Independent

This is the moment New Zealand Maori MPs disrupt parliament with a haka to protest against a treaty bill. New Zealand’s parliament was briefly suspended on Thursday (14 November), after Maori members staged a haka to disrupt the vote on a contentious bill that could reinterpret an 184-year-old treaty between the British and Indigenous Maori. As parliamentarians gathered for a preliminary vote on the bill, Te Pati Maori MPs stood and began a haka, a traditional Maori dance made famous by New Zealand's rugby team. Parliament was briefly suspended as people in the gallery joined in, and shouting drowned out others in the chamber.

Army chief sends direct warning to Russia over invasion of Eastern Europe. Lieutenant General Rob Magowan said, ‘If the British Army was asked to fight tonight, it would fight tonight.’ The Royal Marines general was speaking in a parliamentary select committee hearing on Thursday, 21 November. #british #army #ukraine

Ukraine has brought the war into the heart of Russia with drone attacks that damaged residential buildings in the city of Kazan in the Tatarstan region, more than 600 miles from the front line. The press service of Tatarstan’s governor, Rustam Minnikhanov, said that eight drones attacked the city. Six hit residential buildings, one hit an industrial facility and one was shot down over a river, the statement said. Click on link on bio to follow live 🔗 #news #world

A BBC Question Time audience member was visibly shocked when a viewer beside her said she did not believe in asylum. In Thursday’s (5 December) episode of the political panel show, a woman claimed the UK had “taken more than our fair share” and said she felt sorry for “little towns and villages” where asylum seekers had been housed. As she made her views clear, the audience member to her right raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes in astonishment. Laughter broke out in the studio as the woman continued: “I think there’s far too much made of this that they’re fleeing wars.”

A Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 people skidded down the runway at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday, December 29, before crashing. Yonhap news agency, citing firefighting authorities reported that, except for the two rescued, all the missing passengers are presumed dead and search efforts have now shifted to recovering the bodies. The aircraft appeared to land without its landing gear deployed as it touched down on the tarmac, skidding and veering off the runway before slamming into a wall and bursting into flames. Jeju Air flight 7C2216, arriving from the Thai capital of Bangkok, was landing shortly after 9am (0000 GMT) at the airport in the country’s south, South Korea’s transport ministry said. #JejuAirplane #SouthKorea #PlaneCrash

A grandfather used a food takeaway bag to fight off two would-be Rolex robbers who attempted to snatch his £18,500 watch from his wrist in London. Amine Bentaib, 30, targeted the man for his Rolex Yacht-Master in Paddington, west London, in July 2023. The victim was followed to his Airbnb by Bentaib and Rayan Belhadj after going out to collect a takeaway. Amine Bentaib, 30, admitted one count of attempted robbery and was jailed for 45 months and made subject to a criminal behaviour order. On Monday (2 December) Bentaib was jailed for three years and nine months. Belhadj is currently serving a three-year prison sentence for the crime. #news #crime

Emergency workers assessed the wreckage of a Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 people that crashed in South Korea at Muan International Airport on Sunday, 29 December. Jeju Air flight 7C2216, arriving from the Thai capital of Bangkok, was landing shortly after 9am (0000 GMT) at the airport in the country’s south, South Korea’s transport ministry said. It burst into flames after skidding down the runway and crashing. Yonhap news agency, citing firefighting authorities, reported that except for the two rescued all missing passengers on the Boeing 737-800 flight are presumed dead and that search efforts have now shifted to recovering bodies. #JejuAir #SouthKorea #Planecrash

Stephen Fry has described MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace as “unbelievably foolish” following comments he made about “middle class women of a certain age”. Wallace has since apologised for the video as the BBC investigates allegations by 13 individuals of sexually inappropriate comments made by the MasterChef host, who stepped down from the programme last week. Talking to Sky News today (3 December), Mr Fry said: “It was obviously unbelievably foolish of Gregg Wallace to make that video over the weekend. It really showed that he wasn’t understanding.” Mr Fry added: “There were some women there that felt truly hurt and not listened to and he should have addressed that.” #StephenFry #GreggWallace #MasterChefHost

Russian president Vladimir Putin hailed US President-elect Donald Trump “smart and experienced”, voicing confidence that he would be able to find a solution to Ukraine’s “challenges”. In a speech on Thursday (28 November), Putin also voiced dismay about what he described as “uncivilised means, including assassination attempts” against Trump. #putin #trump

As pubs across the country face a Guinness shortage ahead of the Christmas holidays, one London pub is tackling the issue with a solution: ration cards. Kate Davidson, owner of The Old Ivy House in Clerkenwell, explained, “You have to buy two regular drinks before you can buy your ration of Guinness.” “We’ve had one gentleman who turned around and left. Everyone has taken it with good humour” she added. The shortage is fuelled by a surge in demand from younger drinkers. Brand director Joyce He said the viral “splitting the G” trend has also played a role.

Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag’s Los Angeles home has been affected by the escalating wildfires in the Pacific Palisades area. On Tuesday morning (7 January), at least 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate a rapidly growing wind-driven wildfire in California as the blaze spread from just 20 acres to more than 3,000 in a matter of hours. The affluent coastal neighbourhood, located on the city’s west side, is home to many Hollywood stars and A-list celebrities including Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon, Adam Sandler, Steve Guttenberg and Michael Keaton. While there have been no injuries in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, a number of homes have been damaged in the blaze and more than 250 firefighters have been on the scene. Click on link in bio for more on Independent TV 🔗

Donald Trump gave a special mention to Reform MP Nigel Farage during his rally in Pennsylvania. Speaking on election eve (4 November), the former US President gave a shoutout to his “friend”, who was watching in the audience. After telling the crowd Farage is doing a “great job” in the UK, Trump said: “He’s shaking it up out there. “He was the big winner of the last election in the UK.” Trump then added: “He’s a little bit of a rebel but that’s good, Don’t change.” #NigelFarage #DonaldTrump #UsElections2024 #rally

Video captured the horrifying moment an SUV slams into a Houston barber shop, injuring several customers including a child. Surveillance video shared by 32 Degrees Barbershop in Houston on Sunday (15 December) shows the SUV crashing through the building, Alongside the video, the barber shop staff shared an update on the young boy injured in the crash, who is now recovering in hospital. A member of staff said: “The kid is doing much better and is now recovering in the ICU. I just ask that you all keep the prayers going for the little man. He’s a great kid that loves to talk trash to his barber. He’s funny too!” Click on link in bio for more on Independent TV 🔗

A car plowed into a busy outdoor Christmas market in eastern Germany, killing two people and injuring at least 68 others in what authorities suspect was an attack. The car drove into Magdeburg Christmas market at around 7pm, when it was busy with holiday shoppers looking forward to the weekend. At least two people were killed and 68 were injured, including 15 who were hurt very seriously, according to government officials. It said 37 people had injuries of medium severity and 16 were lightly injured. An adult and a small child are the two dead, Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff said. He couldn’t rule out further deaths because so many people were seriously injured. The driver of the car was arrested. State governor Reiner Haseloff told reporters that the suspect is a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who first came to Germany in 2006. Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe and city spokesperson Michael Reif said they suspected it was an attack. Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 240,000 inhabitants. An “extensive police operation” is underway and the market was closed, according to local authorities. Click on link in bio for more on Independent TV 🔗

Sir Keir Starmer has addressed recent government criticism by Elon Musk in a major speech on NHS reform. The prime minister responded to Mr Musk following a flurry of lurid claims by the billionaire that Sir Keir was “complicit in the rape of Britain” while director of public prosecutions over the issue of grooming gangs operating in the north of England. Asked by the BBC about suggestions by Mr Musk that the US should “liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government”, Sir Keir said: “I don’t really have any comments on the particular comment that was made this morning by Musk.” During a press conference on Monday (6 January), Sir Keir was also pressed on Mr Musk’s lurid claims that safeguarding minister Jess Phillips “should be in jail”. Click on link in bio for more on Independent TV 🔗

Far-right protesters gathered in the German city of Magdeburg after five people - including a child - were killed in an attack on a Christmas market. Around 1,000 people congregated in the city of Magdeburg on Saturday night (21 December), after misinformation about the motives of the suspected attacker spread online. Protesters chanted “Those who do not love Germany should leave Germany” and held a banner with the word “Remigration” on it. There were some minor scuffles with the police, according to local media reports. Police have arrested a 50-year-old Saudi doctor identified by local media as Taleb A, who had lived in Germany since 2006 and reportedly sympathised with Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party. Click on link in bio for more on Independent TV 🔗

President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to retake the Panama Canal in a lengthy speech on Sunday. Trump accused Panama of “ripping off” American vessels by charging “exorbitant prices” to use the vital waterway that acts as a shortcut linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Link in bio for more 🔗

Davina McCall has announced she is undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumour. The TV presenter and Masked Singer judge is having the operation to remove a 14mm benign brain tumour, which she discovered during a recent health scan. She shared the news in an Instagram post on Friday, revealing she had a “very rare” colloid cyst that affects only three in a million people. #DavinaMcCall #braintumour #TVpresenter

Sadiq Khan has invited president-elect Donald Trump to celebrate at Pride festival in London with him, as well as encouraging the Republican to join him at Friday prayers at a mosque. The London mayor, who had a long-running row with Mr Trump during his first term in the White House, was asked at Mayor’s Questions on Thursday whether he would work with the Trump administration to encourage investment into the capital. Responding, the mayor said: “I would like to use this opportunity to invite president-elect Trump to next year’s Pride in London. #sadiqkhan #donaldtrump #london

Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences to the victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Aktau, Kazakhstan. The Russian president reacted to the Christmas Day crash, which killed 38 people, at the start of the CIS Summit in St Petersburg. Putin said: “I must say a few words about the tragedy that occurred today in Aktau. The plane crashed. There are casualties. There are many injured, and as we just spoke with you, on your behalf I would like to express condolences to the families of the deceased and all the injured.” Russia’s aviation watchdog a preliminary investigation indicated the pilot decided to change landing site after “a collision with birds”. But Reuters news agency noted that the plane had diverted from an area of Russia that Moscow has recently defended against Ukrainian drone attacks. Click on link in bio for more on Independent TV 🔗