The President of Peru, Pedro Castillo was ousted by Congress and arrested on a charge of rebellion Wednesday after he sought to dissolve the legislative body and take unilateral control of the government, triggering a grave constitutional crisis.
Vice President Dina Boluarte replaced Pedro Castillo and became the first female leader in the history of the republic after hours of wrangling between the legislature and the president, who had tried to prevent an impeachment vote.
Boluarte, a 60--year-old lawyer, called for a political truce and the installation of a national unity government.
“What I ask for is a space, a time to rescue the country,” she said.
Lawmakers voted 101-6 with 10 abstentions to remove Castillo from office for reasons of “permanent moral incapacity.”
He left the presidential palace in an automobile that carried him through Lima’s historic downtown. He entered a police station and hours later federal prosecutors announced that Castillo had been arrested on the rebellion charge for allegedly violating constitutional order. Witnesses saw some small-scale clashing between police and some protesters who had gathered near the station.
“We condemn the violation of constitutional order,” federal prosecutors said in a statement. “Peru’s political constitution enshrines the separation of powers and establishes that Peru is a democratic and sovereign Republic ... No authority can put itself above the Constitution and must comply with constitutional mandates.”
Fluent in Spanish and Quechua, Boluarte was elected as vice president on the presidential ticket that brought Castillo to power July 28, 2021. During Castillo’s brief administration, Boluarte was minister of development and social inclusion.
Shortly before the impeachment vote, Castillo announced that he was installing a new emergency government and would rule by decree. He ordered a nightly curfew starting Wednesday night. The head of Peru’s army then resigned, along with four ministers, including those over foreign affairs and the economy.
The Ombudsman’s Office, an autonomous government institution, said before the congressional vote that Castillo should turn himself in to judicial authorities.
After years of democracy, Peru is in the midst of a constitutional collapse “that can’t be called anything but a coup,” the statement said.
International reaction was at times outpaced by events.
United States Amb. Lisa Kenna called on Castillo via Twitter to reverse his decree to dissolve Congress, saying the U.S. government rejected any “extra-constitutional” actions by the president to interfere with Congress.
A short time later the Congress voted to remove Castillo.
Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said via Twitter that given recent events in Peru, Mexico had decided to postpone the Pacific Alliance summit scheduled for Dec. 14 in Lima. He said he regretted the recent developments and called for democracy and human rights to be respected.
The administration of Chilean President Gabriel Boric lamented the political situation in Peru and trusted that the crisis would be resolved through democratic mechanisms. Spain’s government strongly condemned the break in constitutional order and congratulated the country on righting itself democratically.
Castillo had said in an unusual midnight address on state television ahead of the vote that he would never stain “the good name of my honest and exemplary parents, who like millions of Peruvians, work every day to build honestly a future for their families.”
The peasant-turned-president said he’s paying for mistakes made due to inexperience. But he said a certain sector of Congress “has as its only agenda item removing me from office because they never accepted the results of an election that you, my dear Peruvians, determined with your votes.”
Castillo has denied allegations of corruption against him, saying they’re based on “hearsay statements by people who, seeking to lighten their own punishments for supposed crimes by abusing my confidence, are trying to involve me without evidence.”
Federal prosecutors are investigating six cases against Castillo, most of them for alleged corruption, under the theory that he had used his power to profit from public works.
The power struggle in Perú’s capital has continued as the Andes and its thousands of small farms struggle to survive the worst drought in a half-century. Without rain, farmers can’t plant potatoes, and the dying grass can no longer sustain herds of sheep, alpacas, vicuñas and llamas. Making matters worse, avian flu has killed at least 18,000 sea birds and infected at least one poultry producer, endangering the chicken and turkeys raised for traditional holiday meals.
The government also confirmed that in the past week, the country has suffered a fifth wave of COVID-19 infections. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 4.3 million Peruvians have been infected, and 217,000 of them have died.
The first president to come from a poor farming community in the nation’s history, Castillo arrived in the presidential palace last year without any political experience. He changed his cabinet five times during his year and a half in office, running through 60 different cabinet officials, leaving various government agencies paralyzed.
Although Castillo is the first president to be investigated while still in office, the probes are no surprise in a country where nearly every former president in the last 40 years have been charged with corruption linked to multinational corporations, such as the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht.
Since 2016, Perú has been entrenched in political crises, with congresses and presidents trying to eliminate each other in turn. President Martín Vizcarra (2018-2020) dissolved Congress in 2019 and ordered new elections. That new legislature removed Vizcarra the next year. Then came President Manuel Merino, who lasted less than a week before a crackdown killed two protesters and injured 200 more. His successor, Francisco Sagasti, lasted nine months before Castillo took over.
The Judicial Court of the City of Maputo this Wednesday sentenced Ndambi Guebuza, son of former Mozambican president Armando Guebuza, to 12 years in prison for his involvement in the Hidden Debts case.
The court found that Ndambi Guebuza influenced his father in approving the Exclusive Economic Zone Protection Project and received bribes. The eldest son of the former head of state was convicted of the crimes of association to delinquency, blackmail, influence peddling, forgery, embezzlement and money laundering.
In the sentence read in the tent of the maximum security prison in Maputo, Judge Efigénio Baptista also sentenced António Carlos do Rosário, former director of economic intelligence at the Mozambican secret service and former director general Gregório Leão, to 12 years in prison .
Penalties vary from ten to 12 years, in a sentence that was marked by the acquittal of eight of the 19 defendants for lack of evidence of their involvement in the default.
On the other hand, the Court considers that, if the Public Prosecutor's Office wants to assert certain rights to compensation resulting from the damage caused to the State by the companies Proindicos, Ematum and MAM, it is the latter that should be sued and not the convicted persons.
A boxer has died in the ongoing National Sports Festival in Asaba, Delta State capital.
The boxer, Chukwuemeka Igboanugo who was representing Imo, died after losing a fight in a knockout with Prince Gaby Amagor from Anambra in the 86kg category.
Igboanugo received a punch in the chin and the referee had to stop the fight when he failed to recover.
“He was immediately taken out of the ring for medical treatment before being rushed to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead,” a boxing official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus out of World Cup due to knee injury.
The Arsenal striker suffered an injury to his right knee during the defeat against Cameroon on Friday. Further scans have now shown he will not be able to play for the rest of the tournament.
Jesus, 25, has struggled with problems in that area during games for Arsenal, but managed to make the tournament in Qatar.
A statement from the Brazilian FA read: “As announced by the Brazilian FA after the game against Cameroon, players Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus underwent tests on Saturday morning. Accompanied by the Brazilian National Team doctor, Rodrigo Lasmar, they underwent an MRI on the right knee that confirmed the injuries and the impossibility of recovery in time to participate in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
“The coordinator of the Brazilian National Team, Juninho Paulista, is in contact with the sports directors of Arsenal and Sevilla to define whether Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus remain with the squad in Doha to continue the treatment or return to their clubs.”
It could be a major blow for Arsenal, who top the Premier League, ahead of the return to domestic action later this month.
Alex Telles, who also suffered a knee injury and left the pitch crying on Friday, could require surgery on his problem.
Brazil are now waiting to see how Danilo and Alex Sandro recover from their injuries earlier in the group stage, while Neymar will train outside for the first time since the opening game on Saturday.
Arsenal, meanwhile, return to action on December 26 against West Ham United.
There is no confirmation whether Jesus will stay with the Brazil squad for the remainder of the World Cup or if he'll return to Arsenal to complete his rehabilitation process.
Secretary-General appoints Ms. Olufunmilayo Abosede Balogun-Alexander of Nigeria as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Timor-Leste
Olufunmilayo Abosede Balogun-Alexander is the new UN Resident Coordinator in Timor-Leste.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Olufunmilayo Abosede Balogun-Alexander of Nigeria United Nations Resident Coordinator in Timor-Leste, with the host Government’s approval. She takes up her post on 1 December.
Olufunmilayo Abosede Balogun-Alexander has more than 30 years of experience working on and leading humanitarian, peace and development projects at a senior level within the United Nations and international NGOs.
Prior to her appointment as United Nations Resident Coordinator, Ms. Balogun-Alexander served as Head, Humanitarian Normative and Coordination Action, UN Women, where she led UN Women’s global response to humanitarian crises and supported UN Women Country Offices to strengthen gender mainstreaming in UN-led Humanitarian Coordinated response in crisis-affected countries.
Before that, she worked as UN Women Country Representative to UN Women, Deputy Representative, UN Women Ethiopia, Director, External Relations and Advocacy, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Africa Region and Kenya Programme Manager for the UN Development Fund for Women.
Ms. Balogun-Alexander led and supported multi-functional teams at the country level to be fit for purpose and to achieve impact and results, particularly on the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. She led UN inter-agency coordination to coordinate joint assessments, develop and implement joint UN programmes, including on gender-based violence, governance and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.
She has coordinated national support and government priorities for development and social policy funding, including co-creating and driving solutions, including on contentious issues of gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and minority groups, to ensure that no one is left behind in achieving the SDGs. Olufunmilayo Abosede Balogun-Alexander has established and maintained strategic partnerships with governments, intergovernmental commissions, bilateral donors, media and the private sector for innovative funding and programmes.
Ms. Balogun-Alexander has a master’s degree in Gender and Development from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK and a bachelor of arts degree in English from University of Lagos, Nigeria.
Ukraine on Wednesday ramped up security at its embassies abroad after Spanish police and government said an employee at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid was injured opening a letter bomb.
The staff member suffered light injuries and went to hospital under his own steam, police said in a statement.
Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba has ordered all Ukrainian embassies abroad to "urgently" strengthen their security, according to a statement from Ukraine's foreign ministry.
The minister also urged his Spanish counterparts to "take urgent measures to investigate the attack", the statement said, adding that whoever was behind the attack "will not succeed in intimidating Ukrainian diplomats or stopping their daily work on strengthening Ukraine and countering Russian aggression".
The letter, which arrived by ordinary mail and was not scanned, caused "a very small wound on the ring finger of the right hand" of the employee, Mercedes Gonzalez, the Spanish government's representative in Madrid, told broadcaster Telemadrid.
Detectives are investigating the incident, aided by forensic and intelligence investigators, Spanish police said. Spain's High Court will lead the investigation.
An officer at Ukraine's embassy to Spain declined to comment.
The residential area surrounding the embassy in northwestern Madrid has been cordoned off and a bomb disposal unit is deployed at the scene, state broadcaster TVE reported.
Qatar 2022: Onana's official statement after suspension from Cameroon squad
I want to express my affection for my Country and the National Team. Yesterday I was not allowed to be on the ground to help Cameroon, as I always do, to achieve the team's goals. I always behaved in a way to lead the team to success in a good manner.
I have put all my efforts and energy into finding solutions to a situation that a footballer often experiences, but there has been no will on the other side. Some moments are difficult to assimilate.
However, I always respect and support the decisions of the people in charge of pursuing the success of our Team and Country.
I extend all my strength to my teammates because we demonstrated that we are capable of going very far in this competition.
The values that I promote as a person and as a player are the ones that identify me, and that my family has given me since my childhood. Representing Cameroon has always been a privilege. The Nation first and forever. Thank you!
Goalkeeper Andre Onana has been removed from Cameroon's World Cup squad for 'disciplinary reasons' ahead of their clash with Serbia on Monday.
The Inter Milan star's dismissal is believed to have come after a shouting match with manager Rigobert Song over the keeper's style of play.
He will be replaced by Devis Epassy in goal, who plays his club football for Abha in Saudi Arabia and has made just five international appearances.
The game is a vital one in Cameroon's tournament, as a loss would leave them needing Switzerland to beat Brazil to have any chance of reaching the knockout stage.
While the exact cause of Onana's dismissal is not known, it is believed to have come after an argument with manager Rigobert Song over the team's tactics.
According to reports from Helena Condis Edo, Onana sees his relationship with the team as 'irreversible' despite attempts from Cameroon Football Federation president, and legendary striker, Samuel Eto'o to mediate peace talks.
Marca claim the argument came after Song shouted at the keeper during training for taking too many risks playing with his feet, and Onana refused to change his game.
Onana's dismissal means he will miss out on a reunion with his former Ajax teammate Dusan Tadic, who could be a key player in the game as he looks to feed Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The Cameroon keeper played with Tadic in Holland for four years before leaving for Inter Milan over the summer, where he has struggled to secure regular football.
Sources report to ESPN that Onana will most likely leave the World Cup. The 26-year-old goalkeeper had a disagreement with the national coach. For example, he is dissatisfied with the defensive style of play.
Kanye West wants to run for U.S. president with former president Donald Trump as his running mate.
The rapper turned fashion designer recently declared his intention to run for president in 2024. Ye also revealed controversial alt-right commentator, Milo Yiannopoulo, is set to work on his campaign.
Despite the backlash over his many recent antisemitic and anti-Black statements, Kanye West is forging ahead, and has now decided upon a running mate.
The G.O.O.D. Music and Yeezy founder took to Twitter on Wednesday morning, November 23 announcing he had met with Trump, who was Ye’s opponent during his failed 2020 presidential campaign.
“First time at Mar-a-Lago,” Kanye West wrote, claiming he met Donald Trump at his Miami estate. He continued noting there was “Rain and traffic,” before admitting, “Can’t believe I kept President Trump waiting.”
After confessing he turned up to their meeting wearing jeans, “yikes,” Kanye made an interesting revelation.
“What you guys think his response was when I asked him to be my running mate in 2024?” he asked, posting a poll. The options were “That’s very Ye,” and “That’s very Nay.”
At least 56 people have been killed following an earthquake in Indonesia, according to local authorities in the country's main island of Java.
Around 700 people have also been injured in the 5.6 magnitude quake.
Herman Suherman, a district official from Cianjur, told Kompas TV, evacuation efforts were being hampered by landslides in some places.
Many people were hurt because they were hit by collapsed buildings, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, with some residents trapped in the rubble.
The earthquake hit the Cianjur region in West Java province at a depth of 6.2 miles, according to the US Geological Survey.
Several landslides were reported around Cianjur and dozens of buildings were damaged, including an Islamic boarding school, a hospital and other public facilities.
Footage from Metro TV showed some buildings in Cianjur reduced almost entirely to rubble as residents huddled outside.
Residents in the capital city of Jakarta fled into the streets for safety.
Muchlis, who was in Cianjur when the quake hit, said he was "very shocked" and "worried" as he felt "a huge tremor" and the walls and ceiling of his office were damaged.
Twenty-five aftershocks were recorded in two hours after the quake, according to the weather and geophysics agency BMKG.
Earthquakes occur frequently across the sprawling archipelago nation of more than 270 million people, but it is uncommon for them to be felt in Jakarta.
In my life I have never given up… but tonight I have to think of the team as I have always done so reason tells me to leave my place to someone who can help our group to make a great world cup. Thank you for all your messages of support
Karim Benzema was unable to complete France’s team training session on Saturday, just three days before the reigning world champions begin their Qatar 2022 campaign against Australia.
Real Madrid striker Benzema, 34, has been struggling with an unspecified injury in recent weeks.
The veteran forward has suffered with knee and hamstring complaints this season and was placed on a specialised training programme by France ahead of the 2022 World Cup, which gets underway when host nation Qatar take on Ecuador on Sunday.
Benzema was due to return to team training on Saturday but was unable to complete the full session, raising concerns over his availability for the match against Australia.
Didier Deschamps may instead turn to Olivier Giroud, or even the Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani, who has scored eight goals in 23 games this season.
Benzema, who was awarded the UEFA Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or for his performances in 2021 and 2022, has reestablished himself as a key player for France after a long absence from internationals.
Benzema did not play for France for over five years after being implicated in a blackmailing scandal in 2015. But he returned to the team in 2021 and has since scored 10 goals in 16 international appearances.
France are among the favourites to win the tournament in Qatar. They begin their campaign against Australia before taking on Denmark and Tunisia.
Valencia Captain, Jose Luis Gaya has left the camp of the Spanish National team after sustaining an injury in training.
Gayá, as confirmed in the MRI to which he was subjected, suffered a low-grade lateral sprain in his right ankle on Wednesday afternoon in the training game against Jordan. He will return to Spain in the next few hours.
Gaya leaves Doha with the love and respect of his teammates and the entire Spanish Federation.
Eden Hazard has apologised to Real Madrid fans for failing to live up to expectations since joining the club, saying he's "really sorry about what has happened" and would accept a move away next summer.
Hazard, 31 -- who is currently with Belgium preparing for the World Cup in Qatar -- joined Madrid in a high-profile move from Chelsea in 2019 for an initial €100 million but has since endured an injury-hit three years at the Bernabeu.
Despite being fully fit and available this season, he has made just three LaLiga appearances for Madrid, two of them as a substitute, with his preferred left-wing position occupied by rising star Vinicius Junior.
"I'm sorry. I'm trying, but ... I'm sorry," Hazard told Marca in an interview published on Wednesday. "I have one more year and I have to show [what I can do] but it isn't easy. I'm not playing, I want to play more. I'm really sorry about what has happened."
Hazard's contract at Real Madrid is due to expire in June 2024, but his lack of game time has led to speculation that he could leave during the upcoming January transfer window.
Eden Hazard has scored seven goals for Real Madrid since joining the club in 2019.
"In January it's impossible, because I have my family and I like the city," he said. "But in the summer it's possible that I leave. I have a year left on my contract and it's a decision for the club. If the club says 'Eden, thanks for these four years, but you have to go' I'll have to accept it."
Hazard left Chelsea in 2019 as one of the Premier League's best players but his first season in Madrid was marred by an ankle fracture which eventually required surgery and the insertion of a metal plate in March 2020, which led to further, ongoing problems before its removal two years later.
"The first [injury] was after playing against Paris Saint-Germain and the second came almost three months later," Hazard told Marca. "They were two fractures... [The next problem] was different, because it was an infection with the metal plate.
"I wanted to have an operation sooner ... but the club said 'It's impossible, you have to stay calm, we've spoken to the doctors, it's not a problem with the plate.' But the third year it was the same: injury, injury ... I'm not saying it was the fault of the club, the doctor or the operation; I want to say it was many things."
In May this year, Hazard told fans during Madrid's Champions League winning celebrations that he would "give everything" to make an impact this season, but his opportunities have again been limited.
"[I'd give myself] a zero in terms of playing, because I haven't played," he said, when asked to grade his time at Madrid. "But a 10 in terms of how I feel in this moment with the team. I'm not playing, but being a Real Madrid player was my dream as a kid. I want to play for this club."
Christopher Nkunku has been ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a heavy tackle in France's last training before departing for Qatar. This coming just seven days before France's World Cup opener against Australia.
Nkunku, 25, was expected to play a significant role in France's World Cup defense after scoring 42 goals for RB Leipzig since the start of the 2021/22 season.
He has since been replaced by Eintracht Frankfurt's Kolo Muani
A man has been detained by police after appearing to throw eggs at King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, during a walkabout in York.
Several police officers were seen restraining the suspect on the ground behind temporary fencing set up at Micklegate Bar in the city for the king’s visit on Wednesday.
The king and queen consort were being welcomed to York by city leaders when a protester apparently threw three eggs at them, all of which missed, before the pair were ushered away.
The man was heard to boo the royals as he threw the eggs and to shout “this country was built on the blood of slaves” and “not my king” as he was being detained by about four police officers.
One of the eggs appeared to be fended off by the sheriff of York, Suzie Mercer, who was part of the group of officials welcoming the king.
Some people in the crowd started chanting “God save the king”, while others shouted “shame on you” at the protester.
As police were detaining the man, Charles appeared unfazed and continued to greet the crowds. He was taking part in a traditional ceremony in which the sovereign is officially welcomed to York by the lord mayor through the gates to the city.
The king and queen consort were visiting Yorkshire on Wednesday to carry out a number of engagements. They were in York to attend the unveiling of a statue of Queen Elizabeth II, the first to be installed since her death.
Speaking at the ceremony at York Minster, Charles said: “The late Queen was always vigilant for the welfare of her people during her life. Now her image will watch over what will become Queen Elizabeth Square for centuries to come.”
The 2-metre sculpture, weighing 1.1 tonnes and made from lepine limestone from France, was designed to celebrate the late Queen’s platinum jubilee and was completed in August, a month before her death.
President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated eight Nigerian Americans on their victory in the United States midterm elections.
In Georgia State, Segun Adeyina (D-House District 110), Gabe Okoye(D-House District 102), Solomon Adesanya (D-House District 43), Tish Naghise (D-House District 68), and Phil Olaleye (D-House District 59) won their legislative seats as State Representatives in their Districts.
Similarly, Carol Kazeem (D) won the Pennsylvania State Representative in District 159 while Esther Agbaje (D-F-L) was re-elected as Minnesota State Representative in District 59B.
Dr Adeoye Owolewa (D) was also re-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (Shadow Representative) in Washington D.C.
Buhari, who prayed for their successful tenure in office, thanked them for their invaluable support and partnerships, over the years, with groups affiliated with the ideals and objectives of Nigerians in Diaspora associations in the United States.
The president also restated his unflinching support for every Nigerian excelling at home and abroad.
According to him, compatriots who succeed in good causes are assets to the nation and the continent, noting that their contributions will always be remembered and celebrated.
The Athletic revealed Southampton had decided to sack Hasenhuttl after Sunday’s 4-1 defeat to Newcastle. They had wanted to wait until the break for the World Cup before making a decision, but have acted sooner.
Southampton are languishing in 18th place after just three Premier League wins from their opening 14 matches.
Hasenhuttl joined Southampton in December 2018 and has consistently kept the club in the Premier League.
They finished a creditable 11th in his first full season in charge after he replaced Mark Hughes, followed by two consecutive 15th-place finishes.
He did, however, oversee two humiliating 9-0 defeats during his time in charge — one in 2019 against Leicester City and the other in 2021 against Manchester United.
Southampton were in desperate need of a performance on Sunday after three home games without a victory, but were a distant second best to Newcastle throughout the game.
Romain Perraud did pull one back after efforts from Miguel Almiron, Chris Wood and Joe Willock, only for Bruno Guimaraes to immediately overshadow his consolation goal with a tremendous long-range strike.
The full-time whistle was met with a chorus of boos from those fans who remained in the stadium until the bitter end.
Hasenhuttl, who previously managed RB Leipzig, has found himself under increased pressure in recent weeks and bristled at suggestions he could lose his job last month, following a 4-0 defeat by Manchester City, which was their fourth consecutive Premier League loss.
When asked whether he feared being sacked, Hasenhuttl said: “I have taken a lot of decisions since I’m here but I don’t have to take this one.”
Pressed on whether he sees a way out of the slump, he added: “No…. Not at the moment.”
Twitter Inc., after laying off roughly half the company on Friday following Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition, is now reaching out to dozens of employees who lost their jobs and asking them to return.
Some of those who are being asked to return were laid off by mistake, according to two people familiar with the moves. Others were let go before management realized that their work and experience may be necessary to build the new features Musk envisions, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information.
Wolves are delighted to confirm the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as the club’s new head coach.
The vastly experienced Spaniard, who has worked in coaching and management for nearly 20 years, will begin his first Premier League role on Monday 14th November when he officially takes charge of the men’s first-team squad.
The 56-year-old has been employed in some of Europe’s most prestigious roles in recent years, notably Porto, the Spanish national team, Real Madrid and Sevilla, who he led for the past three seasons.
Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said: “Julen is a top coach, with excellent experience at an elite level of the game, and we are very pleased to have agreed a deal to bring him to Wolves.
“Since the very beginning, Julen has been our number one choice to manage Wolves, and we look forward to welcoming him and his team when they join us in the coming weeks.”
Subject to being granted work permits, Lopetegui and his team will take over at Molineux following the club’s Premier League fixture against Arsenal, giving him the World Cup period to prepare for his first game in charge of Wolves in late December.
Twitter was sued by former employees who say they were not given enough notice under federal and California law that they had lost their jobs amid ongoing mass layoffs.
The class-action lawsuit was filed in San Francisco federal court Thursday by five current or former Twitter employees, including Emmanuel Cornet, a software engineer known for his satirical cartoons critiquing Silicon Valley, who was fired Tuesday, according to the complaint.
Twitter informed employees Thursday evening, days after Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took control of the company, that it would begin laying off staff members, according to communications obtained by NBC News. In the email, Twitter said staffers will receive a notice about their employment in their work email if they still have a job, or their personal email accounts if their "employment is impacted."
Twitter employees are expecting the company to cut 50% of its workforce, or roughly 3,700 employees.
The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers to provide advance notice, generally within 60 days, of mass layoffs or plant closings.
"Plaintiffs file this action seeking to ensure that Twitter comply with the law and provide the requisite notice or severance payment in connection with the anticipated layoffs," the complaint states.
The lawsuit asks the court to issue an order requiring Twitter to obey the WARN Act. It also seeks to prevent Twitter from soliciting employees to sign documents that could give up their right to participate in litigation.
Representatives from Twitter didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
CNBC has not confirmed this with former Twitter employees.
A spokesperson for California's employment department said Twitter has not filed any WARN notices with the agency this year.
A French parliament session was thrown into turmoil after a far-right legislator was accused of yelling “back to Africa” to a Black colleague who asked a question on migrant arrivals.
Parliament member Carlos Martens Bilongo of the leftist France Unbowed party was questioning the government over a maritime rescue boat that is carrying hundreds of passengers in the Mediterranean Sea, and has not received an assigned port to bring them to.
Charities have appealed to the French government to take them in or help find a solution.
Bilongo was interrupted by Gregoire de Fournas, a newly elected member of the far-right, anti-immigration National Rally (RN), who says he said, “They should go back to Africa.”
The President of the lower house of the French parliament Yaël Braun-Pivet subsequently suspended the legislative session, later saying the comment would be investigated.
The comment sparked criticism and condemnation as it was alleged de Fournas may have directly targeted Bilongo with his words, as in the French language the pronouns “he” and “they” are pronounced the same.
De Fournas defended his comment and accused opponents of “manipulation”, and his party also denied any personal attack on Bilongo. De Fournas later apologised to Bilongo for “the misunderstanding my comments caused”.
He “obviously spoke about the migrants transported in boats by the NGOs”, National Rally leader Marine Le Pen tweeted. “The controversy created by our political opponents … will not deceive the French.”
However, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne urged the assembly to sanction the far-right MP saying, “racism has no place in our democracy”.
Bilongo called the comment “shameful”.
“Today I was sent back to my skin colour. I was born in France. I am a French deputy,” he said.
‘Heavy penalty’
Stephane Sejourne, who leads President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party, said de Fournas should resign, and the left-wing Nupes alliance said he should be expelled.
A parliamentary committee will meet Friday to discuss the incident, which could see de Fournas punished with a temporary exclusion from the assembly.
Macron’s centrist Renaissance party will refuse to attend further sessions unless the council issues a “heavy penalty”, its vice president in parliament Sylvain Maillard said on Twitter.
In this year’s presidential election, Le Pen challenged Macron which resulted in her party’s best-ever performance in elections, winning 89 seats for MPs.
Over the years, Le Pen has made significant progress in detoxifying her party’s image and convincing voters the party founded by her father Jean-Marie, who was convicted several times of incitement to racial hatred, has moved towards the conservative mainstream and is now fit to govern.
France’s Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne urged the assembly to sanction Gregoire de Fournas for his words to a Black colleague, while he apologised for a ‘misunderstaning’.
Public policy staff and content moderators are among those who have been sacked.
Scores of Twitter employees, including some involved in the company's public policy and content-moderation activities, were fired on Friday as Elon Musk reimagines the social network.
In heartfelt tweets, many using the hashtags #LoveWhereYouWork and #OneTeam, employees took to the social media platform to let others know that they had been let go. Many of those posting had previously worked in roles including public policy, communication, engineering, marketing and human resources.
"All my thoughts, respect, energy and love to all tweeps around the world today," Damien Viel, the head of the company's operation in France, wrote on Twitter. "We have built together the most incredible app on the planet. Let’s be proud of everything we have done and how have done it."
Many who have so far lost their jobs were barred from accessing company logins for online Twitter accounts Thursday night without having been previously informed that their contracts had been terminated, according to one former employee who spoke to POLITICO on condition of anonymity.
The announcements follow an internal email that circulated Thursday that informed the company's tens of thousands of employees worldwide that they would be informed via email on November 4 whether or not they would remain at the company. There had been speculation that up to half of Twitter's global workforce may lose their jobs, according to Bloomberg.
In Dublin, Twitter’s European headquarters, employees speaking with the Irish Times have described the situation as “carnage,” where layoffs are “random and indiscriminate.” A now-former Twitter executive based in the United Kingdom told POLITICO that people were sharing frantic WhatsApp messages with colleagues, trying to garner the latest information about who had been fired — and who was still at the company.
"There's a lot of droom-scrolling on Twitter to see what's going on," the individual, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told POLITICO.
Joan Deitchman, who was a senior engineer in Twitter's machine learning, ethics, transparency and accountability team, wrote on the platform that the unit — whose job included research on how to improve transparency around automated algorithms — had been completely disbanded. That work is central to how regulators are now looking to police social media, including how potentially hate-filled content is promoted automatically across these platforms.
"All that is gone," she said.
A Twitter spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One Musk to rule them all
Disgruntled staff in the United States have launched a class-action lawsuit against Twitter, claiming they were not given enough notice of the termination of their contract under U.S. federal law. In Europe, strict labor laws in countries like Belgium may similarly make it difficult — and costly — for Musk to jettison local employees.
"Getting rid of public policy people when you’re claiming to do “real free speech” is the [stupidest] move ever," Audrey Herblin-Stoop, Twitter's former chief lobbyist in France, wrote on the platform.
The mass firing represents the next stage in Musk's takeover of the social network, which remains a mainstay in how political leaders from U.S. President Joe Biden to France’s Emmanuel Macron to Iran's Ali Khamenei communicate with a global audience.
In the hours after acquiring Twitter in late October, Musk fired the company's board, including its chief executive Parag Argawal, as well as Vijaya Gadde, who ran the social media company's legal, policy and trust teams.
In a bid to increase revenue at the social media network that has continuously struggled to make a profit, Musk also wants to charge people $8 a month so that their accounts can be verified via the company's now-iconic "blue tick" logo. The mass layoffs announced Friday are also part of these efforts to make the company more profitable.
The world's richest man has become a lightning rod for how online content should be policed after he posted falsehoods surrounding the attack on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband in California, claimed the platform should be a global townhall where people can freely express their views, and promised advertisers that Twitter would not become a "free-for-all hellscape."
"He specifically said to us that he does not want Twitter to be a hate amplifier," said Yael Eisenstat, head of the Anti-Defamation League's Center for Technology and Society, who participated in a call with Musk alongside other civil society groups this week. "We will continue to watch to make sure that those actions actually happen."
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