A human rights activist from Belarus has claimed the security forces once threatened to kidnap her son when he was a month old. Olga Karatch also alleged that children have been used as leverage in an attempt to coerce other female campaigners, politicians and journalists in the country. “This is unbelievable pressure, using children and
World
New Zealand is investigating the possibility that its first coronavirus cases in 102 days were caused by imported freight. The city of Auckland has been put back into strict lockdown by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after four members of the same family tested positive there. But the reason behind the outbreak has baffled health officials
It’s often difficult to truly convey what people go through when a disaster strikes. But we now live in an age when lives are constantly recorded. The Saint George Hospital in Beirut has 230 security cameras – they recorded the moments of Beirut‘s tragedy as a blast rocked the city. The Chief Medical Officer, Alexander
Coronavirus has broken out again in New Zealand after more than 100 days and prompted the country’s government to put its largest city into strict lockdown. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday said four people from one family in South Auckland were found to have contracted COVID-19. These are the first new cases of locally-acquired
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab and the country’s entire government has resigned after the deadly Beirut blast that killed at least 160 people. In a brief televised speech, Mr Diab said he is taking “a step back” so he can stand with the people “and fight the battle for change alongside them”. He said: “I
Police and protesters have clashed in the capital of Belarus and other cities after a contested presidential election. Authoritarian Alexander Lukashenko, who is seeking a sixth term in office, was on track to win the election on Sunday night, with the country’s elections commission saying partial results showed him with more than 90% in some
A Lebanese government minister has quit following the devastating explosion in Beirut that killed more than 150 people, as protesters called for a sustained uprising to topple the country’s leaders. Information minister Manal Abdel-Samad said she was resigning “given the magnitude of the catastrophe” and “in response to the public will for change”. Another minister
Seething with anger, Beirut is a traumatised city that is in danger of tearing itself apart. Tens of thousands of people came from all over the country to the capital to show their utter disgust for the political class that they blame for the explosion that has wrecked the capital. The protests were the biggest
Tear gas has been fired in Beirut as people protesting against the government’s handling of this week’s explosion tried to reach the parliament building. Riot police took action as about 5,000 people gathered in the central Martyrs’ Square and attempted to break through a barrier. More than 100 were injured and 32 taken to hospital,
This is not the election that the long-time leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, had planned. The last five were not hard fought. No need when the entire apparatus of the state is busily engaged engineering a slam-dunk majority for the incumbent. This Sunday was set to be one more token polling day that would see
At least 14 people are dead after an Air India Express flight carrying 191 passengers skidded off the runway at Calicut Airport in Kerala. The plane, which had 10 infants on board, was coming in from Dubai when it overshot the runway and split into two as it landed in heavy rain on Friday, police
India has reported a record daily jump in coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections in the country above two million. On Friday, officials confirmed that 62,538 new cases had been identified. India is the third worst-affected country in the world behind the US and Brazil. Image: Health workers during a check-up campaign in
Lebanon needs a new “political initiative” as part of its rebuilding process because of corruption in the country, the French president has told Sky News. Emmanuel Macron became the first foreign leader to visit the site of the Beirut explosion on Thursday. The French leader arrived in the country with aid as international search teams
It takes a very hardened sort of individual not to feel and empathise with the pain of new parents sitting outside the Intensive Care Unit where their little one is struggling to live. “She’s only four days old,” her father, George Ajoury, told us. “I was breastfeeding her,” Nelly Ajoury, her mother explained. “I tried
The number of dead in Beirut’s huge explosion has risen to 135, with around 5,000 injured and tens of people still missing as rescuers search for survivors, say Lebanese officials. President Michel Aoun said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate – used in fertilisers and as an explosive – which was
Donald Trump has contradicted Lebanese officials and suggested a “terrible attack” caused a massive explosion that killed at least 70 people in Beirut. The cause of the blast, which also injured thousands of others, has not been confirmed – but the Lebanese prime minister has blamed thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at a