Tag: electronic literature

Japan is racing to build up its armed forces

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Japan is racing to build up its armed forces in the face of increased political and military assertiveness by China, even as it struggles to reconcile the nationalist ambitions of its prime minister with the demands of its pacifist constitution. In a defence white paper Shinzo Abe’s government spelt out its growing anxiety about China and the urgency of upgrading the Self-Defence Forces, as its army, navy and air force are called. It condemns Beijing’s almost daily dispatch of ships into areas around disputed islands that are controlled by Japan but claimed by the Chinese. Monica Gomez, the councillor responsible … Continue reading Japan is racing to build up its armed forces

They had planned lives, families and careers in Hong Kong

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They had planned lives, families and careers in Hong Kong. Now at a gathering of young professionals, one topic dominated conversation — to stay or to flee. All but one was considering quitting the territory as China imposed sweeping new national security legislation on their homeland. The clampdown, proclaimed without consultation on Tuesday night, was even more draconian than feared. Secret courts, unaccountable police units, worldwide reach and penalties of up to life in prison were among the provisions. ‘We can confirm that The Little Mermaid has been vandalised some time before 9:00 am this morning,’ Copenhagen police said in … Continue reading They had planned lives, families and careers in Hong Kong

A bank executive and at least one other passenger have been pulled alive from the wreckage of an Airbus A320

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A bank executive and at least one other passenger have been pulled alive from the wreckage of an Airbus A320 which crashed after an engine failure in Pakistan today with 98 people on board.  Bank of Punjab president Zafar Masood was dragged from the smoking debris of the Pakistan International Airlines flight after it smashed into a residential area in Karachi on Friday. “I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent, and I do not mark him down for that,” Johnson told the daily Downing Street press briefing. But within hours of Johnson’s defence of Cummings, … Continue reading A bank executive and at least one other passenger have been pulled alive from the wreckage of an Airbus A320

A Malaysian cinema appears to have become covered in mould after two months of coronavirus lockdown

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A Malaysian cinema appears to have become covered in mould after two months of coronavirus lockdown which has already ravaged the country’s leather goods retailers. The cinema’s purple and red seats and its carpets had been wrecked by a thick layer of mould and dust, according to the photographer in the city of Ipoh in western Perak state. Under US law they would normally be allowed to live with relatives while their cases wind through immigration courts. Instead the Trump administration is quickly expelling them under an emergency declaration citing the coronavirus pandemic, with 600 minors expelled in April alone. … Continue reading A Malaysian cinema appears to have become covered in mould after two months of coronavirus lockdown

A YouTuber has been arrested for handing out boxes of rubbish to transgender women

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A YouTuber has been arrested for handing out boxes of rubbish to transgender women. Indonesian police launched a manhunt for Ferdian Paleka and his friend after they shared a video of the sick ‘prank’ online. The whereabouts of Mr Zhang, who specialises in law, are now unknown. His friends claim he was detained in front of the gate to his residential compound in Shanghai last night and that they have not since been able to contact him. The letter was posted on the social messaging platform WeChat on Saturday, less than two weeks before this year’s National People’s Congress, the … Continue reading A YouTuber has been arrested for handing out boxes of rubbish to transgender women

Germany’s plans to restart competitive football next Saturday suffered an early setback

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Germany’s plans to restart competitive football next Saturday suffered an early setback after the entire Dynamo Dresden team were placed in a two-week quarantine following two positive coronavirus tests among the players. The Bundesliga 2 club announced on their website that tests taken on Friday had revealed two new positive cases and local health authorities had ordered the team into quarantine. Dresden were scheduled to play Hannover 96 next Sunday in their first game back following the stoppage caused by the coronavirus outbreak. “Frankly, this is the final straw,” the CEO wrote on Twitter, seemingly in response to the news … Continue reading Germany’s plans to restart competitive football next Saturday suffered an early setback

A British ‘ISIS rapper’ who was once suspected of being Jihadi John has been arrested at a hideout in Spain

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A British ‘ISIS rapper’ who was once suspected of being Jihadi John has been arrested at a hideout in Spain.  Police sources said today that British-Egyptian jihadist Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary was the ‘foreign terrorist fighter’ detained in a raid in Almeria on Monday. Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, has asked the country’s chief judge to free prison inmates who have been awaiting trial for six years or more to ease overcrowding as the virus spreads, a spokesman has said. A statement quoted Buhari as saying 42% of Nigeria’s 74,000 or so prisoners are awaiting trial. He urged Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad to … Continue reading A British ‘ISIS rapper’ who was once suspected of being Jihadi John has been arrested at a hideout in Spain

A young mum has issued a coronavirus warning

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A young mum has issued a coronavirus warning after going on a date that turned into a fight for her life. Amie Morris started experiencing a sore throat, fever and lost her sense of taste and smell just one day after the date. The Democratic chairman of the House armed services committee had called for Mr Modly to resign or be sacked and President Trump said he would intervene because Captain Crozier had had such an impressive career. The president said: “I don’t want to destroy somebody for having a bad day.” Mr Modly’s speech to the remaining crew of … Continue reading A young mum has issued a coronavirus warning

A woman has died from coronavirus hours after giving birth to her daughter in Ukraine

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A woman has died from coronavirus hours after giving birth to her daughter in Ukraine. The 36-year-old mother, identified only as Galina, is said to have been infected with the virus at a perinatal centre in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk, in western Ukraine. “For the past week, none of these people who usually help me have come in sight,” she said, her voice cracking with sadness. “They are all at home because of the lockdown; they don’t have any job and so they cannot help me any more.” When prime minister Narendra Modi announced almost two weeks ago that India’s … Continue reading A woman has died from coronavirus hours after giving birth to her daughter in Ukraine

Hungary is turning into the EU’s first fully fledged autocracy

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Hungary is turning into the EU’s first fully fledged autocracy, critics have warned, after its prime minister assumed the indefinite power to rule by decree and protests grew against a nationalist curriculum imposed upon schools. The emergency powers presaged an assault on the free press, analysts said, and the state takeover of retailers and energy and healthcare companies, some 140 of which are already being monitored by military “task forces”. Both had been working in Messina, Sicily, but were drafted in to help out with the coronavirus outbreak. Lorena will be awarded her medical degree posthumously as a tribute, Messina … Continue reading Hungary is turning into the EU’s first fully fledged autocracy