Ruwan Wijewardene says bombings may have been funded and ideologically inspired by IsisOne of the Sri Lanka bombers studied in the UK and Australia before carrying out the bombings, which may have been funded and inspired by Isis, the defence minister has said.“We believe that one of the suicide bombers studied in the UK and later did his postgraduate [studies] in Australia before coming back and settling in Sri Lanka,” said Ruwan Wijewardene, the state minister for defence, at a media briefing on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...
Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs 9.24am BST Here is the statement that Lyra McKee’s family issued yesterday ahead of her funeral. It includes this:We would ask that Lyra’s life and her personal philosophy are used as an example to us all as we face this tragedy together. Lyra’s answer would have been simple, the only way to overcome hatred and intolerance is with love, understanding and kindness.“Lyra’s answer would have been simple, the only way to overcome hatred and intolerance is with love, understanding an[...]
New Zealand PM launches ‘Christchurch Call’ to build support to eliminate extremist material on social mediaNew Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern is to spearhead a push to combat violent extremism and terrorism on social media in the wake of the Christchurch attacks, saying the gunman did not have “a right to livestream the murder of 50 people”.Ardern and French president Emmanuel Macron will host a summit in Paris on 15 May, rallying tech companies and other concerned countries to commit to a pledge known as the “Christchurch Call” – a vow to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist cont[...]
Nasa probe InSight picks up slight tremor that fits profile of similar episodes on the moonA Nasa probe has detected and measured what scientists believe to be a “marsquake”, marking the first time a likely seismological tremor has been recorded on another planet, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.The breakthrough came five months after robotic probe InSight, the first spacecraft designed specifically to study the deep interior of a distant world, touched down on the surface of Mars to begin a two-year seismological mission. Continue reading...
Campaigners responsible for the largest civil disobedience in Hong Kong’s history face up to 16 months in prisonA group of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists have been sentenced to prison for their role in the Umbrella Movement protests, with two of its leaders jailed for 16 months.A district court judge jailed sociology professor Chan Kin-man, 60, law professor Benny Tai, 54, and Baptist minister the Rev Chu Yiu-ming, 75, to 16 months each for conspiracy to commit public nuisance. Chu’s sentence was suspended for two years. Continue reading...
Measure on sexual violence in conflict passes after Trump administration threatened to veto document over references to reproductive healthThe UN has backed a resolution on combatting rape in conflict but excluded references in the text to sexual and reproductive health, after vehement opposition from the US.The resolution passed by the security council on Tuesday after a three-hour debate and a weekend of fierce negotiations on the language among member states that threatened to derail the process. Continue reading...
President’s remarks to Washington Post come as White House battles subpoenas and treasury misses deadline to provide tax returnsDonald Trump has said he is opposed to current and former White House aides testifying to congressional committees about special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian election interference, the Washington Post reported.In an interview with the newspaper, the US president claimed his administration cooperated with Mueller’s investigation and did not need to comply with congressional committees examining possible obstruction of justice on his part. Continue reading[...]
Teenager who sparked global youth movement hits out at airport expansion and support for fossil fuels‘You did not act in time’ – Thunberg’s full speechThe UK government’s active support for fossil fuels and airport expansion is “beyond absurd”, Greta Thunberg has told MPs.The 16-year-old Swedish student, who sparked a global youth-based movement when she began a “climate strike” outside Sweden’s parliament last year, gave a typically blunt speech. She told MPs: “This ongoing irresponsible behaviour will no doubt be remembered in history as one of the greatest failures of humankind.” Continue r[...]
Telecoms firm will still be able to supply some technology, but decision may anger Beijing Theresa May has ordered that Chinese telecoms supplier Huawei be banned from supplying core parts of the future 5G mobile phone network, following a meeting of ministers on the National Security Council (NSC).Huawei will be allowed to supply some “non-core” technology to UK phone companies, insiders said, but several ministers in the meeting on Tuesday raised concerns even about that concession, arguing instead for a total ban on the supplier. Continue reading...
‘My god, I love this island,’ says leader Peter Bevan-Baker after news party will form official opposition A Green party will form the official opposition for the first time in Canadian history, following a closely watched election in the province of Prince Edward Island. The unprecedented result signifies a major milestone for the environmentally oriented political party.Following weeks of vigorous campaigning in Canada’s smallest province, the Progressive Conservatives (PC) emerged victorious on Tuesday evening with a thin lead in the province’s legislative seats. Continue reading...
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