21062025

SATURDAY | JUNE 21, 2025

9 UK holds vote on euthanasia

More than 500 wildfires in England, Wales

o Real people facing prospect of painful, undignified death: Legislation proposer

LONDON: British lawmakers held a vote yesterday on whether to allow assisted dying for the terminally ill. MPs could either progress the legislation to the House of Lords upper chamber for further scrutiny or end it entirely following several hours of impassioned debate. Protesters for and against the Bill were expected to gather outside parliament as the so-called third reading took place. “It is about real people facing the prospect of a painful and undignified death either for themselves or a loved one,” said the legislation’s proposer MP Kim Leadbeater. “The injustice and inhumanity of the status quo means we cannot wait any longer to offer them the hope of a better death.” The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow assisted suicide in England and Wales for adults with an incurable illness who have a life expectancy of fewer than

Trump granted National Guard control in LA SAN FRANCISCO: A US Appeals Court on Thursday ruled that President Donald Trump could continue control of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom. In a unanimous 38-page ruling, the three-judge panel said Trump’s “failure to issue the federalisation order directly ‘through’ the governor of California does not limit his otherwise lawful authority to call up the National Guard”. Trump was within his rights when he ordered 4,000 members of the National Guard into service for 60 days to“protect federal personnel performing federal functions and to protect federal property“, the judges wrote. Last week, a lower court judge ordered Trump to return control of the California National Guard to Newsom, saying Trump’s decision to deploy them was “illegal”. Newsom hailed the earlier decision, saying Trump “is not a king, and he should stop acting like one”. Trump, who has repeatedly exaggerated the scale of the unrest, also sent 700 US Marines to Los Angeles despite the objections of local officials, claiming that they had lost control of the “burning” city. Trump appointed two of the judges on the US Appeals Court for the Ninth Circuit panel and former president Joe Biden appointed the third, the New York Times reported on Thursday. – AFP Separate legislation is going through the devolved Scottish parliament while the Isle of Man in March became the first British territory to pass such a Bill. – AFP legislation before the end of the parliamentary year or the Bill will fail. If it passes and receives royal assent, it would be four years before an assisted dying service is implemented. A government impact assessment published this month estimated that between 160 and 640 assisted deaths could take place in the first year, rising to a possible 4,500 in the 10th year. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was expected to vote in favour but several of his top ministerial team, including the health and justice secretaries, have publicly opposed changing the law. Assisted suicide now carries up to 14 years’ jail in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

LONDON: A warning has been issued in the United Kingdom (UK) as firefighters have responded to more than 500 wildfires across England and Wales this year and temperatures continue to rise, PA Media/dpa reported. As of Thursday, 564 wildfire incidents have been responded to by English and Welsh Fire and Rescue services this year, which is a 717% increase from the same period in 2024, and more than double the number seen in 2022, which was the worst year on record for wildfires, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said. NFCC is urging caution among the public when enjoying the outdoors in a bid to prevent further spikes in incidents. This comes after the UK broke its record for the warmest day of the year twice on the same day, with the temperature reaching as high as 32.2°C on Thursday. It is expected to get hotter as the highest temperatures this week are forecast, with low 30s predicted widely across England and up to 34°C possible in eastern areas, the Met Office said. As the drier weather continues and temperatures rise, there are concerns that the UK will see more wildfires in areas where homes and businesses border rural areas, NFCC added. Its chairman Phil Garrigan said: “We are concerned about the escalating threat of wildfires this summer, which have the potential to become more frequent, intense and dangerous, particularly in areas where communities border the countryside.” Public safety advice issued by NFCC includes avoiding the use of disposable barbecues in open countryside, parks and moorland areas, and not discarding cigarettes, matches or glass bottles as they could ignite dry vegetation. With drier conditions during this time of year meaning that fires could burn into peat and burn for longer, it is likely that some fires would take a number of days, rather than hours to extinguish, causing more damage and placing further pressure on Fire and Rescue services, NFCC added. – Bernama-PA Media/dpa

current form. MPs backed the proposed legislation by 330 to 275 votes in parliament last November. Since then, it has undergone several changes, including applying a ban on adverts for assisted dying and allowing health workers to opt out of helping in the process. Several lawmakers in the 650-seat parliament then switched positions, and parties are not telling them how to vote, making the outcome difficult to predict. An ITV News tracker of around half the parliamentarians estimated that 153 MPs planned to vote for changing the law, with 141 against, 21 undecided and 21 due to abstain. The House of Commons and the House of Lords must approve the

six months. They would have to be able to administer the life-ending substance themselves, and any patient’s wish to die would have to be signed off by two doctors and a panel of experts. A change in the law would see Britain emulate other countries in Europe and elsewhere that allow some form of assisted dying. Supporters say euthanasia would give the terminally ill greater protections and choice at the end of their lives, but critics worry that vulnerable people could be coerced into dying. The Royal College of Psychiatrists said last month it has “serious concerns” about the safeguarding of people with mental illness, adding that it cannot support the Bill in its

PUBLIC ANGST ... Residents in New York City protesting against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in a demonstration calling for a ‘Black and Brown’ solidarity day with migrants who are being detained by the agency. – AFPPIC

Rising concerns over hate crimes in America WASHINGTON: The New York Police Department (NYPD) said on Thursday its hate crime unit is probing anti-Muslim threats against mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, and in another incident, Republican US Representative Max Miller of Ohio said he was “run off the road”. at 9.45am, Mamdani, a Democratic state assembly member, claimed that he “received four phone voicemails on various dates, making threatening anti-Muslim statements by an unknown individual”. There have not been any arrests and an investigation is ongoing, NYPD said. off the road” in the city of Rocky River on Thursday while he and his family were threatened by a person with a Palestinian flag. He labelled the incident, which was also condemned by top congressional Democrats, as antisemitic.

anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian prejudice include the fatal stabbing of a six-year-old Palestinian in Illinois, the attempted drowning of a three-year-old Palestinian American girl in Texas and a violent mob attack on pro-Palestinian protesters in California. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Thursday a suspect was taken into custody and “charged with multiple counts of assault and aggravated harassment” in an alleged attack against a Muslim woman who was beaten on a subway train. – Reuters

Incidents that raised alarm over antisemitism and anti-Israel attitudes in the United States include a fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington and a Colorado attack that left eight people hurt when a man threw incendiary devices into a pro-Israel crowd. Incidents raising alarm about

These mark the latest US incidents to raise concerns about a rise in hate against Americans of Muslim, Arab, Jewish, Israeli and Palestinian heritage since the start of the war in Gaza in late 2023. An NYPD spokesperson said police received reports that on Wednesday

The New York Daily News reported that a man threatened to blow up Mamdani’s car. A member of Mamdani’s campaign staff said he was participating in the police probe. In the other case, Miller, who is Jewish and pro-Israel, said he was“run

Tiktok deadline extended for third time WASHINGTON: US President

However, since the last election campaign, he has warmed to the app. TikTok critics warn that the Chinese government could use the algorithm to influence public opinion in the United States, which TikTok and Bytedance have denied. – Bernama-dpa

tariffs for China in exchange for the government’s approval of the TikTok sale. He tried to ban TikTok in 2020 during his first presidency by issuing an executive order but US courts thwarted the move.

former president Joe Biden, TikTok should have been sold by Jan 19 or taken offline in the United States. However, Trump granted a 75-day extension when he took office in January. He then promised lower additional

Trump on Thursday signed an executive order extending the deadline for another 90 days. Two previous extensions granted by Trump have expired without a solution. According to a law signed under

Donald Trump has once again extended the deadline for TikTok’s China-based parent company Bytedance to sell the video platform to a US owner or face a ban, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.