More than 1,000 staff at Amazon participated in a one-hour protest over the internet giant’s climate record and its push to bring office staff back to offices, according to organisers. The action was put together by staff advocacy groups. They said morale at the company was at an “all-time low” due to a “short-sighted decisions” by leaders. Amazon disputed the number of participants, while saying it respected workers’ rights to express opinions. It said its security team counted closer to 300 employees taking part in the protest at the company’s headquarters in Seattle and it was not aware of any … Continue reading Amazon staff protest climate record and office return

An Indian official who made headlines after he drained a dam to retrieve his phone has been fined by the government. Rajesh Vishwas has been ordered to pay 53,092 rupees ($642) for pumping out millions of litres of water without seeking permission from authorities. He had dropped the device while taking a selfie and claimed it needed retrieving as it contained sensitive government data. But he has been accused of misusing his position. The food inspector dropped his Samsung phone, worth about 100,000 rupees, into Kherkatta Dam in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh last week. After local divers couldn’t … Continue reading Audacious: India official fined $640 for draining dam to find phone

Topless dancers at a strip club in Los Angeles have voted to form the only union for their work in the US after a prolonged fight with management. Performers at the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood unanimously voted to collectivise on Thursday. The 15-month long effort ended this week after the owners withdrew their opposition to unionisation. The group says they are fighting for better pay and benefits, healthcare, and safer workplace conditions. All 17 dancers voted in favour of the measure during a ballot count held virtually and in person by the National Labor Relations Board … Continue reading Strip club dancers to form only US topless union

Pop star Ed Sheeran sang and played guitar to a New York jury at a civil trial being held to decide whether he copied Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get it On. For roughly an hour on the stand, Sheeran described his entire musical career and performed parts of the song in question, Thinking Out Loud. Heirs of Gaye’s co-writer, Ed Townsend, are claiming that he stole elements of the chart-topping hit. But in court, Sheeran cradled a guitar as he described his artistic process. “I draw inspiration a lot from things in my life and family,” said Sheeran, denying that he … Continue reading Ed Sheeran sings and plays guitar at copyright trial in New York

A Ukrainian journalist working as a fixer for Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper has been shot dead by snipers in Ukraine. Bogdan Bitik was working with Italian reporter Corrado Zunino, who was wounded, when they were ambushed by suspected Russian snipers in the Kherson region, the newspaper said. Both were wearing bulletproof vests with “Press” written on them, it added. Russia says it has annexed Kherson despite only controlling some of it. The reporters were targeted near the Antonivskyi bridge across the Dnipro river near the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson, which sits on the river’s west bank. Russian troops destroyed the … Continue reading Sniper kills fixer and wounds Italian reporter in Ukraine

Singapore has executed a man for conspiring to traffic cannabis despite pleas for clemency from his family, activists and the United Nations. Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was hanged at Changi Prison at dawn on Wednesday, his family said. On Wednesday, Tangaraju Suppiah’s family had gathered at the prison in the city’s east. Activists said he had been convicted on weak evidence and had had limited legal access during his prosecution. The authorities said he had received due process and criticised activists for questioning the courts. Singapore has some of the world’s toughest anti-drug laws, which it argues are a necessary deterrent … Continue reading Update: Singapore executes man for supplying cannabis

One person has died and five others were injured when a multi-storey car park partially collapsed in New York City, officials say. The second floor of the four-storey structure in Manhattan’s Financial District collapsed first, according to CBS News. Authorities said all the workers in the building have been accounted for. Video posted online shows cars and debris stacked high on a mound of shattered concrete. The collapse occurred at around 16:00 local time. New York City Fire Department (FDNY) chief John Esposito said the rescue operation was “extremely dangerous” for the firefighters and deemed the structure “very unstable”. “We … Continue reading One dead in NYC multi-storey car park collapse

The US government believes the UN Secretary General is too willing to accommodate Russian interests, according to fresh revelations in classified documents leaked online. The files suggest Washington has been closely monitoring Antonio Guterres. Several documents describe private communications involving Mr Guterres and his deputy. It is the latest from a leak of secret documents, which US officials are scrambling to get to the bottom of. The documents contain candid observations from Mr Guterres about the war in Ukraine and a number of African leaders. One leaked document focuses on the Black Sea grain deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey … Continue reading Pentagon leaks revealed US thoughts about UN Secretary-General

The leadership of charitable foundation named after former Canadian prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau has abruptly resigned over scrutiny of a donation with alleged ties to Beijing. The Trudeau Foundation said on Tuesday the “political climate” surrounding the 2016 donation “made it impossible to continue with the status quo”. It returned the donation last month. The sudden resignation comes as Canada grapples with allegations of election meddling by Beijing. The charity, a scholarship organisation created to fund doctoral researchers, was founded over two decades ago in memory of former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Justin Trudeau’s father. Justin Trudeau, who … Continue reading Trudeau Foundation leadership resigns over China-linked donation

A man who has spent five months in a Moroccan jail after being accused of using fake money will now have his case heard in April. Oliver Andrews, from Bournemouth, was arrested in Marrakech in November. His partner, Alanna Cornick, flew to Morocco last week to be at the court case but the hearing was postponed until 11 April. Mr Andrews denies charges of possessing and distributing counterfeit money and creating an organised criminal group. On 10 November 2022, the 29-year-old and a friend went to a nightclub on the last night of their holiday in Marrakech. The following morning, … Continue reading British man held in Morocco over fake money to stand trial

It felt like just another flight for South African pilot Rudolph Erasmus, until he noticed an extra passenger on his plane at 11,000ft in the air. However, it wasn’t a human, but a cobra slithering under his seat. “To be truly honest, it’s as if my brain did not register what was going on,” he told the BBC. “It was a moment of […] awe,” he added, saying he initially thought the cold feeling on his back was his water bottle. “I felt this cool sensation, sort of, crawling up my shirt,” he said, thinking he may not have closed … Continue reading Deadly cobra in cockpit forces emergency landing

A group of Nepalese security guards who worked at the British embassy in Kabul have been told their threatened removal from the UK has been paused. The Gurkhas have been in the UK since being rescued from the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. Papers had been issued ordering their removal to Nepal and India, with some of the men being detained following a raid at their hotel. But the Home Office says their removal has now been halted. Some of the men had already been given an indefinite right to live in the UK by the Home Office – … Continue reading UK pauses deportation of ex-Gurkhas who protected the British embassy in Afghanistan