World briefs … British mums to be protected from redundancy

LONDON – Pregnant women and new mothers would be protected from redundancy until six months after returning to work, under proposed legislation presented to Britain’s parliament on Tuesday.

“It’s a scandal that in 2019, so many women should be fearful of losing their jobs simply because they are pregnant,” lawmaker Maria Miller told parliament as she presented the bill. Tens of thousands of pregnant women and new mothers are pushed out of work every year through dismissals, redundancies, discrimination or poor treatment, according to a study by the country’s equality watchdog. “Family life and the economy will both suffer, unless workplace practices are brought into the 21st century,” Miller said in a statement. The proposed legislation would protect women from the moment they inform their employer of their pregnancy until six months after the end of their maternity leave.

PARIS – French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone with Russian president Vladimir Putin about an alternative to restore peace in eastern Ukraine, ways to end hostilities in Syria and the Iran nuclear issue, the Elysee said. In a statement released on Tuesday night, the Elysee said the two European leaders “stressed that the time had come to make choices to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which is weighing on relations between Russia and the EU.” They also called on Moscow to take the necessary moves to create favourable conditions for dialogue, and respect commitment to put into effect the Minsk peace agreement. Voicing “deep concern” over Syria’s last military offensive in the country’s north-west, Macron and Merkel asked Putin to respect the ceasefire in Idlib, and international regulations related to the use of chemical arms.

WASHINGTON – Democrats in the United States house of representatives believe president Donald Trump is engaged in a “cover-up”, house speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday. Pelosi spoke to reporters following a meeting of house Democrats as politicians contend with how to handle multiple investigations into Trump, a Republican, and his administration, including whether to launch an impeachment inquiry. “No one is above the law, including the president of the United States. And we believe that the president of the United States is engaged in a cover-up,” Pelosi said. Democrats who control the house of representatives and Trump are engaged in a high-stakes power struggle over their ability to investigate him, with the president stonewalling multiple investigations of him by congressional committees.

KABUL – About 185 000 Afghan refugees have returned from Pakistan, Iran and European Union states since the beginning of this year, United Nations migration agency, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported on Wednesday. About 184 185 Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan since 1 January 2019, said IOM in a statement. A total of 174 666 Afghans have reportedly returned to their homeland from Iran as Afghan refugees have been facing difficulties in finding jobs for a long time. Meanwhile, 9,519 Afghans have come back home from Pakistan during the period, said the statement.

– Nampa-Reuters-Xinhua–Al Jazeera

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