian China. President Biden’s position is that sanctions on North Korea can only be eased when it agrees to give up all its nuclear weapons.

    In the meantime, Washington and Seoul have agreed to strengthen their defence of the Peninsula by holding the military exercises Pyongyang hates so much, and responding to its provocations with force. Following the North’s latest round of missile launches and drills, South Korea sent up warplanes and shot artillery of its own.

    If Mr Kim is to get the US to negotiate on terms more favourable to him, he must prove how dangerous his country has become. Last month he declared North Korea to be a nuclear weapons state, a position he said was irreversible.

    We should be worried about how assertive it seems to have become, said Kim Jong-dae, a former advisor in South Korea’s Defence Ministry. He pointed out how in the past North Korea has waited until US forces have finished their military exercises before retaliating. This time they fired artillery into the sea while exercises were ongoing.

    “We have never seen this audacity and aggression before, it is different. It is the North acting like a nuclear state,” he said.

    The US and South Korean governments believe preparations for North Korea’s seventh nuclear weapon test are complete and the North is waiting for the opportune political moment to act. An attractive window is opening, with China’s Communist Party Conference now over and the US midterm elections approaching.

    Meanwhile, South Korea is in the midst of yet another round of war games, with the US scheduled to join in. These may well provide Kim Jong-un with the pretext he has been waiting for.

     

  • War refugees from Ukraine asked not to return this winter

    Ukrainian refugees have been told by their government not to return until spring to help relieve pressure on the energy system following a wave of Russian attacks.

    “The networks will not cope,” said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. “You see what Russia is doing.”

    “We need to survive the winter,” she added.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian air strikes had destroyed more than a third of the country’s energy sector.

    Ms Vereshchuk said that although she would like Ukrainians to return in the spring, it was important to refrain from returning for now because “the situation will only get worse”.

    “If it is possible, stay abroad for the time being,” she added.

    Ukraine’s economy has suffered badly since the war began. Mr Zelensky has called on the world for help urgently to cover an expected budget deficit of $38bn (£33bn) next year.

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Ukraine would need $3bn every month to survive the next year – and $5bn if Moscow’s bombardment intensified.

    The deputy mayor of the western city of Lviv, Serhiy Kiral, told the BBC on Saturday that Russia’s strategy was to damage critical infrastructure before the winter and bring the war to areas beyond the front line.

    Russia says it began attacking Ukraine’s energy networks in retaliation for an attack on a bridge linking mainland Russia to occupied Crimea, although Kyiv has not said it was behind the bridge attack.

    Areas targeted by the latest attacks include the Cherkasy region, southeast of the capital Kyiv, and the city of Khmelnytskyi, further west.

    On Friday Mr Zelensky accused Russia of planting mines at a hydroelectric dam in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, which is under the control of Moscow’s forces.

    He said that if the Kakhovka hydropower plant was destroyed, hundreds of thousands of people would be in danger of flooding. Russia has denied planning to blow up the dam and said Ukraine was firing missiles at it.

    Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, the UN’s refugee agency has recorded about 7.7 million refugees from Ukraine across Europe, including Russia, out of a population of about 44 million.

     

  • Democrats withdraw their call for Biden to reverse his position on Ukraine

    A group of left-wing Democrats in the United States Congress has withdrawn a letter calling for a negotiated settlement to the Ukraine conflict.

    According to the Progressive Caucus, the message was misinterpreted as aligning with the Republican Party’s growing reluctance to continue sending aid to Kyiv.

    Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal stated that it was written “months ago” and that it was released without being “vetted.”

    The memo sparked intra-party backlash before the US midterm elections next month.

    The letter to the White House was made public on Monday and was signed in June by 30 of President Joe Biden’s fellow Democrats in the House of Representatives.

    Its call for the US to negotiate directly with Russia was seen as undermining the Biden administration, which has repeatedly said Moscow is not interested in diplomacy.

    White House officials said in response that diplomacy is only possible when all sides are prepared to negotiate, and that is not currently the case.

    Massachusetts Democratic congressman Jake Auchincloss denounced the letter as “an olive branch to a war criminal who’s losing his war”, in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    Another Progressive Caucus member, Ruben Gallego, responded: “Russia doesn’t acknowledge diplomacy, only strength.

    “If we want Ukraine to continue as the free and democratic country that it is, we must support their fight.”

    Ms Jayapal, a Washington state congresswoman, said on Tuesday that she still supported an end to the war “with diplomacy”.

    She said the timing of the letter’s release meant it had “been conflated with [Republican] opposition”.

    Ms Jayapal continued: “It is a distraction at this time.”

    She accused Republicans of planning to withdraw financial and military support for Ukraine if they win a majority in Congress next month.

    Republican congressman Kevin McCarthy warned earlier this month that if his party takes power in November there will be no “blank cheque” for Ukraine.

    Other signatories to the letter included New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a leading figure in the party’s socialist wing, and Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin, who has taken a lead role in the Democrats’ efforts to investigate former President Donald Trump.

    Mr Raskin disavowed the letter on Tuesday in a statement condemning Russia as “a world centre of antifeminist, antigay, anti-trans hatred”. He praised the Ukrainian armed forces for recruiting women and “sexual minorities”.

    Ms Ocasio-Cortez has faced pressure over Ukraine at recent public appearances.

    One heckler at a town hall-style event accused her of voting for nuclear war with Russia and China, shouting: “Why are you playing with the lives of American citizens?”

     

  • Google: India orders Google to pay an additional $113 million fine

    Google has been fined 9 billion rupees ($113 million; £98 million) by India’s competition regulator for anti-competitive practises, the second such penalty in less than a week.

    Google was accused by the regulator of “abusing” its dominant position in the app store by forcing app developers to use its in-app payment system.

    It requested that the tech behemoth not prohibit app developers from using third-party billing or payment services.

    Google said it was reviewing the allegations.

    “By keeping costs low, our model has powered India’s digital transformation and expanded access for hundreds of millions of Indians,” a Google spokesperson told the BBC.

    “We remain committed to our users and developers and are reviewing the decision to evaluate the next steps,” the spokesperson added.

    In a 199-page order released on Tuesday, the Competition Commission of India (CCI)said that Google was implementing certain policies on its Play Store that required app developers to “exclusively” use its payments system for distributing or selling apps and in-app services.

     

    The regulator asked Google to adopt eight remedies or operations adjustments within three months, including not restricting “app developers from using any third-party billing/payment processing services, either for in-app purchases or for purchasing apps”, according to Reuters.

    “Google should ensure complete transparency in communicating with app developers and details about service fees charged,” the CCI added.

    The order is the latest setback for Google, which is facing a series of anti-trust allegations in India.

    Last week, the company was fined 13bn rupees ($161m; £144m) for using its Android platform to dominate the market.

    The CCI said the tech giant was entering into forced agreements with players in the space to ensure that its bouquet of apps – such as Google Chrome, YouTube, Google Maps and others – were used.

    The Android-related inquiry was started in 2019, following complaints by consumers of Android smartphones. The case is similar to the one Google faced in Europe, where regulators imposed a $5bn fine on the company for using its Android operating system to gain an unfair advantage in the market.

    Google had called CCI’s decision “a major setback for Indian consumers and businesses”, adding that it will review the order and decide on the next steps.

  • Reports: Indonesian woman’s body was discovered dead inside a python

    According to local reports, a python killed and swallowed a woman in Indonesia’s Jambi province.

    Jahrah, a rubber tapper in her fifties, had arrived at a rubber plantation on Sunday morning.

    She went missing after failing to return home that night, and search parties were dispatched to find her. A day later, villagers discovered a python with a large stomach.

    Locals later killed the snake and found her body inside.

    “The victim was found in the snake’s stomach,” Betara Jambi police chief AKP S Harefa told local media outlets, adding that her body appeared to be largely intact when it was found.

    He said the victim’s husband had on Sunday night found some of her clothes and tools she had used at the rubber plantation, leading him to call on a search party.

    After the snake – which was at least 5m (16ft) long – was spotted on Monday, villagers then caught and killed it to verify the victim’s identity.

    “After they cut the belly apart, they found it was Jahrah inside,” Mr Harefa told CNN Indoneisa.

    Though such incidents are rare, this is not the first time someone in Indonesia has been killed and eaten by a python. Two similar deaths were reported in the country between 2017 and 2018.

    Pythons swallow their food whole. Their jaws are connected by very flexible ligaments so they can stretch around large prey.

    One expert had earlier told the BBC that pythons typically eat rats and other animals, “but once they reach a certain size it’s almost like they don’t bother with rats anymore because the calories are not worth it”.

    “In essence, they can go as large as their prey goes,” said Mary-Ruth Low, conservation & research officer for Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

    That can include animals as large as pigs or even cows.