Almost 3,000 people have had to evacuate their homes in Tenerife as a wildfire, caused by embers left smouldering from an August blaze, re-ignited on the Spanish island. Unseasonably hot weather (up to 39°C) sparked the flames, which engulfed the north east of the island on 5 October. About 2,400 people have been evacuated from the town of Santa Ursula and another 600 from La Orotava. Teams of firefighters and six water-dropping helicopters worked to battle the fire overnight. The August fire had been brought under control but was never completely extinguished, with embers still burning in the forest. The firefighters have requested support from the army’s military emergency unit. The island’s councillor in charge of emergencies, Blanca Perez, told local radio this fire ‘has been stabilised, we are seeing how it evolves to determine if in a few hours residents can return to their homes’.
The editor-in-chief of RT, formerly Russia Today, has threatened legal action against critics after a backlash to her comments proposing a nuclear strike on Siberia. ‘Slanderers get ready’, Margarita Simonyan wrote on her Telegram channel, announcing that she had filed a defamation complaint against parliamentary aide Nikolai Korolev and warning of action against others. The often-controversial executive, among the most powerful in Russian media, has drawn criticism over a bizarre video monologue in which she appeared to propose a nuclear detonation in Russia as a deterrent against the West. The video triggered an avalanche of criticism from pundits and politicians. Mr Korolev said, ‘Such statements are a violation of the legislation of the Russian Federation, not to mention the wildness and absurdity’. Other critics noted that the history of Soviet nuclear tests in Siberia has left a legacy of contamination. The Kremlin moved to distance itself from Ms Simonyan, who has a close relationship with Vladimir Putin.
Russia: many more soldiers accused of murder
06 Oct 2023
Independent news outlet Vyorstka has reported a huge uptick in the number of Russian soldiers facing trial for murders committed outside the conflict zone in Ukraine. At least 147 soldiers went on trial for murder between January and September, compared to the 15 murder cases heard against soldiers in military courts in all of 2022. Court verdicts from this year indicate that most soldiers facing trial committed murders under the influence of alcohol. In one case an intoxicated soldier killed a woman with a Kalashnikov assault rifle after learning that she did not support Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. He was sentenced to nine years in prison in March. It is unclear whether the figures cited by Vyorstka include members of the Wagner mercenary outfit, which recruited prison inmates to fight in Ukraine in exchange for pardons. Among the weapons used in the murders were knives, axes, pistols, and Kalashnikovs.
On 14 October, Australia will vote in a historic referendum that cuts to the core of how it sees itself as a nation. If successful, the proposal - known as the Voice - will recognise aboriginal people in the constitution, while creating a body for them to advise governments on the issues affecting their communities. Advocates say it Is a ‘modest yet profound’ change that will allow Indigenous Australians to take a rightful place in their own country - which has often dragged its heels confronting its past. But those campaigning against it describe it as a ‘radical’ proposal that will ‘permanently divide’ the country by giving First Nations people greater rights than other Australians - a claim legal experts reject. Australia is unusual among settler nations to have never made a treaty with its indigenous peoples. It first voted on whether to acknowledge them in the preamble of the constitution back in 1999. The reform - which was one of two amendments tied to the referendum over whether to become a republic - failed.
Uganda: opposition leader detained?
06 Oct 2023
Uganda’s main opposition party, the NUP, has said its leader Bobi Wine was detained upon returning from a trip abroad. The singer-turned-politician arrived at Entebbe airport on 5 October after visiting several countries, including South Africa. A photo appeared to show two men seizing him by the arms on the tarmac. However, the police said he was ‘successfully escorted by our security team’, and urged people to disregard rumours of his arrest by ‘propagandists’. In September the police announced they were banning rallies being organised by the NUP across the country because of public order issues. There is a long history of authorities using so-called ‘preventative arrest’ to detain opposition leaders, often holding them for several hours before returning them to their homes so as to stymie mass demonstrations. Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, is a prominent critic of President Museveni’s government. He ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 2021 against Museveni, who is serving a sixth term in power.
Wab Kinew has been elected as the premier of the Canadian province of Manitoba, becoming the first First Nations leader to hold the post. This comes after his left-of-centre New Democratic Party (NDP) won 34 seats out of 57 in elections held this week. Kinew is the son of a chief from First Nations land in the neighbouring province of Ontario. His father was a professor at the University of Winnipeg. Becoming leader of Manitoba is especially significant because indigenous Canadians were not allowed to vote until 1960, and some rights were not fully recognised until 1982. In his victory speech, Kinew said: ‘That is a testament to our province and country moving forward. Long way to go, but you cannot tell me that we haven’t made progress.’ He has promised to fix healthcare, make people’s lives more affordable, and invest in more social housing.
US president Joe Biden's administration is to build a section of border wall in southern Texas in an effort to stop rising levels of immigration. Around 20 miles (32 km) will be built in Starr County, where officials report high numbers of crossings. Building a border wall, a signature policy of Donald Trump, was fiercely opposed by Democrats. In 2020, Mr Biden promised he would not build another foot of wall if elected. The US Customs and Border Protection defended the latest move, saying it was using funds already allocated for a border barrier. The rising number of illegal border crossings has made the issue a vulnerable one for the president. More than 245,000 crossings have been made this year in the Rio Grande Valley area alone. Several US cities say they are feeling the strain of the influx. New York City mayor Eric Adams predicted the cost of housing the more than 100,000 new arrivals since last year will rise to $12bn over the next three years. ‘We are at capacity’, he said.
Syria: drone attack kills over 100
06 Oct 2023
Over a hundred people, including ten civilians, were killed and another 125 were injured when drones carrying explosives targeted a graduation ceremony at a military academy in Homs. The army blamed ‘terrorist groups backed by known international forces’, and said it would respond with full force and determination against these terrorist groups ‘wherever they are’. There was no immediate claim from the rebels and jihadists battling the government in the country's civil war. The attack is believed to have been launched from opposition-held areas north-west of Homs. An eye-witness said, ‘After the ceremony, people went down to the courtyard and the explosives hit. We don't know where it came from, and corpses littered the ground.’ Syria's defence minister attended the graduation ceremony, but left minutes before the attack.