Myanmar junta holds second phase of election widely decried as a ‘sham exercise’ pred 15 urami in 59 minutami UN and many western countries as well as human rights groups say that in the absence of a meaningful opposition the election is neither free, fair nor credibleVoters in war-torn Myanmar queued up on Sunday to cast their ballots in the second stage of a military-run election, following low turnout in the initial round of polls that have been widely criticised as a tool to formalise junta rule.Myanmar has been ravaged by conflict since the military ousted a civilian government in a 2021 coup and detained its leader, Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking a civil war that has engulfed large parts of the impoverished nation of 51 million people. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bob Weir, co-founder of rock group the Grateful Dead, dies at age 78 pred 16 urami in 2 minutama Rhythm guitarist helped guide the legendary jam band through decades of change and successVeteran rock musician Bob Weir, the Grateful Dead’s rhythm guitarist who helped guide the legendary jam band through decades of change and success, has died at age 78, according to a statement posted to his verified Instagram account on Friday.He was diagnosed with cancer in July and “succumbed to underlying lung issues” surrounded by loved ones, the statement said. It did not mention when or where he died. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US protests condemn ICE killing of Renee Good and ‘a regime that is willing to kill its own citizens’ pred 16 urami in 38 minutami In Philadelphia, protesters demanded ICE leave US communities and Trump end warmongering in VenezuelaOn a rainy Saturday in Philadelphia, two separate protests, both with a few hundred people, marched from city hall to the federal detention center. They differed slightly in solutions as well as crowd makeup – white older adults dominated the morning’s march organized by the groups behind the No Kings protests, while a more racially diverse crowd swathed in keffiyehs and N95 face masks led the afternoon’s, planned by the local Democratic Socialists of America chapter. However, both groups shared a goal: for ICE to get out of American communities and to put an end to Donald Trump’s warmongering in Venezuela.“From Venezuela to Minneapolis, all we’re seeing is a regime that is scrambling, willing to kill its own citizens, willing to kill foreign citizens, to maintain its power,” said Deborah Rose Hinchey, co-chair of the city’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Succession creator Jesse Armstrong says he struggles with impostor syndrome pred 17 urami in 2 minutama Award-winning screenwriter tells Desert Island Discs that success has not silenced self-doubtThe award-winning screenwriter Jesse Armstrong has said a writers’ room can feel like “walking on the moon” when it is working well, but has admitted to experiencing impostor syndrome during his career.Armstrong was behind the hit HBO drama Succession, starring Brian Cox as the global media tycoon and family patriarch Logan Roy, who sets off a power struggle among his four children. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ban social media for under-16s, top teaching union urges UK government pred 17 urami in 2 minutama NASUWT says evidence growing that unregulated access affects behaviour in school and harms mental healthOne of the UK’s biggest teaching unions has called on the government to ban social media for under-16s over concerns about mental health and concentration.The Teachers’ Union (NASUWT) wants legislation to be tightened so big tech firms would face penalties for allowing children to access their platforms. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US urges its citizens to flee Venezuela amid reports of paramilitaries pred 17 urami in 10 minutami State department says armed ‘colectivos’ appear to be setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for AmericansThe United States has urged its citizens to leave Venezuela immediately amid reports that armed paramilitaries are trying to track down US citizens, one week after the capture of the South American country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.In a security alert sent out on Saturday, the state department said there were reports of armed members of pro-regime militias, known as colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence that the occupants were US citizens or supporters of the country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mississippi man charged with six murders, including father, brother and a child pred 18 urami in 11 minutami Officials expect charge against Daricka Moore, 24, to be elevated to capital murder, with death penalty consideredAuthorities in Clay county, Mississippi, say a man has been taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder following the fatal shootings of six people, including a child, on Friday night.Daricka Moore, 24, is accused of killing multiple relatives as well as a local pastor before his arrest, according to Clay county sheriff Eddie Scott, who addressed the case during a Saturday news conference. Officials said the charge against Moore, who lives in the county, is expected to be elevated to capital murder, and prosecutors could seek the death penalty if he is determined to be mentally competent. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US and allies strike Islamic State in Syria after attack that killed three Americans pred 18 urami in 54 minutami Military says it targeted the jihadist group throughout Syria in response to attack on US and Syrian troops in PalmyraUS and allied forces carried out “large-scale” strikes against the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria on Saturday, the US military said, in the latest response to an attack last month that left three Americans dead.Washington said a lone gunman from the militant group carried out the 13 December attack in Palmyra, which killed two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter. The area is home to Unesco-listed ancient ruins and was once controlled by jihadist fighters. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Service door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says pred 20 urami in 18 minutami Jacques Moretti, who is in custody, told Swiss prosecutor’s office he forced door open and found people lying behind itThe French owner of the Swiss bar where 40 people died in a fire during new year celebrations has told investigators a service door had been locked from the inside.Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Constellation bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, was taken into custody on Friday, as prosecutors investigated the tragedy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pardoned January 6 defendant runs for Florida political office pred 21 urami in 16 minutami Adam Johnson served 75 days in prison before being pardoned by Donald Trump in January 2025A Florida man who was convicted then pardoned by Donald Trump after he grabbed then House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern and posed for photographs with it during the US Capitol riot is running for county office.Adam Johnson filed to run as a Republican for an at-large seat on the Manatee county commission on Tuesday. That was the fifth anniversary of the January 6 riot, when he was photographed smiling and waving as he carried Pelosi’s lectern after the pro-Trump mob’s attack in 2021. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
