News

A Swedish activist student named Elin Ersson caused disruption on a plane that stopped the migrant being sent home. She had been fined 3,000 krona ($324; £251) for trying to stop the deportation of the Afghan migrant. Her video of the protest received international attention.

“I’m not going to sit down until this person is off the plane, because he will most likely get killed,” said Elin. The video shows how airline crew and other passengers persuade her to sit down and to stop filming. She was removed from the plane, with a 52-year-old Afghan and his escort from the Swedish Prison and Probation Service.

Elin said in the video that she disagree with Sweden’s policy of sending the rejected asylum seekers back. She got a very large social media support, although some accused her of grandstanding.

Sunaya Paison
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News

The US military aircraft is set to deliver 200 tons of aid to Venezuela border in Colombia as it increases pressure on embattled President Nicolas Maduro to give up power, according to a State Department email sent to Congress.

The aid will be delivered to Cucuta, Colombia, where other food and medical supplies are being held. The aid comes with the request of Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader, to solve the shortage of food and other essentials in economically troubled Venezuela.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said the aid is part of Washington’s political maneuvering to get him out of office, and he has blocked off a bridge needed to bring the supplies into Venezuela.

Lester Toledo, coordinator for international help for Venezuela said, “We came to ask for the solidarity of the governments of the world. We appreciate the diplomatic gestures. We appreciate the letters and the recognition of President Guaidó. But we ask for help, to make the humanitarian aid a reality. That all donations can let us purchase medical supplies that we really need.”

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News

The Bank of Valletta (Malta) has suspended all of its services in light of a hacking attempt. The bank has officially said in a brief statement that all their banking systems including ATM services and online banking had been shut down temporarily, and all BOV (Bank of Valetta) branches had closed early. The bank’s mobile app was back online on Thursday morning.

The bank added that it local and international police are investigating the attempted hack. The bank said that the client’s funds are safe. The fraudulent transactions had been traced and were “being reversed”, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told parliament later on Wednesday. The attack was detected shortly after the start of business on Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told parliament, when it noted reconciliation problems regarding international transfers.

“Bank of Valletta apologises to its clients for any inconvenience caused and will be keeping its customers and the general public informed of developments,” the bank said in a statement reported by the Times of Malta. It added that customers’ funds “are in no way impacted or compromised” by the breach.

Sunaya Paison
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright

Crime News

Five people killed and several got injured in the Aurora mass shooting, that happened when a gunman opened fire at an industrial park in Illinois, USA, police say. The authorities confirmed that the shooter, Gary Martin(45), an employee at the company was killed in a shootout with police. Five police officers were shot and wounded. Of the five officers wounded, two were airlifted to nearby trauma centres. Police said that he was reportedly sacked prior to the attack.

Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said that Martin was acting alone. The incident is said to have taken place at Henry Pratt Company, a firm that makes valves for large water pipes. Ziman said that the first two officers were shot shortly after arriving.

Officers declined to speculate on a motive for the attack, but the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper is reporting that his family say he was made redundant two weeks ago and had been “stressed out”. The names of the people killed has not yet been sent out by the authorities.

Sunaya Paison
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright

News Politics

As the government of Spain loses the budget vote, the risk of snap election arises. The parliament rejected the government’s 2019 draft budget, and this brings the country to the snap national election. 191 lawmakers voted against the budget, and 158 votes came in favour.

The socialists hold less than a quarter of the seats in the parliament, and need its support from smaller regional parties including the Catalan parties, to get the budget proposal voted through. But the Catalan parties are unhappy with the government’s refusal to consider or discuss an independence referendum for their north-eastern region. The Catalan secessionists had rejected the national budget.

“We have supported the government of Pedro Sanchez for eight months with nothing in exchange. We gave them all the support in the censure motion in exchange for nothing.” said Joan Tarda, the Pro Catalan independence MP. Spanish prime minister’s office says that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez plans to announce whether he will call early election after his government lost their key budget vote.

Sunaya Paison
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News

Twelve Catalan separatist leaders have appeared at the supreme court in Madrid facing charges including rebellion and sedition. If convicted, some of them would be going to prison for 25 years.

The semi-autonomous region of Catalonia held an independence referendum on 1 October 2017, and declared its independence from Spain weeks later. But the vote was declared illegal by Spanish authorities and the national government imposed direct rule.

Nine of the defendants have spent months in pre-trial detention, and arrived at the court on Tuesday morning under the guard. The remaining three had been free on bail. “It’s the most important trial we have had in democracy”, said the Supreme Court president Carlos Lesmes to the reporters.

The trial begins almost a year and a half after the failed independence bid – that remains controversial. Thousands gathered in a pro-unity demonstration against Catalan independence in Madrid on Sunday.

Sunaya Paison
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright