Congress leader dies

A doctor who specialised in treating the elderly has died after testing positive for coronavirus . Anton Sebastianpillai, 75, who had a long association with Kingston Hospital, London , died on Saturday after spending four days in intensive care. He is believed to be the 13th NHS medic to die after contracting Covid-19. The consultant geriatrician, who qualified as a doctor at the Peradeniya Medical School in Sri Lanka in 1967, worked his last shift on March 20. A spokeswoman for Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘It is with great sadness that I confirm the death of a consultant geriatrician who was part of the team at Kingston Hospital. ‘Dr Anton Sebastianpillai died on Saturday having been cared for in the hospital’s intensive care unit since March 31. We would like to extend our sincere condolences to his family.’ In an obituary notice from the Peradeniya Medical School, Dr Sebastianpillai was referred to as a ‘distinguished alumnus’, who had … [Read more...] about Doctor specialising in elderly treatment is 13th NHS medic to die from coronavirus

The director of mental health did not have confidence in the Canterbury health authority’s ability to ensure a “timely review” following an alleged murder by a mental health patient. Laisa Waka, 52, was just metres from her home in Christchurch, when she was attacked by a man wielding a knife about 4.20pm on June 25. She died at the scene. A 37-year-old man, who has name suppression, was arrested a short time later, about 500 metres away in Epsom Rd, and charged with murder. The man was a patient in a secure unit at Hillmorton Hospital. He was on community leave at the time of Waka’s death. READ MORE: Man who allegedly murdered woman walking home from work keeps name secret Wider inspection of mental health service follows alleged fatal stabbing Fiji police pay respects to constable who lost mum in Christchurch stabbing Correspondence released to Stuff under the Official Information Act reveals Health Minister Andrew Little wrote to the director of mental … [Read more...] about Health leader had ‘no confidence’ in local DHB’s ability for ‘timely’ review into alleged murder

Tributes from around the have been paid to Kofi Annan, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Secretary-General of the United Nations, who died aged 80 on Saturday after a short illness. His home country, Ghana, declared a week of national mourning. He served two terms as UN chief between 1996 and 2006. Ravina Shamdasani, the spokeswoman for the UN Office of High Commission for Human Rights, said Annan was a life-long believer in the organisation: "I think we will remember Kofi Annan most for his dedication to peace and human rights, to his unfailing belief that diplomacy, dialogue, and just that the United Nations works, that we can avoid conflicts, that we can resolve conflicts and that we should never give up. We need to keep pushing. We need to keep advocating for human rights even in the face of seemingly impossible obstacles." Admirers who took to Twitter to pay their respects: Kofi Annan was the first black African to lead the … [Read more...] about World pays tribute to former UN chief Kofi Annan who has died at the age of 80

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been moved to a maximum-security prison, authorities have said. Allies of the jailed Kremlin critic had raised the alarm when he was transferred from his prison colony to an unknown location without warning on Tuesday. But according to media reports, the chairman of a prison monitoring commission later said that Navalny had been moved to the IK-6 prison in the village of Melekhovo. Navalny later confirmed his new location on Telegram on Wednesday, saying he was confined to a “strict regime” and in quarantine. "Alexei Navalny was taken away from the penal colony No. 2 [in Pokrov near Moscow]," Navalny's chief of staff, Leonid Volkov had said on Telegram . "His lawyer, who came to see him, was held at the gate until 14:00, and then was told that there is no such convict," he added. "We do not know where Alexei is now and to which colony he is being taken." The same statement was shared on Tuesday by … [Read more...] about Alexei Navalny: Jailed Kremlin critic moved to maximum-security prison

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough died August 8, 2022 at age 89 . In this "Sunday Morning" interview, originally broadcast on July 1, 2001, he discusses his biography of an overlooked Founding Father: In the cool grandeur of the National Archives in Washington, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are enshrined, historian David McCullough is anything but cool about how history has treated one of the major forces behind those two documents: John Adams. "There's no statue to him in Washington," McCullough told correspondent Rita Braver. "There's no face on Mount Rushmore. There's no monument. There's no picture of John Adams on our money. There isn't a postage stamp in circulation with John Adams' picture on it. This is a disgrace!" But now McCullough, one of the most influential historians of our time, has become an Adams advocate, using his skills and his celebrity to introduce Americans to this forgotten patriot, with a massive new … [Read more...] about From the archive: David McCullough on the life of patriot John Adams

You might think that the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago yesterday would provide a welcome opportunity for a Trump-weary Republican Party. This would be an entirely postpresidential scandal for Donald Trump. Unlike his two impeachments, this time any legal jeopardy is a purely personal Trump problem. Big donors and Fox News management have been trying for months to nudge the party away from Trump. Here was the perfect chance. Just say “No comment” and let justice take its course. But that was not to be. The former president has discovered a new test of power: using his own misconduct to compel party leaders to rally to him. One by one, they have executed the ritual of submission: Kevin McCarthy, Marco Rubio, even the  would-be Trump replacer Ron DeSantis. Maybe they’re inwardly hoping the FBI will do for them what they are too weak and frightened to do for themselves. But outwardly, they are all indignation and threats of retribution. Meanwhile, Senate and House Democrats are about to … [Read more...] about Stuck With Trump

World leaders past and present are honouring the memory of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who died Saturday at age 80. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres: “In many ways, Kofi Annan was the United Nations. He rose through the ranks to lead the organisation into the new millennium with matchless dignity and determination.” Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo: “Consummate international diplomat and highly respected former Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan was the first from sub-Saharan Africa to occupy this exalted position. He brought considerable renown to our country by this position and through his conduct and comportment in the global arena. He was an ardent believer in the capacity of the Ghanaian to chart his or her own course onto the path of progress and prosperity.” Russian President Vladimir Putin: “Many years of the life of this remarkable person and great politician were devoted to the service of … [Read more...] about Kofi Annan: tributes pour in for ‘a man of peace and champion of rights’

Washington — House Republicans and allies of former President Donald Trump erupted in anger late Monday after he revealed the FBI conducted a search of his South Florida home of Mar-a-Lago, with the GOP leader in the House vowing to open investigations into the Justice Department if Republicans win control of the House in the November midterm elections. After Trump revealed FBI agents "raided" his club, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted that Attorney General Merrick Garland should "preserve your documents and clear your calendar." "The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization," McCarthy wrote. "When Republicans take back the House, we will conduct immediate oversight of this department, follow the facts, and leave no stone unturned." Sources told CBS News the search by the FBI is connected to a Justice Department investigation of claims by the National Archives and Records Administration that it retrieved 15 boxes of … [Read more...] about Republicans rail against DOJ over FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, vowing investigations

Published 1 hour ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Furious allies of former President Donald Trump are demanding an explanation for the FBI's raid on his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago. The FBI and Department of Justice have yet to comment on the search, which Mr Trump disclosed on Monday evening. It is reportedly linked to an investigation into his handling of classified and sensitive material. It was the first time a former US president's home has ever been searched by law enforcement. Reports suggest the FBI activity is connected to an investigation into whether Mr Trump, a Republican, removed classified records from the White House and took them to Mar-a-Lago. The search was approved at the highest levels of the Department of Justice (DoJ), an unnamed US official told CBS News, the BBC's US partner. Republicans have depicted the investigation as politically … [Read more...] about Mar-a-Lago: Republican uproar over FBI raid on Trump home

By James Williams Published 32 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing An independent Wales is "less likely" to come about if Scotland does not vote to leave the UK first, a former Plaid Cymru leader has said. Lord Dafydd Wigley said if Scotland again voted "no" to independence, there would be a "greater focus" on a redesigned United Kingdom. He was speaking to the BBC Walescast podcast in the first of a series of interviews with Welsh politicians. The Scottish government wants to hold a second independence referendum in 2023. But UK government ministers are opposed to the vote . Lord Wigley served as MP for Caernarfon from 1974 up to 2001, and was the constituency's assembly member from the opening of the institution until 2003. He led Plaid Cymru twice, in the early 1980s and from 1991 to 2000. He will retire soon from the House of Lords, … [Read more...] about Dafydd Wigley: Welsh independence less likely if Scotland stays