Category: International

Samuel Paty: French schoolgirl admits lying about murdered teacher

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Samuel Paty’s death sparked protests in France A French schoolgirl has admitted to spreading false claims about a teacher before he was murdered last year. Samuel Paty was beheaded in October after showing students cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The girl, whose complaints sparked an online campaign against Paty, has now admitted that she was not in the class. Mr Paty’s killing stunned France and led to an outpouring of support at memorial ceremonies and marches around the country. The 13-year-old girl, who has not been officially named, originally told…

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Meghan and Harry interview: Tabloid racism ‘large part’ of why we left UK, says duke

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The Duke of Sussex has said racism from the tabloid press that filtered into the rest of society was a “large part” of why he and his wife left the UK. Prince Harry told Oprah Winfrey that the UK tabloid media is “bigoted” and creates a “toxic environment” of “control and fear”. He said he thought the Prince of Wales had to “make peace with it”. The Society of Editors said the media is not bigoted and is holding the “rich and powerful to account”. Meghan said social media had…

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Nigeria kidnappings: The Chibok captive who defied Boko Haram

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Mass kidnappings of children in Nigeria have been making global headlines recently and this has been hard to watch for a young woman who was abducted in an infamous attack on a school in Chibok. Naomi Adamu is quiet. As she talks she rarely makes eye contact, keeping her voice low and steady. Upon meeting her, few would suspect she survived one of the most harrowing experiences a young woman could go through. But her timid demeanour belies an extraordinary strength of character. Naomi, 24 at the time of the…

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Myanmar coup: UN calls for release of ‘trapped’ protesters

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More than 200 people are thought to be trapped in the Sanchaung district The UN has appealed to the military in Myanmar for the safe release of hundreds of protesters believed to be trapped inside an apartment block. Security forces are thought to have cornered the group of about 200 people in a district of Yangon since Monday. The UN Human Rights Office said the group had been protesting peacefully and should be allowed to leave. Mass protests have been seen across Myanmar since the military seized power on 1…

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What’s causing vaccine delays in some Asian countries?

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An estimated 160 million Covid-19 vaccinations have been administered so far globally, but most of that has been in the US and Europe. In the Asian region, vaccination programmes are steadily progressing in places like India which says it has administered around 14 million doses since January. In others countries however, vaccine programmes are either yet to begin or are still at a very early stage. The reasons for this have been varied – ranging from an abundance of caution to high levels of vaccine scepticism. We looked at some…

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The woman with HIV helping others have a ‘good death’

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Thembi Nkambule has been there for hundreds of people dying from Aids in Eswatini – a country where one in four people have HIV. These are the lessons she has learned on what it means to have “a good death”. Thembi sees three kinds of death. The first is the most common. The person looks at her with blank eyes that say, “It’s over. I’ve given up.” Thembi watches as they close their eyes and let go. A life lived in secrecy ending in shame. This is a bad death.…

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George Floyd death: How will jurors be selected in Derek Chauvin trial?

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Chauvin faces trial after posting a $1m bail in October It was video footage seen across the world – Derek Chauvin with his knee pressed on the neck of George Floyd for about nine minutes before he died. Now the former US police officer faces trial on second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. Three other dismissed officers will stand trial together later this year but proceedings in Chauvin’s trial will start Monday, when jury selection begins. How will the jury be picked? A pool of eligible local citizens have been…

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Afghanistan conflict: US warns of new Taliban ‘spring offensive’

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  The Taliban could make rapid military gains across Afghanistan when American and Nato troops pull out, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has warned. Under a deal between the Taliban and the previous Trump administration, all remaining US forces are due to leave the country by the end of next month. But in a letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Mr Blinken has warned of a possible new “spring offensive”. US soldiers invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to remove the Taliban from power. The American military operation was in response…

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UK foreign aid: Yemen cut condemned by charities

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Displaced Yemenis in the western province of Hodeida receive food aid donated by a British organisation More than 100 UK charities have condemned the government’s decision to cut aid to Yemen, following cross-party criticism. At least £87 million has been pledged in aid to the Middle Eastern country, down from £164m in 2019-2020. A Foreign Office spokesman said the government remained “steadfast” in its support to the Yemeni people. Yemen is among several Middle Eastern and African countries whose UK aid is at risk, a leaked email suggests. First reported…

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Budget 2021: Four things missing from Rishi Sunak

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Chancellors like to claim their Budgets include something for everyone, and Rishi Sunak’s tax and spend statement on Wednesday certainly cast the net wide. There were short-term policies to tackle the impact of Covid-19 and long-term plans for righting the nation’s finances. But some people still feel there were gaps, areas where he could have done more: for those struggling to make ends meet, for example, and on action to fast-track the switch to a low carbon economy. Here are four areas where critics and commentators were surprised by what…

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