Author: admin@primenews

Ukraine has battled endemic corruption since the first days of its independence in 1991, and government officials and independent campaigners alike say that fight is key to winning the existential war it is fighting with Russia. They have had some success. Anti-corruption organisation Transparency International ranks Ukraine at its highest level since 2006: currently 104th out of 180 countries in its Corruption Perceptions Index. “Most Ukrainian anti-corruption institutions are showing pretty good results,” Andriy Borovyk, the executive director of Transparency International Ukraine, tells the BBC. According to him, one such result is the arrest of the then-Supreme Court head, Vsevolod…

In India’s northeastern Assam state, a complicated citizenship process has left thousands of people off the voters list during the national election. Umang Poddar from BBC Hindi reports on the people stuck in a legal quagmire. Forty-seven-year-old Laxmi Das felt terrible as she watched many of her neighbours in Assam’s Silchar city vote in the second phase of the Indian general elections in April. “The entire country participates in the general election but I can’t,” she says. Ms Das is among the 97,000 odd voters in the state who have a “D” or “doubtful” marked against their name and are…

Australians evacuated from New Caledonia after being stranded during more than a week of violent protests have been expressing their relief at returning home. Two Royal Australian Air Force planes landed in Brisbane on Tuesday night, carrying 108 Australians and other tourists stranded by the closure of the French Pacific territory’s international airport. Meanwhile, the New Zealand military flew 48 people into Auckland. France has said it expects to evacuate around 500 people on military aircraft – starting on Wednesday. French President Emmanuel Macron is on his way to the territory – which has seen its most serious unrest in…

The head of Singapore Airlines has apologised after a flight on Tuesday was hit by “severe extreme turbulence”, killing one person and injuring dozens. Goh Choon Phong said the airline was “very sorry for the traumatic experience” for those onboard flight SQ321 from London to Singapore. The flight was forced to make an emergency landing in the Thai capital Bangkok. Some 79 passengers and six crew members are still in Bangkok – where they are receiving medical treatment for injuries. A relief flight carrying the remaining passengers and crew members arrived in Singapore early on Wednesday. The plane, which had…

Two loudspeakers, as big as the men carrying them, are brought to the rocky hilltop. Some 800m below, in the town of Hpasang, lies a sprawling Myanmar army base. It’s a blisteringly hot day – above 40C – and behind, on bamboo poles, more young resistance fighters carry a large, heavy battery pack and amplifier. Leading the ascent is Nay Myo Zin, a former army captain who, after 12 years in the military, defected to the resistance. With his dark green camouflage jacket draped over one shoulder, he has the air of a performer about to take the stage. He…

The town of Slough in Berkshire, just outside London, has had a terrible press over the years. Many will put that down to the British sitcom The Office, yet even before that in 1937 the poet John Betjeman wrote “Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!”. But that is perhaps changing. With its direct transport links to London, close proximity to Heathrow Airport and fast fibre optic connections, it is said to be perfectly placed for a hi-tech revolution. According to the Slough and South Bucks Observer, the town has “Europe’s largest collection of data centres”, with 34 currently based…

It’s an alleged coup plot featuring a German aristocrat, a “massive arsenal” of weapons and the belief that Queen Elizabeth II’s death might have been a secret “signal” to act. The trials of people allegedly connected to the so-called Reichsbürger movement are underway with those accused of being ringleaders set to appear before judges. Plotters are said to have hatched a scheme to violently overthrow the German government. Investigators claim that the conspiracy theorists believed the country was being run by a “deep state”. The hearing in Frankfurt on Tuesday is the highest profile of three trials following nationwide raids…

A group of tourists wheel their bulky luggage and wind their way through the crowds in search of the perfect shot. They huddle on a pavement opposite a convenience store – but this is no ordinary store. Rising behind it is Japan’s highest summit, the majestic Mount Fuji. The snowy 3,776m-peak forms a stunning backdrop for those in search of their next favourite selfie or instagrammable moment. The visitors got what they wanted – and just in time. Fast forward a few weeks, to this morning, and that view is gone. The once-busy vantage point – the pavement – is…

Diplomats owe more than £143m to Transport for London (TfL) for unpaid congestion charges, figures reveal. The US Embassy owes the largest amount at almost £14m, the Embassy of Japan owes over £10.1m and meanwhile Togo owes £40. The figures from TfL relate to unpaid fees and fines accrued by diplomats between the launch of the congestion charge in 2003 and the end of last year. In a statement the American Embassy said it believed they were exempt from the charge claiming it is a tax. ‘Stubborn minority’ The scheme involves a £15 daily fee for driving within an area of…

Australia and New Zealand say they have received clearance to send planes to New Caledonia to pick up travellers stranded after unrest shut down the international airport. Australia is deploying two planes on Tuesday to evacuate some of the 300 of its citizens who have registered for assistance in the French Pacific territory. The first of “a series” of proposed flights will also leave New Zealand and bring about 50 people home, the government in Wellington said. The unrest began last week after lawmakers in Paris voted through changes that will allow more French residents to vote in local elections,…