News Headlines - 23 April 2021

▽Rallies across Russia demand Navalny's release | NHK WORLD

Large-scale protests were held across Russia on Wednesday, demanding the release of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, despite President Vladimir Putin's rejection of such calls from the West... The internal affairs ministry says about 6,000 people took part in a rally in the capital, Moscow. Some protesters were detained by police, who did not grant permission for the demonstration.
A human rights group in Russia says at least 1,200 protesters have been detained in more than 80 cities.

▽Italian hospital employee accused of skipping work for 15 years - BBC News

The man is alleged to have stopped turning up to work at the Ciaccio hospital in the southern city of Catanzaro in 2005.
He is now being investigated for fraud, extortion and abuse of office, Italian news agency Ansa reports.
He was reportedly paid €538,000 (£464,000) in total over the years he is thought not to have been working.

▽Firefighters called to tackle large gorse fires on Mourne Mountains - Belfast Live

Firefighters have been called to deal with "frightening" fires on the Mourne Mountains tonight.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service were called early today to a large gorse fire in the Slieve Donard area of the mountains.
They have requested the public avoid the Glen River and Bloody Bridge River access points over the weekend due to the blaze and the potential for further fire in the dry conditions.

▽Bolsonaro Seeks International Funding for Amazon Protection - The New York Times

As the Biden administration rallies the international community to curb global warming in a climate change summit this week, Brazil is pledging to play a critical role, going as far as promising to end illegal deforestation by 2030.
There’s a catch: Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, wants the international community to pledge billions of dollars to pay for the conservation initiatives.
And donors are reluctant to provide the money, since Brazil under the Bolsonaro administration has been busy doing the opposite of conservation, gutting the country’s environmental protection system, undermining Indigenous rights and championing industries driving the destruction of the rainforest.

▽South Korea court rejects sexual slavery claim against Japan | Al Jazeera

A South Korean court has rejected a claim by South Korean sexual slavery victims and their relatives for compensation from the Japanese government over their wartime sufferings... The court ruled that the Japanese government should be exempt from civil jurisdiction under the principles of international law, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
The same court in January had called for the Japanese government to give 100 million South Korean won ($89,000) each to a separate group of 12 women who sued in 2013 over their wartime suffering as sex slaves, which was the first such ruling in the country.