News In Brief

Climate-change protesters block road near Bank
of England
Reuters, London
Climate-change activists blocked a road near the Bank of England as part of the 11th day of direct action aimed at pushing politicians to take more radical measures to protect the environment.
The protesters held banners which read: “the planet is hotter than your mum” and “non violent”. They sang Bob Marley’s “One Love”.

Macron to unveil long-awaited reform plan
AFP, Paris
French President Emmanuel Macron will unveil his long-awaited response to nearly six months of humiliating street protests Thursday as he lays out reform plans that could prove decisive for his political future. Macron swept to power in 2017 on hopes he would be a youthful breath of fresh air for France.
But over the past six months, the momentum has been thoroughly knocked out of his presidency following the emergence of the anti-government “yellow vest” movement which has held weekly protests against social inequality.

Ukraine’s parliament adopts controversial language bill
AP, Moscow
Ukrainian lawmakers have approved a language law that seeks to increase the use of Ukrainian in a country where Russian is also widely used. The Supreme Rada on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to support the bill which will force increased use of Ukrainian in the media and in public administration. The office of the U.N. Human Rights Commissioner as well as the Council of Europe has expressed its concern over the previous draft of the bill, saying that it could infringe the rights of language minorities.

Iran denounces US talks with Taliban
AFP, New York
Iran on Wednesday criticized US talks with the Taliban on ending the Afghanistan war, saying Washington was elevating the role of the militants. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif acknowledged that Iran had also opened dialogue with the Taliban but said that the US push for a deal with the extremists was “seriously wrong.”
“An attempt to exclude everybody and just talk to the Taliban has alienated the government, has alienated the region, has alienated everybody else and it achieved nothing, as you’ve seen from the statement that came from the Taliban,” Zarif said.

Japan court grants $4.5m bail to Carlos Ghosn
AFP, Tokyo
A Japanese court granted Carlos Ghosn bail Thursday, meaning the former Nissan boss could soon walk out of his Tokyo detention centre to prepare his defence against multiple charges of financial misconduct. The Tokyo District Court set bail at 500 million yen ($4.5 million) as the 65-year-old auto sector legend faces four charges ranging from concealing part of his salary from shareholders to syphoning off Nissan funds for his personal use.