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Earth News The Queen visited a racially segregated South Africa when she was 21 with her father King George VI. "I wouldn't say I don't like the Queen - no, no, no. But my everyday reality is [affected] by the impact of colonisation," said Sibulele Steerman, a university student, standing beside an open sewer in an impoverished township outside Cape Town. These days, many younger South Africans, in particular, are questioning the compromises that accompanied their country's transition to democracy in the early 1990s, and are demanding that Western nations do far more to acknowledge centuries of colonial exploitation. "My grandmother liked the Queen. But we're a different generation," said Ms Steerman, noting this week's calls, on social media here, for Britain to return what they say are the "stolen" South African diamonds that feature in the Crown Jewels. The Cullinan diamond, the largest ever found, was given to King Edward V...

Earth News The Queen's eight grandchildren, including the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex, are standing vigil around her coffin as she lies in state at Westminster Hall. At King Charles' request, Prince Harry is wearing military uniform, for the first time since 2020. Prince Harry has worn civilian clothes at public events since the Queen died. It is the first time in history that the grandchildren of a monarch have taken part in the ceremony. The King's sons William and Harry are joined by Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, the children of Princess Anne, as well as Prince Andrew's daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, who are Prince Edward's children. At 44, Peter Philips is the oldest of the Queen's grandchildren, while the youngest, James, Viscount Severn, is 14. Prince William is standing at the head of the Queen's coffin with his brother at the opposite end. The grandchildren's...

Earth News UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief launched an initiative Monday to immediately explore possible arrangements for “a humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine” in order to allow the delivery of desperately needed aid and pave the way for serious political negotiations to end the month-long war. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he used his “good offices” and asked Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths, the head of the U.N.’s worldwide humanitarian operations, to explore the possibility of a cease-fire with Russia and Ukraine. He said Griffiths has already made some contacts. “I hope that he will be able to go to both Moscow and Kyiv as soon as that becomes possible,” Guterres said. “It’s very important to establish a serious dialogue with both parties in relation to the possibility of this humanitarian cease-fire.” The 193-member U.N. General Assembly, by an overwhelming majority of about 140 nations, has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Uk...

Earth News New Zealand Mosque Shooting Anniversary Al Noor Mosque shooting survivor Temel Atacocugu kisses the ground as he completes his walk from Dunedin to Christchurch on the third anniversary of the shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The lingering injuries from being shot nine times did not stop Atacocugu from completing a two-week walk and bike ride for peace on Tuesday, the third anniversary of a gunman's slaughter of 51 Muslim worshippers. (George Heard/New Zealand Herald via AP) WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The lingering injuries from being shot nine times did not stop Temel Atacocugu from completing a two-week walk and bike ride for peace on Tuesday, the third anniversary of a gunman's slaughter of 51 Muslim worshippers. Atacocugu set out to retrace the gunman's 360-kilometer (224-mile) drive from Dunedin to the two Christchurch mosques where he carried out his attack. “I wanted to fix this damage,” Atacocugu said. “Because three ...

As Russia stoked hopes of a diplomatic solution and claimed to be pulling back forces from the Ukrainian border, U.S. and NATO officials accused Moscow of building up troops instead. By Chibuike Leonard Iwuoha KYIV, Ukraine — Tensions over Ukraine abruptly ratcheted up on Wednesday as Western officials accused Russia of lying about whether it had really begun pulling back troops from the Ukrainian border. After days marked by flickers of hope that the conflict might be resolved peacefully, a senior American official, who refused to be quoted by name, told reporters that far from winding down its deployment, Moscow had added more than 7,000 combatants. Western allies expressed similar doubts about the Russian claims. The American official directly accused Russia of lying, saying there was fresh evidence it was mobilizing for war. British military officials said Wednesday they had spotted Russian armored vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital moving toward Ukraine’s border. “...

Earth News. Authorities in Burkina Faso have declared a two-day period of mourning after suspected militants killed at least 41 members of a government-backed civilian militia in the country’s desert north this week. A column of civilian fighters from the homeland defence volunteers (VDP), a group the government funds and trains to contain Islamist insurgents, was ambushed on Thursday as it swept a remote area in the northern Loroum province, authorities said on Saturday. It was one of the heaviest single-day losses the civilian militia has experienced to date and occurred one month after an attack on a gendarmerie post killed 53 people – the worst strike on Burkinabe security forces in years. “In this painful circumstance and as a tribute to the valiant VDP and civilians who fell in defence of the homeland, the president of Burkina Faso decrees a national mourning period of 48 hours, starting Sunday,” government spokesperson Alkassoum Maiga said in a statement. Authorities have...

Earth News Warm weather could make this the hottest December on record for many cities in the region, including Dallas and New Orleans. About 200 temperature records in the US may be broken over the next several days as warm air across Texas and the south-east is predicted to bring spring or even summer-like conditions, making Christmas Day likely to be the warmest in 50 to 100 years in some areas. The temperatures could make this the warmest December on record for many cities in the region including Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, St Louis, Kansas City and Chicago. In some areas, records have already been broken: Wichita Falls in Texas hit 91F (33C) Friday, and Grandfield, Oklahoma, reached 89F. Both beat their Fourth of July high – back at in the middle of summer. Nor were they alone. “Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, all stand to match or top the record high for 25 December this Saturday,” AccuWeather senior meteor...

Earth News Boris Johnson’s wife, Carrie, has given birth to a baby girl, they have announced, a second child for the couple and at least the seventh for the prime minister. “The prime minister and Mrs Johnson are delighted to announce the birth of a healthy baby girl at a London hospital earlier today,” a statement said. “Both mother and daughter are doing very well. The couple would like to thank the brilliant NHS maternity team for all their care and support.” The girl is a sister to their son, Wilfred, born in April 2020. The couple were married in a secret ceremony in May this year. Johnson had four children, all now in their 20s, with his second wife, the barrister Marina Wheeler. The couple’s divorce was finalised in 2020 after 25 years of marriage. He also has at least one other child from an extramarital relationship. Johnson has repeatedly refused to say precisely how many children he has fathered, although in an interview with NBC in September he affirmed he had six. T...

Earth News The Palestinian jailbreak that rocked Israel Close Six Palestinian men are due in court this week after tunnelling out of one of Israel’s maximum security prisons in September. Israel had jailed five of the six for carrying out or planning deadly attacks. It led to renewed fears of a flare-up in the region and saw Israel scramble a massive search, while many Palestinians celebrated the bid for freedom. But this is about more than just a dramatic jailbreak. Covering the search for the six, BBC Jerusalem correspondent Tom Bateman unearthed a long story of dispossession, violence and bitter division in a fractured region.

What a Crown Prince's trip to Turkey tells us about the post-American Middle East Analysis by Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Updated 1748 GMT (0148 HKT) November 24, 2021 UAE and Turkey stage rare high-level meeting. Here's why it matters (EARTH NEWS) Leonard Iwuoha reports from a beach near Calais, France, after at least 27 people died when their boat capsized marking one of the largest losses of life in the English Channel in recent years. This is what a boat provided by smugglers to migrants looks like BEIJING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 28: Peng Shuai of China returns a shot against Daria Kasatkina of Russia during the women's singles first round match of 2019 China Open at the China National Tennis Center on September 28, 2019 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) China censors Earth news with color bars on Peng Shuai stories screengrab migrant ship capsize map Migrant boat capsizes in English Channel. What we know so far Olaf Scholz, SPD candidate for Chancellor a...

Premier League clubs have voted to temporarily block teams agreeing lucrative sponsorship deals linked to a club's owners after the Saudi Arabia-backed £305m takeover of Newcastle. Eighteen clubs voted in favour of the ban at an emergency meeting on Monday.Premier League clubs have voted to temporarily block teams agreeing lucrative sponsorship deals linked to a club's owners after the Saudi Arabia-backed £305m takeover of Newcastle. Eighteen clubs voted in favour of the ban at an emergency meeting on Monday. Newcastle voted against and Manchester City abstained, with both questioning the legality of the move. It means a temporary one-month ban on deals linked to club owners while the issue is debated further. That prevents Newcastle signing sponsorship deals with companies linked to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns 80% of the club.Newcastle voted against and Manchester City abstained, with both questioning the legality of the move. I...

North Korea has fired a suspected submarine-launched ballistic missile into waters off the coast of Japan, South Korea's military has said. Pyongyang unveiled the missile in January, describing it as "the world's most powerful weapon". It comes weeks after South Korea unveiled a similar weapon of its own. North Korea has carried out a flurry of missile tests in recent weeks, including of what it said were hypersonic and long-range weapons. Some of these tests violate strict international sanctions. The country is specifically prohibited by the United Nations from testing ballistic missiles as well as nuclear weapons. The UN considers ballistic missiles to be more threatening than cruise missiles because they can carry more powerful payloads, have a longer range and can fly faster. On Tuesday South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said one missile had been launched from the port of Sinpo, in the east of North Korea where Pyongyang usually bases its submarines. It l...

A Massachusetts man who tried to scam a Covid-19 business aid scheme and faked his own death to evade authorities has been sentenced to 56 months in prison. David Staveley falsely claimed to co-own four large businesses in need of nearly $544,000 (£399,000) in support from a federal government programme. After being charged last year, Staveley staged a suicide and fled using false identities and stolen licence plates. He is the first person to be charged with fraudulently seeking the loans. Prosecutors condemned his actions in their sentencing memo: "He saw the economic emergency created by the pandemic simply as an opportunity to make himself rich by taking for himself what was meant for those in need." Enacted between March 2020 and May 2021, the US Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) allowed small businesses hit hard by the pandemic to apply for low-interest private loans to cover payroll and other costs. Staveley, 54, and his accomplice, David Andrew Butziger, 5...

A Russian film crew are back on Earth after wrapping up scenes for the first movie shot in space. Klim Shipenko and actor Yulia Peresild left the International Space Station and landed in Kazakhstan - to be met by a crew filming touchdown scenes. The ISS shooting was not without drama - suitable for a film called Challenge. On Friday the ISS unexpectedly tilted after a glitch in its thrusters, pausing filming. It was not thought to be part of the script. In a farewell tweet from the ISS, Peresild showed off a weightless hairdo likely to thwart any conspiracy theorists who think it was all shot on Earth. The movie has been in its own kind of space race - with Tom Cruise. He is apparently part of a Hollywood filming-in-space project involving Nasa and Elon Musk's SpaceX. The module carrying Peresild and Shipenko, along with cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, parachuted down to Earth at about lunchtime on Sunday in the Kazakhstan steppe. Their departure was not delayed by Friday's glitch, ...

At least 24 people have been killed in floods in southern India after heavy rains caused rivers to overflow, cutting off towns and villages. Five children are among the dead. There are fears the death toll could rise further as many people are missing. Several houses were washed away and people became trapped in the district of Kottayam in Kerala state. Video from the area showed bus passengers being rescued after their vehicle was inundated with floodwater. Kottayam and Idukki are two of the worst affected districts in the state. Days of heavy rainfall has also caused deadly landslides. Military helicopters are being used to fly in supplies and personnel to areas where people are trapped, officials said. Thousands of people have been evacuated and more than 100 relief camps have been set up across the state, Kerala's chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Sunday, saying that he had spoken to Mr Vijayan about the situatio...

Conservative British lawmaker David Amess was killed on Friday after being stabbed “multiple times” during an event in his local constituency in southeast England, in the second death of a UK politician while meeting voters since 2016. Local police did not name Amess but said a man had been arrested “on suspicion (of) murder” after the stabbing in Leigh-on-Sea. “We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident,” said Essex police, adding that the man in custody was aged 25, and a knife was recovered. The force said officers had earlier responded to “reports of a stabbing” shortly after 12:05 pm (1105 GMT). British media, including Sky News and the BBC, identified the victim as the 69-year-old politician from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s ruling Conservative Party. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps called Amess “a dedicated, thoughtful man and a true Parliamentarian, who lost his life while serving the constituents who he worked relentlessly for throughout his career”...

The Socio-Economic Rights Accountability Project (SERAP) has criticised a declaration made by President Muhammadu Buhari that the ban on the operations of Twitter in the country would be lifted it certain conditions were met by the American company. SERAP urged Buhari to withdraw the conditions imposed on the microblogging site pending the final ruling of ECOWAS Court on the case. It further stated that such a pronouncement by the Nigerian government might affect the expected judgement. SERAP had sued the Buhari-led government at the ECOWAS Court in Abuja, challenging the legality of the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria. Buhari had during Nigeria's 61st Independence Day anniversary on October 1, 2021, said the ban on Twitter would only be lifted if certain conditions including the ones surrounding national security, were met. SERAP noted that the conditions given by the Nigerian government make a mockery of the case pending before the ECOWAS Court and...

Watford have parted company with head coach Xisco Munoz after just seven games of the Premier League season. The club said in a statement that recent results “strongly indicate a negative trend at a time when team cohesion should be visibly improving”. Diego Llorente scores the winner for Leeds past Watford's Ben Foster Diego Llorente returns to help break Leeds’ league duck against Watford Read more Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Leeds left the club with seven points from a possible 21. Since beating Aston Villa on the opening day of the season, the club’s only other league victory came against bottom side Norwich last month. Advertisement Munoz, who took charge at Vicarage Road last December, had successfully guided the club back to the top flight with a second-placed finish in the Championship last season. Yet he has become the latest to pay the price for a downturn in form by joining a long list of managers whose tenure at the club has proved short-lived. His departure means the ...

Rape victims in Britain are badly served, Boris Johnson has admitted, as he promised to “stop at nothing to make sure we get more rapists behind bars” and to overhaul the policing of sexual violence after Sarah Everard’s murder. The prime minister said the rape and murder of Everard by a serving police officer had “triggered feelings of huge numbers of people” about the handling of sexual crimes, domestic violence and rape. Advertisement Only 2% of reported rapes in England and Wales result in prosecution, and rape convictions are at an all-time low, while many instances of sexual harassment are not fully investigated – failings the Guardian has highlighted repeatedly. Courts are also experiencing long backlogs in hearing cases after struggling with cuts to the criminal justice system and 18 months of Covid-related delays. Speaking before the Conservative party conference in Manchester, Johnson said policing and prosecution of such crimes was “going wrong”. Rape victims “need to ge...