¡Kapow! Batman takes holiday in Benidorm in DC Comics anthology

Caped Crusader battles villains across the globe in Batman: the World – but he’s in Spain to relax

Given his 82 long years of rooftop vigilantism, the dank, lonely surroundings of his home office – not to mention the tickly throat irritation caused by all those growled threats – few would begrudge Batman some sun, a nice paella and a cheeky mid-morning pint. Or five.

Benidorm, fortunately, is only too happy to oblige. The eastern Spanish resort is among the exotic locations that feature in Batman: the World, a new global anthology to be published by DC Comics in September.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/may/28/kapow-batman-takes-holiday-in-benidorm-in-dc-comics-anthology

Japan expected to extend emergency Covid measures less than two months ahead of Olympics

Medical officials say case numbers in Tokyo need to be much lower to prevent another surge during the Games

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Japan is expected to extend emergency coronavirus measures in Tokyo and several other regions by about three weeks, according to officials, as the country struggles to rein in a fourth wave of infections less than two months before the Olympics.

The state of emergency – the third in the capital since the start of the pandemic – was called in late April and was originally due to end on 11 May, but was extended until the end of this month, as restrictions on businesses failed to make a dent in infections.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/28/japan-tokyo-olympic-games-extend-emergency-covid-measures

Italy cable car crash: five-year-old survivor to be moved out of intensive care

Eitan Biran, whose parents, younger brother and great-grandparents were killed in the crash, has woken up and spoken to his aunt

The five-year-old boy who survived last weekend’s deadly cable car crash in the Italian mountains that killed his parents and sibling is awake and will soon be moved out of intensive care, hospital officials said on Thursday.

Eitan Biran has been in critical condition since the cabin plunged to the ground on the Mottarone mountain, killing the other 14 people inside, including his parents, younger brother and great-grandparents. Thirteen of the passengers died at the scene, while Eitan and another child were taken to hospital. The other child later died.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/28/italy-cable-car-crash-five-year-old-survivor-eitan-biran-intensive-care

US investigating if Ukrainian officials interfered in 2020 election - report

Andriy Derkach, a Ukrainian member of parliament, is being investigated and has previously been sanctioned by the US Treasury

Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating whether Ukrainian officials attempted to interfere in the 2020 presidential election to undermine Joe Biden and help Donald Trump, the New York Times has reported, citing unnamed sources “with knowledge of the matter”.

The criminal investigation includes examining whether the Ukrainian officials used Rudy Giuliani, then personal lawyer to the former president, to spread misleading claims about Biden, the New York Times reported.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/27/federal-prosecutors-investigate-ukrainian-interfered-2020-presidential-election

Hong Kong bans Tiananmen Square vigil, citing Covid restrictions

Organisers have instead urged people to light a candle on 4 June to mark China’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests

Hong Kong authorities have for the second year banned the candlelit vigil commemorating the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, organisers have said.

Police had objected to the event because of social distancing restrictions, which prohibit large gatherings, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organises event every year on 4 June, said on Thursday.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/28/hong-kong-bans-tiananmen-square-vigil-citing-covid-restrictions

A state-sponsored ‘hijacking’ – the arrest of Belarus blogger Raman Pratasevich

Belarusian journalist Hanna Liubakova examines why Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, apparently diverted a Ryanair flight in order to arrest 26-year-old blogger Raman Pratasevich. Guardian Moscow correspondent, Andrew Roth, discusses the fallout from the action

Anushka Asthana talks to the Belarusian journalist Hanna Liubakova about the 26-year-old opposition blogger Raman Pratasevich and his 23-year-old girlfriend, Sofia Sapega. On Sunday their Ryanair flight, which was meant to be flying to Lithuania, was forced to make an emergency landing in Minsk and they were arrested. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader, told the European parliament on Wednesday that Lukashenko was “turning the country into the North Korea of Europe: non-transparent, unpredictable and dangerous”.

Anushka also talks to the Guardian’s Moscow correspondent Andrew Roth about the international reaction to what has been called a ‘state-sponsored hijacking’. The British government has told all UK planes to cease flying over Belarus, while the EU has imposed new economic sanctions. Kremlin officials have offered only muted support over the incident.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2021/may/28/a-state-sponsored-hijacking-the-arrest-of-belarus-blogger-raman-pratasevich

Amazon’s mental health kiosk mocked on social media as a ‘Despair Closet’

AmaZen, a small box for employees’ ‘mental wellbeing’, came under fire as critics called out the company’s problematic working conditions

Amazon was lampooned on social media Thursday after sharing a video highlighting “AmaZen”, a small enclosed booth installed in an Amazon warehouse where employees can go to “focus on their mental wellbeing”.

Related: Amazon must ‘do a better job’ for its workers, says Jeff Bezos

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source https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/may/27/amazons-mental-health-kiosk-mocked-on-social-media-as-a-despair-closet