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OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
I love England and the UK in general, but I have to admit these days when it comes to the monarchy I am a bit of a republican. Not Republican, of course. But the coronation is the big story in the English-language press around the world (which essentially means the former colonies including the US and the subcontinent including India most prominently) and so if you want coverage of other matters just skip to below the fold right now. But if you care…
Yahoo! Entertainment has the info:
Danica Creahan
The
coronation of His Majesty King Charles III is nearly upon us and we’ve all been invited (sort of). In June 1953, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation made history as the first-ever televised coronation of a monarch. Over 20 million Brits tuned in to the black-and-white broadcast back then, which was later shown worldwide. Seventy years later, Queen Elizabeth’s son is set to be
officially crowned the King of England in a ceremony that will no doubt be viewed live by many millions across the globe. Looking to join in on the royal family’s festivities from across the pond? Even if you’re in the US, there’s no shortage of ways to watch or stream the coronation of King Charles.
The Indian service WION had a documentary two days ago, but I did want to include a link:
WION Wideangle | British monarchy: Relevant or relic?
Charles is the King of England
But most British people are not interested in his coronation
Why is public support for monarchy at a historic low?
Do Brits really need a King?
From the Huffington Post:
The London Underground's famous "mind the gap" message has been recreated by the royal couple.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla have recorded a message that will be played out on the London Underground network’s public announcement systems this weekend.
The voices of the royal couple – who famously don’t use public transport aside for special anniversaries or openings –- will accompany travelers as they try to navigate the hectic coronation crowds.
From the New York Times:
Whether through a hard break or a soft fade in ties, nations that have kept the British monarch as their head of state are moving toward separation.
The era of warm, wave-and-smile relations between the British monarchy and its distant realms has come to an end. Many of the former colonies that still formally swear allegiance to King Charles III are accelerating efforts to cut ties with the crown and demanding restitution and a deeper reckoning with the empire that the royal family has come to represent.
Also from the NY Times:
Eight Other Charleses (and One Dog) Who Should Be Crowned King Instead
By Tanya Gold
Illustrations by Scorpion Dagger
A monarch is a strange thing: a vessel, an intercessor, a sacrifice, a tax haven, a person wearing fancy dress more than is healthy, a coin, a stamp. But not all who inherit the position are suited to it. We know a lot about Charles III from the interviews he gave while he waited for the throne, and what we know is troubling. He is sensitive — vulnerable even. Can he survive the next season of “The Crown,” let alone reality?
From the Washington Post:
For decades, Britain has been giving back its spoils of empire: the Stone of Scone to Scotland in 1996, Hong Kong to China in 1997 and, most recently, some of the Benin bronzes, with perhaps more to follow.
But, so far, that spirit of returning what was taken has not extended to the British crown jewels — specifically to the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which will be kept out of sight during King Charles III’s coronation Saturday, and the Cullinan diamonds, which will feature heavily.
Where the Koh-i-Noor diamond was first pulled from the earth is unknown, although it probably came from southern India, according to William Dalrymple and Anita Anand in their book “Koh-i-Noor: The Story of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond.” For centuries, the 186-carat rock traveled through Central and South Asia from one empire to another: the Mughals, the Persians, the Afghans. Koh-i-Noor is Persian for “mountain of light.”
Other news from former colonies of the British Empire begins with The Guardian:
Thousands evacuated to army camps as authorities struggle to bring inter-ethnic tensions under control
Indian troops have been deployed to the north-eastern state of Manipur with orders to “shoot on sight” and enforce a curfew as deadly clashes between tribal and non-tribal groups continue for the third day.
The violence and arson has forced about 9,000 people to flee their homes in the remote state, which borders Myanmar. The state government has not given the number of deaths but the chief minister, N Biren Singh, said that “precious lives have been lost” and at least 20 people were reportedly injured, including two local politicians.
From Great Andhra:
By Venkat Arikatla
Film: The Kerala Story
Rating: 3/5
Cast: Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, Siddhi Idnani, Devadarshini, Vijay Krishna, Pranay Pachauri, Pranav Misshra etc
Editing: Sanjay Sharma
Music: Viresh Sreevalsa, Bisakh Jyoti
Producer: Vipul Amrutlal Shah
Director: Sudipto Sen
Release Date: 5 May 2023
The film 'The Kashmir Files' made waves at the national box office in 2022, and now 'The Kerala Story' has taken the spotlight. The film is controversial and sensitive in nature, and the trailer alone has caused tremors among many.
It was believed that the film would never see the light of day, but it was eventually released. It was screened in many theaters with police protection to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.
From NDTV:
Tillu Tajpuriya, accused of killing another gangster inside a Delhi court in 2021, was stabbed to death inside the high-security prison on Tuesday.
New Delhi:
As dying gangster Tillu Tajpuriya was being carried away by policemen after a deadly attack inside Delhi's Tihar jail, his attackers beat him again with scores of policemen simply standing by, reveals shocking security footage. Seven cops have now been suspended over the murder.
Tillu Tajpuriya, accused of killing another gangster inside a Delhi court in 2021, was stabbed to death inside the high-security prison on Tuesday.
From CNN:
By Nimi Princewill and Allegra Goodwin
A Nigerian senator, his wife and a doctor were on Friday jailed over an organ harvesting plot involving a young man who was trafficked to the UK for his kidney, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement.
Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice and Dr. Obinna Obeta were sentenced at the UK’s Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, to nine years and eight months, four years and six months, and 10 years in prison respectively in the first conviction of its kind under Britain’s modern slavery laws.
From Deutsche Welle:
The UN refugee agency has advised governments not to return people to Sudan amid an ongoing conflict there. Meanwhile, Arab ministers will meet in Cairo this weekend to discuss the fighting. DW has the latest.
The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday that it was telling governments not to return people to Sudan as fighting between two rival generals continues to rage.
"We're advising governments not to return people to Sudan because of the conflict that's going on there," Elizabeth Tan, UNHCR's director of international protection, told reporters at a briefing in Geneva.
From Reuters:
By Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir
- Rival sides battle for territory
- Smoke rises over Khartoum, Bahri despite supposed truce
- Hospitals wrecked and occupied, food aid looted
- U.N. urges countries to let in fleeing civilians
PORT SUDAN, Sudan, May 5 (Reuters) - Heavy gunfire echoed around Khartoum on Friday as civilians trapped in the Sudanese capital said the army and rival paramilitary were fighting without regard to their plight.
Battles since mid-April have killed hundreds and wounded thousands, disrupted aid supplies, sent 100,000 refugees fleeing abroad and turned residential areas of Khartoum into war zones.
In other news, we start with the Middle East, with this from CNN:
By Nadeen Ebrahim
Arab nations are set to re-admit Syria into the Arab League despite repeated objections from the United States to ending the decade-long isolation of a regime that it holds accountable for the deaths of more 300,000 civilians and displacement of millions in the country’s brutal civil war.
Speaking to CNN’s Becky Anderson Thursday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said he believes there are enough votes among Arab League members for Syria to return to the bloc, adding that Jordan has kept the US informed in its efforts to rebuild ties with the regime.
From CBS News:
United Nations – A bawdy fistfight and slap-fest erupted between delegates from Ukraine and Russia in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday in the corridors of talks on Black Sea cooperation. Video of the scuffle was posted on the Facebook page of the Ukrainian delegate, Oleksandr Marikovski, involved in the melee.
"Paws off our flag, paws off Ukraine...," Marikovski says in his post after the confrontation.
From MSNBC:
Vladimir Putin finds himself needing to invent new arguments to rally the public’s support for the country’s war on Ukraine.
By Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia
From Deutsche Welle:
Two women, a director and a playwright, face charges of justifying terrorism over a play about Russian women recruited to marry radical Islamists in Syria. The charges sparked outrage amid a Russian crackdown on dissent.
A court in Russia ordered pretrial detention for a prominent theater director and a playwright on Friday after the two were accused of "justifying terrorism."
Director Zhenya Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk will be jailed for at least two months while awaiting trial, Russian news agencies reported.
From The Hill:
by Julia Shapero
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić vowed to disarm the country on Friday, as Serbia reels from its second mass shooting in two days.
“We will carry out an almost total disarmament of Serbia,” Vučić said, according to The Washington Post. “We must make a decision to confront this evil.”
From USA Today:
Doyle Rice
A late-April heat wave in southern Europe and northern Africa would have been "almost impossible" without the added effects of human-caused climate change, a new study released Friday reports.
In fact, the record-shattering heat was made 100 times more likely because of climate change, the study found.
From the BBC:
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says his party is on track to win the next general election after the Tories were hammered in local polls across England.
The Tories have lost 48 councils and more than 1,000 councillors, exceeding their worst predictions.
From the Associated Press:
By DANIEL POLITI
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Paraguayan police on Friday detained Paraguayo Cubas, a far-right populist who came in third in Sunday’s presidential election and encouraged his supporters to protest over his unsubstantiated claims that the vote was marred by fraud.
Cubas was being held in preventive detention under an order by the Attorney General’s Office that is accusing him of breach of the peace, Police Commissioner Gilberto Fleitas said in a radio interview.
From CBS:
Guatemalan authorities evacuated more than 1,000 people and closed a road as Central America's most active volcano erupted Thursday, spewing thick clouds of ash over farms and towns not far from the capital city. Civil protection official Oscar Cossio said 1,054 people had been evacuated from five communities near the foot of the volcano and moved to a sports hall for shelter.
He said that number was likely to rise as a full accounting of the evacuees was carried out.
I have to admit I am taping the BBC coverage of the coronation. I don’t know if I will watch or not, but this will give me the opportunity.