Nobel Peace Prize: Russian laureate 'told to turn down award'
By Charlie Haynes & Lucy Pawle
The Russian co-winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize has said Kremlin authorities told him to turn down the award.
Yan Rachinsky, who heads Memorial, said he was told not to accept the prize because the two other co-laureates - a Ukrainian human rights organisation and jailed Belarusian rights defender - were deemed "inappropriate".
Memorial is one of Russia's oldest civil rights groups, and was shut down by the government last year.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has been contacted for comment.
LeBron James and Billie Jean King lead tributes to American journalist Grant Wahl
The death of prominent journalist Grant Wahl at the World Cup in Qatar has led to an outpouring of shock and grief across the sports world, with NBA star LeBron James and tennis great Billie Jean King leading the tributes to the American.
Wahl died after collapsing while covering Friday’s Argentina-Netherlands match. The circumstances around his death are unclear.
King said Wahl’s death was “heartbreaking.”
“A talented journalist, Grant was an advocate for the LGBTQ community & a prominent voice for women’s soccer,” King tweeted Saturday. “He used his platform to elevate those whose stories needed telling. Prayers for his family.”
‘The authorities will step up control’: where next for China after protests?
After mass demonstrations against Covid lockdowns, experts say Xi Jinping’s response will be a further gradual crackdown
Since Xi Jinping came to power a decade ago, China’s Communist party has enacted a sweeping crackdown on civil society. Independent NGOs have been shut down, journalists and human rights lawyers arrested and outspoken media tamed. Meanwhile, the government has invested heavily in a massive surveillance system to keep track of citizens’ movements and activities.
Given their emphasis on national security and stability, party leaders would have been shocked therefore by the nationwide protests that broke out on 26 November in opposition to Xi’s “zero-Covid” policy. Demonstrators demanded an end to lockdowns and mass testing and some even called for the removal of the party and Xi himself.
Japan passes funds law amid 'cult-like' church controversy
The Unification Church has been accused of extorting huge donations from followers in return for spiritual salvation. The alleged killer of ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July claimed to be one of the group's victims.
Japan's parliament on Saturday approved a law that bans religious and other organizations from maliciously soliciting donations after a brainwashing controversy surrounding the Unification Church.
The legislation was passed almost five months after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated during an election rally by a man who held a grudge against the church.
What is the new fundraising law?
The new law, approved at this year's closing parliamentary session, bans religious and other groups from using coercion or threats to solicit funds from followers.
Many Unification Church followers claim they were forced to join, left in poverty, or neglected because of their parents' devotion to the group.
Arms dealer Bout praises Putin, backs Ukraine assault
Viktor Bout, a notorious arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death", praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and backed Moscow's assault on Ukraine.
On Thursday, Bout, who was serving a 25-year sentence in a US prison, was exchanged in Abu Dhabi for American basketball star Brittney Griner.
Speaking to the Kremlin-backed RT channel in an interview released on Saturday, Bout said he kept a portrait of Putin in his prison cell in the United States.
"I am proud that I am a Russian person, and our president is Putin," the former Soviet air force pilot said in the 40-minute interview.
Return of Afghan floggings as Taliban takes a hardline path
Taliban denounces criticism of public floggings and execution, bringing back memories of its harsh rule in 1990s.
In early November, Sadaf*, a 22-year-old university student, was found guilty of “moral crimes” in a northern Afghan province. She was accused by local Taliban officials of speaking to a man who was not her “mahram” – a male family member.
Since seizing control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed increasing restrictions on women, including gender segregation at universities and public places such as gyms.
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