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President Joe Biden has directed law enforcement and intelligence officials in his administration to study the threat of domestic violent extremism in the United States, an undertaking being launched weeks after a mob of insurgents loyal to Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol.The disclosure on Friday by White House press secretary Jen Psaki is a stark acknowledgement of the national security threat that officials see as posed by American extremists motivated to violence by radical ideology.The…
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The first comprehensive internal inquiry on sex abuse allegations by a religious order in Spain has identified 81 children and 37 adult victims of 96 Jesuits since the late 1920s, a much higher number than the cases that had so far been publicly known.Associations of victims are welcoming the disclosure, but they see it falling short since the names of perpetrators or those who covered up the abuses were not disclosed. They also want the Jesuits’ inquiry to lead to proper criminal cases against…
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to send the article of impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate on Monday, launching the start of the former president’s trial on a charge of incitement of insurrection over the deadly Capitol riot.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the schedule Friday.“There will be a trial,” Schumer said. “It will be a full trial, it will be a fair trial”Trump is the first president to be impeached twice and the first to face a trial after leaving office…
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A government-sanctioned look back at the early fight against COVID-19 differs sharply from a documentary directed by artist and dissident Ai Weiwei.
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Iran’s capital and major cities plunged into darkness in recent weeks as rolling outages left millions without electricity for hours. Traffic lights died. Offices went dark. Online classes stopped.With toxic smog blanketing Tehran skies and the country buckling under the pandemic and other mounting crises, social media has been rife with speculation. Soon, fingers pointed at an unlikely culprit: Bitcoin.Within days, as frustration spread among residents, the government launched a wide-ranging…
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Ultra-Orthodox Jews attacked an unmarked Israeli police vehicle overnight, pelting it with stones and smashing the windows while officers were inside, and igniting a riot in which at least six people were arrested, police said on Friday.The violence erupted in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox town near Tel Aviv. Tensions have run high between police and Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community throughout the coronavirus pandemic as many have openly defied lockdown restrictions to hold religious gatherings…
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China is rolling out a state-backed film praising Wuhan ahead of the anniversary of the 76-day lockdown in the central city where the coronavirus was first detected.The documentary Days and Nights in Wuhan features contributions from 30 filmmakers portraying the suffering and sacrifices made by the city’s 11 million residents, medical staff and front-line workers as they battled the virus that began racing through the city in December 2019.The film is one of at least three documentaries…
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In a final swipe at China, the Trump administration’s outgoing UN ambassador tweeted that it was time for the world to oppose China’s efforts to exclude and isolate Taiwan, drawing sharp criticism from Beijing.To make the point even more graphic, ambassador Kelly Craft accompanied the tweet with a photo of herself in the UN General Assembly, where the island is banned. And she carried a handbag with a stuffed Taiwan bear sticking out of the top – a gift from Taiwan’s representative in New York,…
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Donald Trump is returning to a family business ravaged by pandemic shutdowns and restrictions, with revenue plunging more than 40 per cent at his Doral golf property, his Washington hotel and both his Scottish resorts over the past year.Trump’s 2020 financial disclosure released as he left office this week was just the latest bad news for his financial empire after banks, real estate brokerages and golf organisations announced they were cutting ties with his company following the storming of…
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Twin suicide bombings ripped through a busy market in the Iraqi capital Thursday, killing at least 32 people and wounding dozens, officials said.The rare suicide bombing attack hit the Bab al-Sharqi commercial area in central Baghdad amid heightened political tensions over planned early elections and a severe economic crisis. Blood smeared the floors of the busy market amid piles of clothes and shoes as survivors took stock of the disarray in the aftermath.No one immediately took responsibility…
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Across Asia, high prices for fruits, vegetables, and dairy products have made it “nearly impossible” for low income families to have healthy diets.
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An emotional Lady Gaga performed a dramatic version of the US national anthem, Garth Brooks sang a cappella, and Tom Hanks hosted a star-studded nighttime celebration to cap President Joe Biden’s inauguration.Grammy winner Lady Gaga wore a huge dove-shaped brooch and an impressively billowing red sculpted skirt as she sang into a golden microphone, delivering an emotional and powerful rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner. She was followed at Wednesday’s ceremony by Jennifer Lopez, dressed all…
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At least four doctors began a hunger strike on Wednesday as a protest against the substandard working conditions that Peru’s medical workers say they have faced in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.The hunger strike in Peru’s capital, Lima, is the latest action by health care workers asking the government to improve their work environment. Medical personnel have been protesting for a week just as a second wave of coronavirus cases is hitting the country.“We are concerned about the abandonment…
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Dozens of British music stars including Elton John, Ed Sheeran and conductor Simon Rattle say musicians have been “shamefully failed” by the British government, which has left them facing post-Brexit restrictions on touring in the European Union.In a letter published on Wednesday in the Times of London, more than 100 musicians including Sting, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters and Roger Daltrey of The Who, along with the heads of major arts institutions, said the new UK-EU trade deal that took effect…
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Two Florida men, including a self-described organiser for the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, were arrested on Wednesday for taking part in the siege of the US Capitol earlier this month, authorities said.Joseph Biggs, 37, was arrested in central Florida and faces charges of obstructing an official proceeding before Congress, entering a restricted area on the groups of the US Capitol and disorderly conduct.According to an arrest affidavit, Biggs was part of a crowd on January 6 that…
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Residents of a tiny Indian village surrounded by rice paddies flocked to a Hindu temple, setting off firecrackers and praying and as they watched Kamala Harris, who has strong roots in the village, take her oath of office and become the US vice-president on Wednesday.Groups of women in bright saris and men wearing white dhoti pants watched the inauguration live as reporters broadcast the villagers’ celebrations to millions of Indians.The villagers chanted “Long live Kamala Harris” while holding…
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The proposal would have made the U.K. the first country in the world to allow genocide cases to be considered in domestic courts.
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As President Donald Trump entered the final year of his term last January, the US recorded its first confirmed case of Covid-19. Not to worry, Trump insisted, his administration had the virus “totally under control”.Now, in his final hours in office, after a year of presidential denials of reality and responsibility, the pandemic’s US death toll has eclipsed 400,000. And the loss of lives is accelerating.“This is just one step on an ominous path of fatalities,” said Dr Irwin Redlener, director…
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Two US Army National Guard members have been removed from the presidential inauguration security mission after they were found to have ties with right-wing militia groups, according to two US Army officials. There was no threat to president-elect Joe Biden, they said.The officials did not say which fringe group the Guard members belonged to or what unit they served in. The officials were not authorised to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.The removal comes as the FBI has warned…
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A woman was found guilty of violating the lese majeste law for posting audio clips to Facebook and YouTube with comments deemed critical of the monarchy.
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President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, leaving her poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the US Senate.A paediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Democratic Governor Tom Wolf in 2017, making her one of the few transgender people serving in elected or appointed positions nationwide.She won past confirmation by…
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Masks off the minute you step inside. Bars packed and pulsing like it’s 2019. Social media stars waving bottles of champagne. DJs spinning party tunes through multi-hour brunches.Since becoming one of the world’s first destinations to open up for tourism, Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, has promoted itself as the ideal pandemic holiday spot. It cannot afford otherwise, analysts say, as the virus shakes the foundations of the city state’s economy.With its cavernous malls, frenetic…
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A South Korean court’s recent ruling is likely to further complicate bilateral relations between the two U.S. allies.
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Pakistan’s prime minister reacted angrily on Monday to media reports of a text exchange between an Indian TV anchor and a former media industry executive that suggested a 2019 Indian air strike inside Pakistan was designed to boost Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s chances for re-election.Imran Khan took to Twitter to respond to Indian media reports of a WhatsApp exchange between popular Indian TV anchor Arnab Goswami and Partho Dasgupta, the former head of a TV rating company.The purported…
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Jeanne Pouchain has an unusual problem. She’s officially dead. She has been trying for three years to prove that she is alive.The 58-year-old French woman says she lives in constant fear, not daring to leave her house in the village of Saint Joseph, in the Loire region. Authorities seized her car over an unpaid debt she contests and which is at the centre of her troubles. She fears the family furniture will be next.Pouchain’s status has prevented her and her husband, who is her legal…
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Japan and Britain plan a videoconference of their foreign and defence ministers in February to boost security cooperation, amid China’s rising assertiveness in the East and South China seas, sources close to the matter said Monday.If realised, the ministers will likely agree to work closely on Britain’s plan to dispatch an aircraft carrier strike group, centred on the warship Queen Elizabeth, to the western Pacific for joint naval exercises, the sources said.They are expected to share concerns…
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Washington has barely had time to process the implications of Democratic control after two Georgia run-off elections that are delivering the Senate to Democrats. Hours after the races were decided, a mob of zealots ransacked the US Capitol and reshaped the national and political landscape.The unexpected new balance of power giving Democrats only the barest control of Congress has big consequences for next president – easy confirmation of his Cabinet most importantly – but the road ahead for the…
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While most major economies struggle to recover from the pandemic, the Chinese economy shows signs of growth across sectors.
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Aid was on Monday reaching the thousands of people left homeless and struggling after an earthquake that killed at least 81 people on an Indonesian island, as rescuers intensified their work to find those buried in the rubble.More rescuers and volunteers were deployed in the hardest-hit city of Mamuju and the neighbouring district of Majene on Sulawesi island, where the magnitude 6.2 quake struck early on Friday, said Raditya Jati, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s spokesperson.He said…
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US defence officials say they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event.The massive undertaking reflects the extraordinary security concerns that have gripped Washington following the deadly January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol by pro-Trump rioters. And it underscores fears that some of the very…
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