Still no sign of Qin Gang as China says foreign minister has been replaced
Beijing announces former US ambassador has been removed from office after speculation about his whereabouts
China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, who has not been seen in public for almost a month amid a mysterious absence, has been removed from office and replaced by his predecessor, Wang Yi, China’s top legislative body has announced.
The sudden calling of a special meeting Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC) with one day’s notice, had fuelled speculation there may be answers about the disappearance of Qin, who was last seen in public almost a month ago.
UN races to avert ‘ticking time bomb’ oil spill off Yemen
The UN says it has begun an operation to pump 1 million barrels of oil from a rusting supertanker off Yemen’s coast, hoping to avoid an environmental disaster that could devastate local ecosystems and major ports.
The United Nations said on Tuesday it had begun pumping oil from a decaying supertanker off Yemen‘s Red Sea coast in a bid to prevent an environmental disaster that it estimates would cost $20 billion (€18 billion) to clean up.
The 47-year-old tanker, called the FSO Safer, is a floating storage and offloading facility that has been moored around 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the port of Hodeida since the 1980s. The corroding vessel has not been serviced since war broke out in Yemen eight years ago.
It is carrying four times as much oil as was spilled in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska, according to UN officials.
Taliban makeover: Afghan women despair over beauty parlour ban
Shirin booked her bridal makeover weeks ago, but instead of relaxing as beauticians pampered her, everyone in the Kabul salon was on edge, ready to hide the bride should the police appear.
Shirin was the last customer at a salon in Afghanistan’s capital, one of thousands across the country shuttered on Tuesday by order of Taliban authorities.
“I have someone on watch outside in case the Taliban arrive. If something happens, we’ll put her in the bathroom or store room and look busy packing,” salon owner Aziza said.
“Even if they put me in prison, I will do her makeover because I promised her.”
As some beauticians fluttered around Shirin, others were busy packing up the salon.
U.N. rights body in Japan to investigate entertainment industry abuse
A delegation of the U.N. Human Rights Council will investigate abuse in Japan’s entertainment industry, starting this week and lasting until early August, people familiar with the matter said Monday, as former members of top male talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc accused its late founder of sexual abuse.
The Working Group on Business and Human Rights will speak to an association composed of several of these members who claim to be victims of Johnny Kitagawa, as well as others in the industry, to examine Japanese government and business efforts in protecting human rights.
The U.N. group also plans to speak to Megumi Morisaki, an actress and the president of Arts Workers Japan, which is composed of freelancers, to learn more about the harassment and labor conditions they face.
A traumatised father battles Russia on Ukraine’s front line
The losses in eastern Ukraine are felt by soldiers and civilians alike. For many, nothing remains of their homes but memories.
Through fields and down off-road tracks, amid the constant sounds of artillery guns being fired, is Ukraine’s eastern front line.
Along a tree line used as cover, vehicles are hidden – camouflaged with branches and shrubbery.
Andrii Onistrat is a commander of a drone unit there. He has a confident swagger about him and is comfortable in front of a camera.
Before the war, he was a successful businessman and had his own television show. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine turned him into a soldier.
Ghana minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah reported a robbery. Why was she arrested?
A government minister in Ghana must have thought she was doing the right thing by going to the police to report a theft at her house, but it backfired spectacularly when she was arrested.
According to a court charge sheet dated last Thursday relating to those accused of the theft, Cecilia Abena Dapaah had a vast amount of money stolen.
It describes a “cash sum” of $1m (£780,000), as well as 300,000 euros ($333,000) and 350,000 Ghana cedis ($30,000), plus other personal items including handbags valued at $35,000 and $95,000-worth of jewellery.
The 68-year-old disputes the figures given in the court document but the revelations outraged many in Ghana.
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