Greece passes draconian legislation with prison terms for rejected asylum seekers pred 20 urami in 19 minutami Those who have asylum claims rejected and do not leave within 14 days will face prison terms of two to five yearsGreece has passed draconian legislation that could mean rejected asylum seekers receiving prison terms, fines and orders to wear ankle tags, in a move that reflects the centre-right government’s continued attempts to deter undocumented migrants from arriving on its soil.The tough penalties usher in an unprecedented era of zero tolerance for people who remain in the country if their asylum claims are denied. As a frontier state, long viewed as a gateway to Europe, Greece has had a surge in migrant arrivals this year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pilot aims to set round-the-world age record – and get home for 16th birthday pred 20 urami in 23 minutami Byron Waller, accompanied by instructor but doing all the flying, stops off in England on way round back to AustraliaAt 15 years and 10 months of age, Byron Waller can’t order a pint and has never driven a car, but on Wednesday afternoon he landed his small plane at an airport in Brighton, on England’s south coast. It was the 16th or so stop (he can’t quite remember) of a remarkable airborne odyssey that he hopes will make him the youngest supported pilot to fly around the world.The adventure began at his home in Brisbane, Australia, four weeks ago and has taken the teenager across the Indian Ocean and through the Middle East to Europe, from where he will venture around the other half of the globe back home. Though he is accompanied by an instructor – global aviation rules not easily permitting children to fly around the world on their own – Byron does all the flying of their tiny single-engined Sling TSi aircraft. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democrats blast state department for lack of ‘basic oversight’ of controversial Gaza food organization pred 20 urami in 28 minutami Letter by senior Democrats asks state department to reveal details behind financing of Gaza Humanitarian FoundationSenior Democratic senators have called on the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, to reveal details behind the financing and oversight of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) amid concerns over rising death tolls near aid sites, the group’s apparent coordination with the Israeli army and its reported use of private military contractors linked to intelligence operations.The letter, co-signed by senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen and Peter Welch, accuses the state department of an “inability to answer basic questions about GHF in a timely manner” and said that the department’s “overriding of internal protocol and staff warnings is particularly concerning given it is unlikely to be able to conduct basic oversight of the funds it provided to GHF”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Top Obama-era Latin American expert warns of ‘disastrous’ US intervention in Venezuela pred 20 urami in 44 minutami US military buildup and attack on alleged narco boat spark fears of protracted guerrilla war in South AmericaTrump’s Venezuela gunboat diplomacy: sabre-rattling or prelude to invasion?The White House’s former top Latin America official has said he fears the US could stumble into a protracted guerrilla war in Venezuela after Donald Trump ordered a military strike on a boat in the Caribbean Sea, killing 11 alleged drug traffickers.Tuesday’s controversial strike off the Venezuelan coast – which was reportedly carried out by an attack helicopter or Reaper drone – came after the US president ordered a major naval deployment to the region, ostensibly to combat South American drug traffickers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Shein opens investigation after shirt listing displayed image resembling Luigi Mangione pred 21 urami in 29 minutami Company removed image on website that appeared to show Mangione in a white shirt reportedly priced just under $10The clothing company Shein said it has opened an internal investigation after its website briefly displayed a shirt listing featuring an image resembling Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, in New York last year.The image appeared to show Mangione in a short-sleeved white shirt, and the top was reportedly priced at just under $10. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Budget compromise needed if PM ousted, says French finance minister pred 21 urami in 54 minutami Éric Lombard says he hopes François Bayrou will survive vote and dismisses talk of looming debt crisisThe French finance minister, Éric Lombard, has said the government would have to compromise on plans to cut the budget deficit if the prime minister, François Bayrou, is toppled in a confidence vote next week.Lombard told the Financial Times that fresh negotiations would require the government to make concessions to the left to reduce the size of the fiscal package if the government falls. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
People banished to Nauru by Australia face hostile reception as $2.5bn cost of deal revealed pred 21 urami in 56 minutami Home affairs department reveals just-signed transfer deal, worth $408m upfront to Nauru, forecast to cost Australia $2.5bn over 30 yearsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe group of noncitizens set to be banished by Australia to Nauru for 30 years face a potentially hostile reception because they have been described as “violent” and “appalling” by the Australian government.The forcible transfer of the so-called NZYQ group – and potentially thousands more under legislation currently before parliament – to the tiny island is being quietly resented by Nauruans, sources on the island have told Guardian Australia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More than 1,000 health workers urge Kennedy to quit over anti-vax policies pred 21 urami in 57 minutami Letter says Kennedy installed ideologues, endangered US health and ignored pleas as resignations mounted at CDCUS politics live – latest updatesA letter published on Wednesday from more than 1,000 past and present workers of the Department of Health and Human Services department (HHS) has demanded the resignation of Robert F Kennedy Jr, insisting the health secretary’s attacks on vaccines endangered the lives of all Americans.The hard-hitting letter, addressed to Congress members, blames Kennedy for turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including the firing of the agency’s chief and replacement by a Donald Trump loyalist with no medical or scientific background. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
DC mayor Bowser signs order aligning city with Trump’s military occupation pred 22 urami in 3 minutami Order sets rules for federal forces as locals stage noise protests, block indictments and demand home ruleUS politics live – latest updatesWashington DC’s mayor, Muriel Bowser bowed to Donald Trump’s military occupation of the nation’s capital on Tuesday, signing an executive order that formalizes cooperation with federal forces even as residents push back against the deployment.The Tuesday order establishes the “Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center” – borrowing from Trump’s own branding – to institutionalize collaboration between city officials and various federal agencies including the FBI. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Impatience in Madrid as Pedro Sánchez puts Europe’s inaction on Gaza in the spotlight pred 22 urami in 6 minutami In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Spain’s prime minister admitted that the EU’s refusal to hold Israel to account amounts to failure. Plus, Russia’s ‘undeniable interference’Against the scale of civilian slaughter, famine and mounting evidence of war crimes in Gaza, Europe’s political leaders have been passive to the point of complicity, argue many human rights advocates and even former high-ranking EU officials.Now the Spanish prime minister has come close to acknowledging as much. In an interview with the Guardian, Pedro Sánchez characterised Europe’s refusal to act against the Israeli government as a moral and political failure that would damage its global credibility for years to come. Sánchez warned that Europe’s response to “one of the darkest episodes of the 21st century” has been “a failure, absolutely”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
