Новости за 21.10.2020

'Highly emotional ceremony' in honour of French teacher Samuel Paty as he received posthumous award from Macron

Forty-five American lawmakers have urged the US government to boycott next month's G20 summit in Riyadh unless Saudi authorities address key human rights concerns, according to correspondence released Wednesday. The letter from US Congress members to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo comes after European lawmakers passed a resolution this month calling for the European Union to downgrade its attendance at the summit, also over human rights. The developments are a source of embarrassment for the kingdom... Читать дальше...

At least eight civilians and one police officer have died in violence following the weekend's tense presidential election, in clashes between security forces and opposition supporters, Guinea's security ministry said on Wednesday. President Alpha Condé called for calm.

Devastated by the pandemic, Spain's all-important tourism sector is expected to incur losses of more than 100 billion euros ($120 billion) this year, an industry body warned Wednesday. If the dire prediction proves correct, it would take the sector's annual income back to the level it was in 1995, the Exceltur tourism association said. "We would go back 25 years in terms of what the Spanish tourism sector generates," Jose Luis Zoreda, the association's vice president, told a news conference, saying it would be a "dire scenario". Читать дальше...

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he hoped Sudan will soon recognize Israel as Washington moved to remove the Arab country as a state sponsor of terrorism. Pompeo said that the United States wanted every nation "to recognize Israel, the rightful Jewish homeland, to acknowledge their fundamental right to exist as a country." "We are working diligently with them to make the case for why that's in the Sudanese government's best interest to make that sovereign decision," Pompeo told reporters. Читать дальше...

Pope Francis says in a film released on Wednesday that homosexuals should be protected by civil union laws, in some of the clearest language he has used on the rights of gay people.

England's limited overs tour of South Africa will go ahead despite the administrative chaos engulfing South African cricket. The England and Wales Cricke Board said Wednesday that three Twenty20s and three one-day internationals will take place behind closed doors in Cape Town and Paarl starting in November. Both the ECB and Cricket South Africa (CSA) have agreed to bio-security and travel plans for what will be the first international tour by an England cricket team since the COVID-19 pandemic. Читать дальше...

Several protesters were killed by Nigerian security forces in Lagos on Tuesday, Amnesty International said, after witnesses reported armed men opened fire on demonstrators defying a curfew order. Antony Goldman, political risk consultant with Promedia, says the protests reflect a growing sense of alienation among the country’s youth.

Security will be stepped up at French schools after the mid-term break in the wake of Samuel Paty’s killing, with some teachers saying they are fearful to return. Questions are being raised about the curriculum for subjects including history, to science and secularism.

Looking like it was forged in apocalyptic fires, the diabolical ironclad beetle has a formidable reputation for being able to withstand being stabbed or run over by a car. Now scientists have found a jigsaw-like mechanism in their exoskeletons that helps the little creature tolerate forces up to 39,000 times its own body weight. Their discovery could have implications for engineering and robotics, experts say, and even challenge the position of cockroaches as models of insect indestructibility. Читать дальше...

A study has revealed the devastating impact of global air pollution on babies. The report found that in 2019, indoor air pollution, such as from fuels used for cooking, led to the premature deaths of half a million babies in their first month of life.

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has warned MPs not to "turn a blind eye" to vulnerable families as the House of Commons prepared to vote on an opposition to extend free school meals over the holidays The 22-year-old Rashford, who has led a campaign on the issue, said Wednesday he would be "paying close attention" to the vote. The British government has so far refused to extend the provision of free school meals in England over the half-term and Christmas breaks. But Robert Halfon MP... Читать дальше...

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused Turkey of "imperialist fantasies" in the eastern Mediterranean during a meeting on Wednesday with the leaders of Cyprus and Egypt. Mitsotakis said Turkey had been using "extreme rhetoric" and taking unilateral actions while ignoring international order as well as appeals for dialogue from the European Union, Russia and the United States. The Greek leader said Turkey had been entertaining "imperialist fantasies with aggressive actions from Syria to Libya... Читать дальше...

The conflict between the Afghan Army and the Taliban in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan has been intensifying since October 9. Both sides are using social media to show off what they perceive to be their military successes. But it seems like the Afghan police were a little too quick to post one particular video that they said showed the army striking Taliban positions. Turns out this video shows, in reality, a training exercise carried out by the United States Marine Corps in Arizona, USA, in 2017.

Millions of people in Ireland were getting set for a second national lockdown on Wednesday, the first European country to take the drastic step as the continent battles a persistent surge in coronavirus cases. Other European countries are resisting national shutdowns after the measures earlier in the year provoked widespread bitterness and deep recessions. While France and Britain are expanding areas under local restrictions, the Czechs have reintroduced curbs on movement and closed shops. But the Irish are facing the most dramatic measure... Читать дальше...

George Ford has been ruled out of England's clash against the Barbarians, it was announced Wednesday. But three Bristol players have now joined Eddie Jones's squad ahead of Sunday's match at Twickenham with the invitational Barbarians. Fly-half Ford was named in the initial 32-man squad on Tuesday but pulled out with what the Rugby Football Union called a "pre-existing Achilles issue". No timescale has yet been set for his recovery. But Jones has called up Kyle Sinckler, Ben Earl and, for the first time, Max Malins, from Bristol. Читать дальше...

The 18-year-old Chechen who beheaded a French teacher for showing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in a civics class paid students in front of the school to identify him, anti-terrorism public prosecutor Jean-François Ricard told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday in which he unveiled details of the investigation.

Australian rider Ben O'Connor won the Giro d'Italia's 17th stage on Wednesday in the ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio in the northern Italian Dolomites. Portugal's Joao Almeida of Deceuninck Quick-Step maintained his hold on the overall leader's pink jersey going into Thursday's famous 'Stelvio' climb, one of the highest peaks in Europe at an altitude of 2,758km. O'Connor, riding for the NTT Pro Cycling team, attacked on the climb 8.8km from the finish line of the 203km run through a snowy landscape from Bassano del Grappa. Читать дальше...

NASA is going back to the Moon and this time wants to stay there by building a lunar base. And to help future Moon residents communicate, plans are underway to build the first ever mobile network on the lunar surface.

A UN judge on Wednesday ruled that Rwandan genocide suspect Félicien Kabuga, who has been in a French jail since May, should be sent to a detention unit in The Hague ahead of his trial.

The fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and a human rights group that he founded filed a lawsuit in a U.S. court on Tuesday with allegations that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince ordered him killed.

Seven people, including two minors, were handed over to a judge overnight for the opening of a judicial investigation and possible indictments in last week's murder of French teacher Samuel Paty, an official from the anti-terrorist prosecutor's office said.

Thousands of people gathered Tuesday in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine for a march in homage to Samuel Paty, the history-geography teacher beheaded in this city after showing his students caricatures of the prophet Mohammed.

Wasps will play Exeter in the English Premiership rugby union final after they were given a coronavirus all-clear, organisers announced Wednesday. Their place in English domestic rugby's showpiece event at Twickenham on Saturday had been in doubt after 11 positive tests, including players and backroom staff, since last week. Wasps had also suspended training. However, Premiership Rugby gave them the all clear on Wednesday which means they -- rather than Bristol Bears, the team they beat in the... Читать дальше...

France will pay tribute Wednesday to a history teacher beheaded for showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed in a free speech lesson in a gruesome attack that has shocked the country and prompted a government crackdown on radical Islam. Seven people, including two pupils, will appear before an anti-terror judge for a decision on criminal charges over the killing of 47-year-old history teacher Samuel Paty on Friday. Police have carried out dozens of raids since the killing, while the government has... Читать дальше...