Friday, April 4, 2025

BIG Wrap

670 people feared buried in Papua New Guinea landslide

(BBC News) About 670 people are estimated to be buried under a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea, a UN official says. The head of the International Organization for Migration in the country, Serhan Aktoprak, said the impact of Friday's landslide in the isolated Enga province was greater than initially thought. "There are an estimated 150-plus houses now buried," Aktoprak said. The affected areas are in the highlands of Enga, in the north of the island nation...

No sign Israel will change course after UN court ruling

(BBC News) This was the outcome Israel sought to avoid: a demand to halt a military operation the government regards as essential for the defeat of Hamas and the return of hostages. But there is no immediate indication that Israel will change course as a result of Friday's ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Its tanks are pushing closer to the centre of Rafah, and just as the decision was being read out, a...

Putin’s military purge echoes Prigozhin’s call to act

(BBC News) When one top defence official is arrested in Russia, that is interesting.   When five senior defence figures are handcuffed in less than a month, that is a purge.   The latest senior military man to be locked up is Lt Gen Vadim Shamarin, deputy chief of the army’s general staff and head of the Main Communications Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces. Accused of large-scale bribe-taking, he’s been placed in pre-trial detention for two months.   Hours later...

‘Strong punishment’ – China initiates military drills around Taiwan

(Al Jazeera Media Network) China has started military drills surrounding the self-governing island of Taiwan, according to Chinese state media. The state-run Xinhua news agency said the Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army started the drills at 7:45 am (23:45 GMT) on Thursday in the Taiwan Strait, the north, south, and east of Taiwan, as well as areas around the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin. Military spokesman Li Xi said the joint...

Sunak announces UK general election for July 4

(BBC News) Rishi Sunak has vowed to "fight for every vote" as he called an early UK general election for Thursday, July 4. The PM made the announcement in a rain-soaked speech outside 10 Downing Street, as he bids to win a fifth term in office for the Conservatives. The surprise move overturned expectations of an autumn poll, which might have given the Tories a better chance of closing the gap with Labour. Sir Keir Starmer said...

Former Royal Marine charged with spying for China found dead

(The Telegraph) A former Royal Marine who was charged with spying on Hong Kong activists in the UK has been found dead in England. Matthew Trickett, 37, who was awaiting trial, was found dead in Grenfell Park, Maidenhead, on Sunday at 5.15 pm. Thames Valley police said an investigation was ongoing into his death, which was being treated as unexplained. It comes after Trickett appeared at Westminster magistrates’ court last Monday alongside co-defendants Chi Leung Wai, 38, and Chung...

Thousands attend Iran president’s funeral procession

(BBC News) Thousands of Iranians gathered on the streets of Tabriz to mourn President Ebrahim Raisi after he was killed in a helicopter crash. Mourners followed a funeral procession through the city in northwest Iran while waving Iranian flags and portraits of the late president. Raisi and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in a mountainous area of Iran on Sunday. On Tuesday, crowds of mourners followed a lorry carrying the coffins of Raisi and...

Israeli officials seize AP equipment, citing alleged media law violation

(Al Jazeera Media Network) Israeli officials have seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to the Associated Press (AP) news agency in southern Israel, accusing the organization of violating a new media law by providing images to Al Jazeera. Qatari-owned media network and satellite channel Al Jazeera is among thousands of clients that receive live video feeds from the AP and other news organizations. “The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms the actions of the...

Death toll rises to six in New Caledonia riots

(Al Jazeera Media Network) Another person has been killed in France’s Pacific Islands territory of New Caledonia as security personnel try to restore order, taking the death toll from nearly a week of unrest and looting to six. French security forces reported the sixth fatality on Saturday following armed clashes over France’s plan to impose new voting rules that could give tens of thousands of non-Indigenous residents voting rights. The territory is “on a destructive path,” warned...

Hell on Earth’ as violence escalates in Sudan’s el-Fasher

(Al Jazeera Media Network) The United Nations human rights chief has expressed horror over the escalating violence in Sudan’s North Darfur region as one official described the worsening situation on the ground as “hell of Earth”. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering in el-Fasher without basic supplies amid fears that nearby fighting will turn into an all-out battle for the city, the last stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the western...