'Significant possibility' that Isis downed Russian plane, UK says – live updates
Russian media suggests Britain acted prematurely by suspending flights underlining the sensitivity of the Kremlin’s decision to launch airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria, writes Alec Luhn in Moscow.
“While experts are working at the air crash site in Egypt and trying to establish the causes of the tragedy, in London they already know everything ahead of time,” the national daily newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda noted in its news piece. “You can think up a lot of explanations, but not one has received official confirmation,” the newspaper warned after quoting foreign secretary Philip Hammond on the possibility that a bomb had brought down the plane.Many Russian carriers have continued flying while avoiding the Sinai Peninsula where the plane went down on Saturday, but the possibility of canceling flights has not been raised by officials. Metrojet, which operated the flight that crashed, was allowed to continue its trips to Egypt after additional safety checks.The official newspaper of the Russian government, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, said Russian and Egyptian experts had not found traces of explosives on passengers’ bodies and quoted a source saying premature speculation on the causes was negatively affecting the investigation.Russian state television channels had reports on Thursday morning about the UK suspending flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh, but were sceptical of such a conclusion. Instead, they were focusing on the difficulty of the crash investigation in Egypt and the recovery of bodies.If it emerges that a terrorist attack was responsible for bringing down the flight, it could provoke doubts in the Russian air campaign against rebels in Syria. After the airstrikes started in late September, several Islamic extremist groups called for attacks against Russia. Surveys have shown most Russians support military assistance for Bashar al-Assad’s regime but not the deployment of ground forces.If Russians die in a terrorist attack, there could be “indignation with the authorities who became the reason for this tragedy with their war in Syria,” said Lev Gudkov, director of the independent pollster Levada Centre. But he added that this indignation would likely be matched by increased support for the government in response to the threat of Islamic terrorism, which has long been a major issue given the simmering Islamic insurgency in Russia’s Caucasus region.
Million mask march: How Guy Fawkes became the global face of modern protest
November 5 marks the night when Guy Fawkes infamously attempted to kill King James I by blowing up the British Houses of Parliament. But 410 years later, how has his image become the global symbol of modern protest?
As night falls across the UK on November 5, thousands of families will be heading out to their nearest park to enjoy the local bonfire and fireworks display, whilst likely tucking into some bonfire specialities such as Parkin or toffee apples.
The British tradition marks the day in 1605 when Catholic would-be terrorist Guy Fawkes was arrested after attempting to assassinate King James I by blowing up the Houses of Parliament in London.
On the same night, in cities both in the UK and around the world, thousands of people are also due to take to the streets for the global "Million Mask March" and don their "Guy Fawkes" masks - a pale bearded face, made famous by Alan Moore and David Lloyd's 1980s graphic novel "V for Vendetta" and the 2006 Warner Bros. film of the same name.
Taliban burn down girls’ school in Afghanistan
It was one of the only schools in Afghanistan’s Logar province still teaching girls. But on the night of October 28th, Taliban insurgents - who are opposed to female education past the age of eight - set fire to the Haji Golan school.
Haji Golan, a public primary school in Polalam, is located 65 kilometres south of Kabul in the violence-wracked Logar province. Abdullah Saljoqi, a journalist in Herat, western Afghanistan, learned all the details of the attacks as it unfurled via his contacts in Polalam. The authorities attribute this attack to the Taliban.
"Even schools that abide by the rules get attacked"
At about 3am, three militias attacked the Haji Golan school. The militants first tied up the school’s night watchman, then set fire to the building and fled. The inside of the school burned for three hours, until the watchman managed to escape and contain the fire with the help of neighbours. Thankfully, nobody was hurt since only the watchman was at the school at that time of the night.Intolerance has always existed: Niti Aayog’s Bibek Debroy
Niti Aayog's member Bibek Debroy is a renowned economist who is known for speaking his mind. In an interview to TOI, Debroy reflects on the issue of intolerance and cites examples to show the need for multiple views. Excerpts:
Q: A debate has been raging on the issue of intolerance in the country. What has been your experience?
A: What is generally not known is that Jagdish Bhagwati was essentially made to leave Delhi School of Economics and had to go abroad because his life was made very uncomfortable. He left DSE because there is a certain prevailing climate of opinion and if you buck that, your life is made uncomfortable.
In the course of the second five-year plan, a committee of economists was set up to examine it. Dr B.R. Shenoy was the only one who opposed it. Do you find Dr Shenoy's name mentioned in the history of union policymaking? No. He was completely ostracized. He could not get a job in India and he ended up in Ceylon.
Nigeria's Buhari puts anticorruption drive into high gear
The new president took office six months ago, promising to put an end to impunity in the business and political elite. Last week, he started to deliver.
ABUJA, NIGERIA — The penalties handed out by the Nigeria government last week came rapidly, one blow after another.
First there was the suspension of the CEO of a major banking franchise for supposedly misleading statements over two years. That was followed by a $9.4 million fine imposed on First Bank of Nigeria, one of the country’s largest banks.
But the biggest surprise was when the government fined MTN, Africa’s largest cell carrier, $5.2 billion for failing to disconnect customers with unregistered SIM cards.
In a country where impunity by big business and the political elite is rarely punished, the uptick in penalties has been eye-catching. But for those who voted for President Muhammadu Buhari, each one is a confirmation that their leader's campaign promise to bring discipline to Nigeria is taking root.Lahore factory collapse: Rescuers search rubble for survivors
A major rescue operation is under way to save dozens of people thought to be trapped in rubble after a factory collapsed in Lahore, Pakistan.
At least 17 people died when the factory, which was under construction, collapsed on Wednesday.
Cranes and bulldozers are being used and the army is assisting in the rescue efforts.
The cause of the collapse is still unknown. Building safety levels are often below standard in Pakistan.
Two floors of the factory, in the Sundar Industrial Estate on the outskirts of the city, were operational, while a third was being built.
About 200 labourers are thought to have been in the building at the time of the incident, according to Jam Sajjad Hussain, a spokesman for the rescue services.
Other estimates in the Pakistani media have put the figure closer to 150 people.
Mr Hussain told the BBC that 98 people had been pulled out alive and many were then taken to hospital.
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