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Canadian Indigenous leaders call Biden’s apology for U.S. residential schools ‘first step’ – National
Politics

Canadian Indigenous leaders call Biden’s apology for U.S. residential schools ‘first step’ – National

Canadian Indigenous leaders say U.S. President Joe Biden’s apology for his country’s residential school system is only the first step toward healing generations of harm. On Friday, Biden apologized for the U.S. boarding school system that for more than 150 years separated Indigenous children from their parents, calling it “one of the most consequential things” he’s done as president.The apology comes 16 years after former prime minister Stephen Harper apologized for Canada’s residential school system. It follows an investigation of boarding schools driven by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the country’s first Indigenous cabinet secretary, which was prompted by the discovery of 215 suspected unmarked graves at a residential school site in Kamloops, B.C.“The federal Indian boardi...
US president Joe Biden apologises to Native Americans for abusive government-funded boarding schools
World News

US president Joe Biden apologises to Native Americans for abusive government-funded boarding schools

By Michael Williams, CNN US President Joe Biden gestures as he apologises for Native American boarding school atrocities at the Gila River Crossing School in the Gila River Indian Community, in Laveen Village, near Phoenix, Arizona. Photo: AFP / ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS President Joe Biden formally apologised to Native Americans for what he described as "one of the most horrific chapters in American history," government-funded boarding schools that abused indigenous children and forced them to assimilate over a 150-year period. "Quite frankly, there is no excuse that this apology took 150 years to make," Biden said in Laveen, Arizona, after calling for a moment of silence to "remember those lost and the generations living with that trauma." At least 18,000 children were taken from t...
Israel-Gaza: UK could hand potential war crimes evidence to International Criminal Court collected by RAF spy planes | World News
Business

Israel-Gaza: UK could hand potential war crimes evidence to International Criminal Court collected by RAF spy planes | World News

Evidence of potential war crimes collected by British spy planes operating over Gaza could be handed to the International Criminal Court, the UK has confirmed.The Royal Air Force (RAF) is reported to have flown hundreds of missions over and near the war-torn territory since December, gathering intelligence to help in the hunt for hostages kidnapped from Israel by Hamas on 7 October 2023.The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said the Shadow R1 surveillance aircraft - which also fly over Israel as well as international air space - are purely tasked with gathering information to assist Israel's operation to find its hostages.The spy planes are not involved in gathering intelligence for any other aspect of the war against Hamas, which has resulted in the death of tens of thousands of Palestinians, inc...
Ecuador extends drought-induced power cuts to 14 hours a day
World News

Ecuador extends drought-induced power cuts to 14 hours a day

A view of the city during a national scheduled fourteen-hour blackout in Quito, Ecuador. Photo: RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP Ecuador has lengthened scheduled electricity rationing from eight to 14 hours per day due to the worst drought it has faced in six decades, the energy minister announced. "We have taken the painful but responsible decision to change the rationing plan, increasing it from eight to 14 hours a day," Energy and Mines Minister Ines Manzano said in a video posted on social networks at the crack of dawn on Friday (local time). Low water levels have caused the reservoirs of hydroelectric plants that cover 70 percent of national demand to fall to critical levels in recent months. In April Ecuador imposed electricity rationing of up to 13 hours a day. The outages have been adjusted ...
Cillian Murphy returns to the big screen in Irish Magdalene laundry drama | Ents & Arts News
Business

Cillian Murphy returns to the big screen in Irish Magdalene laundry drama | Ents & Arts News

Fresh off the back of becoming the first Irish-born winner of the best actor award at the Oscars, Cillian Murphy is busier than ever."It's my third film I've done since then so that was clearly my coping mechanism", he tells Sky News at the UK premiere of Small Things Like These. Set in 1985 Wexford, the film is based on Claire Keegan's Orwell prize-winning fictional novel of the same name that follows coalman Bill Furlong as he uncovers the treatment of the unmarried mothers sent to a Magdalene laundry in his town.Murphy, 48, first pitched the idea to Matt Damon, who produced the film under his production company Artist's Equity, on the set of Oppenheimer, calling it "a little bit Manchester By The Sea meets Doubt"."Claire's story was so perfect and magnificent in its brevity and what it ...
Commonwealth leaders say sinking nations should keep their maritime boundaries
World News

Commonwealth leaders say sinking nations should keep their maritime boundaries

By Kirsty Needham, Reuters Sixty percent of Tuvalu residents live on an atoll that scientists predict will be half submerged by tides by 2050. Photo: AFP In a boost for Pacific Islands such as Tuvalu under threat from rising seas, Commonwealth nations agreed on Saturday that a nation's maritime boundaries should remain fixed even if climate change causes small island states to be submerged. The 56 countries with roots in Britain's empire issued the Commonwealth's first Ocean Declaration at the end of a summit of the group in Samoa. The declaration says the Commonwealth leaders "affirm that members can maintain their maritime zones" under the law of the sea and that the rights that flow from them continue to apply, regardless of physical changes connected to climate change related sea...
Sir Keir Starmer plays down prominence of reparation talk among Commonwealth leaders | UK News
Business

Sir Keir Starmer plays down prominence of reparation talk among Commonwealth leaders | UK News

Sir Keir Starmer has downplayed the prominence of reparations for slavery being addressed at a Commonwealth summit, saying "none of the discussions have been about money".The prime minister, who is in Samoa for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm), has been facing mounting pressure from leaders of Caribbean nations who want the UK to consider paying reparations for the impact of the transatlantic slave trade. They are seeking a formal apology from the countries responsible for the historic slavery.Sir Keir had already rejected the calls ahead of the meeting, saying it would lead to "very long, endless discussions" about the past.The UK government has repeatedly ruled out offering reparations or an apology for the country's historical involvement in the trade. But after an e...
Undocumented and prevented from attending school – stateless children in Malaysia
World News

Undocumented and prevented from attending school – stateless children in Malaysia

Etania Schools founder Dr Kathryn Rivai with teacher Norsiya Amil and some of their students. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Mythen "Education is so important for every single child," says a New Zealand woman who calls Malaysia home. "No exceptions." For the last 15 years, Dr Kathryn Rivai has been on a mission to ensure all children in Malaysia can access basic education. Because in Malaysia, there are exceptions. "Our government only supports Malaysian ethnicity or Malaysian children that have documents," said Rivai, who lives in Kota Kinabalu, East Malaysia. Those who are undocumented or stateless are not allowed to attend school. "It's different from other countries like New Zealand," Rivai said. "If you live in New Zealand, you have to go to school. But not here." Under international law, a...
Seema Sajdeh opens up to her son about moving on after divorce
Entertainment, Movies

Seema Sajdeh opens up to her son about moving on after divorce

Seema Sajdeh, Maheep Kapoor, Bhavana Panday and Neelam Kothari Soni weren’t exactly excited about including three outsiders in Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives, after fronting the past two seasons. Were they feeling territorial? Maybe, admits Sajdeh. “We were a little resistant because we four can be clan-ish. We’ve been friends for long. You are in your comfort zone when you reach your 40s-50s, and to let new people in your life is daunting. But as we hung out with each other more, I had a lot of fun,” says the fashion designer of her new co-stars, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Kalyani, and Shalini Passi. The third season sees a face-off between the Bollywood personalities and the Delhi socialites. Sajdeh enjoyed witnessing Sahni, daughter to Neetu Kapoor and the late Rishi Kapoor, making her ...
Kremlin denies report Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin have been in regular contact for last two years | World News
Business

Kremlin denies report Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin have been in regular contact for last two years | World News

The Kremlin has denied a Wall Street Journal report that Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin have been in regular contact over the last two years.The world's richest man has repeatedly been in touch with the Russian president, according to the US outlet, citing several current and former US, European and Russian officials. They added that the discussions touch on personal topics, business and geopolitical tensions.It comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues and the US election approaches next month.However, the Kremlin and Mr Musk both denied the report. On Friday, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "No, this is not true."He said that the pair had had one contact and that was before 2022. Mr Musk himself previously said on his own social media site that they had spoken...