01/08/2026

SATURDAY | AUG 1, 2026

9

Veteran MP readmitted to UK Labour party

Brazil court authorises probe on son of president

explosions was heard. Explosives experts later inspected the site and plan to return in a few days. By the time the explosions occurred, the residents had already been evacuated. One homeowner later returned to the scene to check whether everything was all right and noticed a hole in a window shutter, Ouest-France reported. He then found a grenade on the bedroom floor that had smashed through the shutter and the window pane. It appears it was propelled through the air by the force of the explosions and struck the house without exploding itself. Finds of German munitions in the region are not uncommon as German troops built numerous bunkers, command posts and ammunition depots in the dunes and forests along the coast. When the Wehrmacht retreated in 1944, many of these installations had to be abandoned, in some cases hastily, leaving behind ammunition and other military equipment. – Bernama-Xinhua LONDON: Diane Abbott, the first black woman to become a British MP, has been readmitted into the ranks of Britain’s governing Labour party following an internal investigation, the party announced on Thursday. The left-wing figurehead, Parliament’s longest-serving female MP, was suspended by Labour last year after repeating contentious comments about racism, for which she had apologised. She was readmitted into both the political party and its parliamentary ranks alongside another lawmaker, Joani Reid, who voluntary suspended herself earlier this year. The move followed her husband’s arrest on suspicion of spying for China. “Abbott and Reid have been readmitted to the Labour Party and have had the Labour whip restored in the House of Commons,“ a party spokesperson said. Their readmissions come less than two weeks after Andy Burnham, who hails from Labour’s so-called“soft left”wing, replaced Keir Starmer as leader and prime minister. However, it is understood that the party’s leadership played no role in the decisions. The spokesperson said they followed “a process conducted under Labour Party rules and approved by an independent review board”. The 72-year-old, who ran to be Labour leader in 2010, has long been a highly respected figure within the party’s ranks. But she caused an outcry in 2023 when in a letter to the weekly Observer newspaper she wrote that Irish and Jewish people and travellers “undoubtedly experience prejudice” but that it is merely “similar to racism”. She said: “It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism.” Abbott, a close ally of left-wing former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, remained suspended from the party for more than a year, although she withdrew the remarks and apologised for “any anguish caused”. She was allowed to run for Labour in the July 2024 elections in her London constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, and was re-elected. But a year later she made a similar argument in a July 2025 BBC interview, telling the broadcaster that it was “silly to try and claim that racism that is about skin colour is the same as other types of racism”. In a statement on Thursday confirming her Labour readmittance, Abbott said she is “a lifelong anti-racist and remains deeply committed to opposing racism in all its forms”. – AFP

SAO PAULO: A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has authorised federal police to investigate the son of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva over suspicions that he improperly helped a lobbyist in dealings with the Health Ministry, two sources with direct knowledge of the decision said. Last week, federal police sought permission to open an investigation into o Fabio Luis to be investigated like any other citizen and would not receive special treatment: Lula

he said, adding that he would not interfere in the probe. The investigation into Fabio Luis has not yet been formally opened, a federal police source said. Earlier this year, Supreme Court Judge Andre Mendonca also granted federal police permission to launch another probe into Lulinha over allegations that he received improper payments linked to a scheme involving irregular deductions from pensions administered by Brazil’s National Social Security Institute. Asked about his son in a February interview with news outlet UOL, Lula said he had confronted Fabio Luis about the case. “If you have done something wrong, you will pay the price for it. If you have not, defend yourself,” he supposedly told Lulinha. – Reuters

Fabio Luis Lula da Silva, known as “Lulinha”, for alleged influence peddling and corruption on behalf of businessman Antonio Carlos Camilo Antunes. One line of inquiry likely to be pursued is whether Lulinha helped provide Antunes’s businesses with access to Health Ministry officials in connection with a government deal involving a cannabidiol-based medication, one of the sources said. Lawyers for Fabio Luis did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while legal representatives for Antunes could not be immediately reached. In an interview on Thursday, Lula said his son would be investigated like any other citizen and would not receive special treatment. “I will not use my position to protect him,”

CREATIVE DISSENT ... A resident taking a photo of the satirical ‘Iran War Participation Trophy’ in Lower Manhattan in New York City, the latest installment by a group of anonymous artists that aim to mock US President Donald Trump. – AFPPIC

Greece declares state of emergency over Crete wildfire ATHENS: Greek authorities on Thursday declared a state of emergency in Agios Vasileios municipality in Rethymno, a regional unit on the southern Greek island of Crete, and evacuated about 8,000 residents and tourists as a major wildfire continued to rage in Crete, reported Xinhua. due to the extreme weather conditions. Greek authorities issued repeated emergency alerts urging residents and visitors in affected areas to evacuate. About 700 evacuees spent the night in an indoor sports hall while many others stayed with relatives or friends. Tourists were relocated to hotels in unaffected areas. wildfire risk warning as strong winds are expected to continue. In other news, a forgotten World War II munitions depot has exploded during a devastating forest fire on the French Atlantic coast, reported German Press Agency. “In our municipality, there were,

unbeknownst to us, ammunition depots buried on private land that exploded,“ said village Le Porge Mayor Martial Zaninetti on Thursday. On the second night of the fire, as flames more than 10m high engulfed houses, a deafening noise rang out, sounding like “the noise of war”, he said. Local newspaper Ouest-France reported that it was probably a cache of German ammunition, which is still frequently found in the region. “At first we thought it was gas cylinders, but it was far too violent for that,“ said Zaninetti. “Grenades did indeed explode, some on the ground, others flew off to the right and left. One of them even flew through a house. There was a great deal of ammunition.” He estimated that more than a hundred

The wildfire in Rethymno, located in southern Crete, Greece’s largest island in the eastern Mediterranean, has become the country’s most critical active blaze in recent days, with a fire front stretching for more than 15km, according to Greek national broadcaster ERT. A new fire front broke out near Asomatos village in Rethymno and moved towards Preveli, a coastal area in southern Crete known for its beach and tourist attractions, while firefighters continued efforts to contain the blaze in Agios Vasileios. Strong winds, with gusts reaching up to 125kph, and near-zero visibility severely hampered firefighting operations. Water-dropping aircraft and helicopters were unable to conduct aerial firefighting missions

A maritime evacuation operation rescued 51 people from the Preveli coastal area under difficult weather conditions. The evacuees were safely transported by a Hellenic Coast Guard patrol vessel, assisted by two private boats, to Agia Galini, a seaside town in southern Crete. More than 190 firefighters, supported by fire engines, specialised forest firefighting teams, local authorities and volunteers, were deployed across multiple fire fronts. However, strong winds continued to hamper containment efforts. The wildfire has affected farmland, cultivated fields, grazing areas, homes and livestock. Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing, while Crete remains under a very high