International news Archives - Page 16 of 18

Former SA President Jacob Zuma sentenced

29Jun

By Nasra HusseinNo Comments

International news

Former SA President Jacob Zuma sentenced

South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma has been sentenced to 15 months by the highest court in the country. This came after the Constitutional Court found him guilty of contempt after defying the court's order to appear at an inquiry into corruption while he was president. Zuma's time in power, which ended in 2018, was dogged by graft allegations. Businessmen were accused of conspiring with politicians to influence the decision-making process. The former president made one appearance at the inquiry into what has become known as "state capture" but then refused to appear subsequently. The inquiry - headed by Justice Raymond Zondo - asked the Constitutional Court to intervene. It is not clear if Zuma will now be arrested. In a separate legal matter, Zuma pleaded...

Libya’s stateless ethnic groups and an upcoming election

28Jun

By Nasra HusseinNo Comments

International news

Libya’s stateless ethnic groups and an upcoming election

Libyan expectations are high and candidates are beginning to express interest in running for the elections scheduled for December this year. These have been delayed three years following a military campaign on the capital Tripoli by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar’s Tobruk-based government in the east. The new interim Government of National Unity (GNU) is a provisional government body that was sworn in on March 15. It was tasked to lead the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to presidential and parliamentary elections later this year. Although many Libyans are eager to take to the polls, the country’s ethnic minorities risk being overlooked in the electoral process. These include the Amazigh, Tuareg, and Tebu. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNH...

Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in death of George Floyd

26Jun

By Nasra HusseinNo Comments

International news

Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in death of George Floyd

Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who killed George Floyd on a Minneapolis street last year, was sentenced Friday to 22 and half years in prison. Chauvin, in a light gray suit and tie and white shirt, spoke briefly before the sentence was imposed, offering his "condolences to the Floyd family." Under Minnesota law, Chauvin will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence, or 15 years -- and he will be eligible for supervised release for the remaining seven and a half years. The sentence exceeds the Minnesota sentencing guideline range of 10 years and eight months to 15 years for the crime. Floyd's death sparked massive protests across the nation over police brutality. Judge Peter Cahill said the sentence was not based on emotion or public opinion. He wanted to "ack...

Multi-storey building partially collapses in Miami.

24Jun

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International news

Multi-storey building partially collapses in Miami.

A rescue operation is under way in Miami-Dade County, Florida, after a 12-storey building partially collapsed during the night. Images from Surfside, just north of Miami Beach, show a huge pile of rubble down one side of what appears to be a residential apartment building. There were no immediate reports of people injured or trapped. Dozens of rescue units are at the scene of the collapse, which is said to have happened at around 02:00 (07:00 GMT). Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said they had sent 80 vehicles to the scene. Police are also assisting with the rescue operation. Police gave the building's location as 8777 Collins Avenue, the address of the 12-storey Champlain Towers, which contains more than 100 beachfront apartments, according to the Miami Herald.

Hong Kong pro-democracy paper announces closure

23Jun

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International news

Hong Kong pro-democracy paper announces closure

Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy paper Apple Daily has announced its closure, in a blow to media freedom in the city. The tabloid's offices were raided last week over allegations that several reports had breached a controversial national security law. Police detained the chief editor and five other executives, and company-linked assets were frozen. The publication had become a leading critic of the Hong Kong and Chinese leadership. The digital version of the 26-year old paper will no longer be updated after midnight. A separate announcement by publisher Next Digital thanked the readers for their "loyal support" as well as its journalists, staff and advertisers. The tabloid has long been a beacon of media freedom in the Chinese-speaking world, and is a widely read an...

Italy to lift mandatory masks outdoors as pandemic slows

22Jun

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International news

Italy to lift mandatory masks outdoors as pandemic slows

People in Italy will no longer have to wear masks outdoors from June 28, the government has said, as COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations decline in one of Europe’s worst-hit countries by the pandemic. Mandatory masks were imposed in October last year, when the country was entering a second wave of infections and authorities were struggling to curb a surging national caseload. Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s government has been steadily lifting restrictions since April, allowing restaurants, bars, cinemas and gyms to reopen and permitting freedom of movement around the country. The wearing of masks was one of the last rules to remain in place. It will not be lifted entirely, the government said on Monday; people will still be required to wear masks in indoor public areas and ...

European Union to lift sanctions against Burundi

22Jun

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International news

European Union to lift sanctions against Burundi

The European Union (EU) has started processes of lifting sanctions against Burundi that stop financial aid to the Burundian government, EU Ambassador to Burundi Claude Bochu said Monday. In March 2016, the EU suspended its direct financial support to the Burundian government following the political crisis sparked by the controversial third term bid of then President Pierre Nkurunziza. At the end of May this year, the EU working groups unanimously gave the direction to EU judicial institutions to revoke the suspension of the financial aid to the Burundian government, Bochu told a press briefing after meeting Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye. The move follows positive progress initiated by Ndayishimiye in terms of promoting governance, rule of law and human r...

Ethiopians vote in elections seen as test for PM Abiy Ahmed

21Jun

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International news

Ethiopians vote in elections seen as test for PM Abiy Ahmed

Ethiopians are voting in a crucial parliamentary election taking place against the backdrop of war and famine in the northern Tigray region, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expected to cement his hold on power. Voting began in the capital Addis Ababa soon after the expected start time of 6am (03:00 GMT) with voters in face masks wrapped in blankets against the pre-dawn chill. Electoral officials in purple vests sprayed voters’ hands with sanitiser before checking their IDs against the register as part of measures against COVID. Polls will close at 6pm (15:00GMT). Many Ethiopians went to the polls very early in the morning, as early as 4am in many places, to cast their vote,” said Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow from Addis Ababa. “The electoral commission has increased the numbe...

Ikea France fined €1m for snooping on staff

15Jun

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International news

Ikea France fined €1m for snooping on staff

A French court has ordered Ikea to pay a fine of €1m (£860,000; $1.2m) after the Swedish furniture chain was found guilty of spying on staff in France. The former CEO of Ikea France, Jean-Louis Baillot, was given a two-year suspended jail term and €50,000 fine. The French subsidiary was found to have used private detectives and police officers to collect private data on staff. Evidence came to light in 2012. Stung by the affair, Ikea fired four managers and got a new code of conduct. The 15 people in the dock at the Versailles court included top executives and former store managers. Four police officers were also on trial for handing over confidential information. The mass surveillance system was used by store managers to vet job applicants, as well as checking up on...

China denounces G7 after statement on Xinjiang and Hong Kong

14Jun

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International news

China denounces G7 after statement on Xinjiang and Hong Kong

China has accused the G7 of "political manipulation" after it criticised Beijing over a range of issues. In a joint statement at the end of a three-day summit, leaders of the G7 countries urged China to "respect human rights and fundamental freedoms". Issues highlighted included abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority group and the crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy activists. China's embassy in the UK accused the G7 of "baseless accusations". The statement by the G7 - the world's seven largest so-called advanced economies - included pledges on a number of issues, such as ending the coronavirus pandemic and steps to tackle climate change, as well as references to China. The group, made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, called on China t...