Myanmar junta holds second phase of election widely decried as a ‘sham exercise’ pred 20 urami in 44 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 20 urami in 46 minutami 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 21 urami in 22 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 21 urami in 47 minutami 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 21 urami in 47 minutami 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)
