Virtual Global Village News Update - April 2021

Welcome to the Virtual Global Village News Update of the week, I’m Geoff Meenan, on behalf of the International News Team.

We begin this week in Italy, where a jewellery shop owner in Grinzane Cavour, Piedmont is under police investigation after shooting a firearm at three armed intruders intent upon stealing from his premises. Two of the would-be thieves died at the scene, whilst the third man, who had been shot in the leg, was captured by police a short distance away. The incident has reopened debate across Italy about the reasonable limits of self-defence, following a change in the law two years ago which widened the scope for defensive actions. The shop owner in question and his family had been the victims of a previous robbery in 2015, where he and his family had been violently assaulted and £260,000 of jewellery taken.

In Russia, a Moscow court has restricted the activities of the Foundation For Fighting Corruption, an organisation loyal to jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny, who appeared gaunt and ill when appearing via video link from his cell this week, must now wait to see if his support structures are designated as ‘extremist’, a ruling that could see the main opposition to President Putin permanently shut down.

Meanwhile, in Finland, the government acted this week to tighten the country’s already very strict laws on smoking. The habit will now be largely banned outdoors, with playgrounds, bus stops and beaches now off limits for smokers. Some outdoor terraces will also be included in the new prohibitions, which are planned to be added to in future, with the aim of making the country entirely smoke-free by the year 2030.

In India, the international community began to rally round this week in terms of providing emergency support for a coronavirus crisis which threatened to spiral out of control. With soaring infections, a huge surge in deaths and a health service all but collapsed, ventilators, oxygen concentrators and refillable cylinders were arriving from Europe (including the UK) and the World Health Organisation were supporting efforts with field hospitals and lab supplies to enable testing. However, calls for more vaccine supplies to be shared with India from western countries fell on deaf ears, with most nations still prioritising domestic rollouts.

Turning to USA news, potential crowds have been urged to stay away from the Florida coastal site where the Space X capsule is due to splash down this weekend, hopefully leading to the safe return of the four astronauts aboard. The previous return of the Dragon capsule last summer was endangered when pleasure boats swarmed around the two returning astronauts, hampering the recovery efforts. This time, NASA have involved the coastguard to try and ensure that the landing can occur safely.

Finally, in the UK, residents of a Staffordshire village have resorted to taping up their windows and doors in an attempt to prevent high levels of hydrogen sulphate gas from a nearby landfill site from polluting their homes. The stench - known locally as the ‘Silverdale Stink’ - emanates from an area operated by waste processing company Red Industries, who have promised to ‘cap’ large parts of the site and cease operations in the area by 2026, to be followed by the re-landscaping of the entire location. For now, though, many residents have taken to sleeping in their bathrooms or even in cupboards as they try to escape from the deeply unpleasant smell.

And there we leave our look at this week’s news : I’m Geoff Meenan, on behalf of the international News Team, Virtual Global Village.