New Zealand's official WIZARD is fired after joking about hitting women - Daily Mail

New Zealand's official WIZARD is fired after joking about hitting women: British 88-year-old loses £8,200-a-year role he has held for 23 years and says he has been 'cancelled'

• Ian Brackenbury Channell, 88, was named the city's official wizard since 1982
• Since 1998, he has been paid £8,200 annually to perform 'acts of magic' for city
• In April, he made several off-colour remarks about women on a television show
• Christchurch council ended his contract and said it wanted to be more modern
• Channell has vowed to continue his duties, telling local media: 'They'll have to kill me to stop me'

By Charlotte Mitchell For Mailonline

Published: 15:07 BST, 15 October 2021 | Updated: 15:46 BST, 15 October 2021

A city in New Zealand has cast its official wizard from the public payroll following 23 years of service after joking about hitting women.

London-born Ian Brackenbury Channell, 88, was paid NZ$16,000 (£8,200) each year to perform 'acts of wizardry and other wizard-like services' to promote Christchurch under a contract inked in 1998.

The city said it ended Channell's contract because it wanted to go in a more modern and diverse direction.

But the wizard himself claimed to local media that he was being 'cancelled' because he no longer fitted 'the vibes' of the city, describing himself as a 'provocateur'.

'They are a bunch of bureaucrats who have no imagination,'' he told news website, Stuff. 

In April, Channell told a comedy current affairs show that he would 'never strike a woman because they bruise too easily' - a remark which drew considerable criticism. 

British-born Ian Brackenbury Channell, 88, was paid NZ$16,000 (£8,200) each year to 'acts of wizardry and other wizard-like services' to promote Christchurch [File photo]

The city said it ended Channell's contract because it wanted to go in a more modern and diverse direction. But the wizard claimed he was being 'cancelled' because he no longer fitted 'the vibes' of the city. Pictured: Channell speaks to locals before a memorial at the Botanic Gardens following the twin mosque shooting in Christchurch in 2019

'I love women, I forgive them all the time, I've never struck one yet. Never strike a woman because they bruise too easily is the first thing, and they'll tell the neighbours and their friends… and then you're in big trouble,' he said.

Earlier in the show, Channell has said he enjoyed teasing women by telling them they were devious, and said 'they use cunning to get men who are thick'.   

A council spokesperson told The Guardian that Channell had been sent a letter thanking him for his service and informing that his contract was terminated. 

Lynn McClelland said Channell would 'forever be a part of [Christchurch's] history'. 

Despite his termination of employment, the wizard told Stuff he will continue carrying out his duties.

'I will still keep going. They will have to kill me to stop me,' he said.  

Channell, often dressed in a long cloak and pointy hat, has become a Christchurch tourist attraction and was even on the Queen's Birthday Honours list in 2009 [File photo]

'There is nobody else anything like me in Christchurch.

'It's just they [the council] don't like me because they are boring old bureaucrats and everyone likes me and no one likes them,' he said.

Channell began performing acts of magic as entertainment in public spaces in Christchurch after arriving in New Zealand in 1976. 

When police tried to arrest him, a public protest led to a local square being designated a public speaking area. 

Since then, Channell, often dressed in a long cloak and pointy hat, has become a Christchurch tourist attraction and was even on the Queen's Birthday Honours list in 2009.

In 1982 he was declared a living work of art by the New Zealand Art Gallery Directors Association, and that same year became the city's official wizard in 1982. 

Under a unique tax-free status, he has been paid some $368,000 from the state since then. He is believed to have been the world's only state-appointed wizard.

Prior to moving to New Zealand, Channell studied sociology and psychology at Leeds University.

He then moved to Australia to teach sociology at the University of New South Wales.

In 1990, then-New Zealand Prime Minister Mike Moore, asked Channell to 'urgently consider' becoming the country's official Wizard.

'I am concerned that your wizardry is not at the disposal of the entire nation,' Moore wrote in a letter.

'No doubt there will be implications in the area of spells, blessings, curses, and other supernatural matters that are beyond the competence of mere Prime Ministers.'

Read more:

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtMTAwOTYxNjMvTmV3LVplYWxhbmRzLW9mZmljaWFsLVdJWkFSRC1maXJlZC1qb2tpbmctaGl0dGluZy13b21lbi5odG1s0gFyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGFpbHltYWlsLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvYXJ0aWNsZS0xMDA5NjE2My9hbXAvTmV3LVplYWxhbmRzLW9mZmljaWFsLVdJWkFSRC1maXJlZC1qb2tpbmctaGl0dGluZy13b21lbi5odG1s?oc=5

2021-10-15 14:07:11Z
52781938777503

Texas abortion law: Biden administration to request block on abortion ban - BBC News

Reuters

US President Joe Biden's administration has said it will ask the Supreme Court to block a restrictive Texas law that imposes a near-total ban on abortion.

It comes after a federal appeals court reinstated the law.

The Supreme Court cited procedural issues when deciding against intervening to block it last month.

The law bans abortions after what anti-abortion campaigners call a foetal heartbeat is detected, a notion disputed by medical authorities.

The law - which makes an exception for a documented medical emergency but not for cases of rape or incest - gives any individual the right to sue doctors who perform an abortion past the six-week point.

Critics have said this provision - which provides monetary awards for those whose lawsuits are successful - lets people act as anti-abortion bounty hunters.

• What is Texas' new abortion law?

President Biden has vowed to fight the Texas ban, citing Americans' constitutional rights.

Since the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v Wade, US women have had the right to an abortion until a foetus is viable - that is, able to survive outside the womb. This is usually between 22 and 24 weeks into a pregnancy.

In response to a Justice Department lawsuit over the Texas law, US District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin, Texas, last week issued a preliminary injunction halting its enforcement, calling it "flagrantly unconstitutional" and a violation of Roe v. Wade.

The judge said he would "not sanction one more day of this offensive deprivation of such an important right".

But the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals effectively reinstated the ban in Texas on most abortions once a heartbeat is detected in the womb.

On Thursday, the court confirmed the law would remain in place during ongoing proceedings.

The Justice Department is expected to formally file its appeal in the coming days.

The decision of the Supreme Court - which has a 6-3 conservative majority - will be watched closely throughout the US.

Its initial refusal to intervene was seen as confirmation of its conservative leanings after appointments by former President Donald Trump.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiM2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLXVzLWNhbmFkYS01ODkzNTI1N9IBN2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLXVzLWNhbmFkYS01ODkzNTI1Ny5hbXA?oc=5

2021-10-15 23:57:02Z
52781936475532

La Palma volcano: Lava 'tsunami' as earthquake intensifies eruption - Euronews

Experts have described the latest volcanic activity on La Palma as a "tsunami of lava".

Huge rivers of molten rock have been spewing from the crater in recent days after a 4.5-magnitude earthquake shook the island on Thursday and intensified flows.

The quake is the strongest recorded since the Cumbre Vieja volcano -- on the island of La Palma in the Spanish Canary Islands -- began erupting almost a month ago.

"Today one of our crew was able to film a truly lava 'tsunami'. Amazing speed and overflow of the lava channel," said the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute, publishing the footage, which is included below.

Lava rolling toward the Atlantic Ocean forced the evacuation of more than 300 people late on Thursday, bringing the number of people forced from their homes since Tuesday to 1,200, according to the La Palma government. About 7,000 people in all have had to flee since the eruption, the government said.

Authorities have reported no casualties from the eruption on the island of some 85,000 people.

Most of the island, where the economy is based mostly on farming and tourism, has been unaffected so far.

Two main rivers of lava were still flowing from the Cumbre Vieja ridge on Friday. The initial one has slowed to a virtual stop, but a second one is spewing a large amount of molten rock and compelling authorities to stay alert for further possible evacuations.

The volcano has coughed up ocean sediment that pre-dates the island’s formation 2 million years ago, Vicente Soler of Spain’s Higher Center for Scientific Research said.

The lava has fully or partially destroyed more than 1,500 buildings, most of them homes, and covered more than 680 hectares, according to an EU satellite monitoring agency.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmV1cm9uZXdzLmNvbS8yMDIxLzEwLzE1L2xhLXBhbG1hLXZvbGNhbm8tbGF2YS10c3VuYW1pLWFzLWVhcnRocXVha2UtaW50ZW5zaWZpZXMtZXJ1cHRpb27SAWhodHRwczovL3d3dy5ldXJvbmV3cy5jb20vYW1wLzIwMjEvMTAvMTUvbGEtcGFsbWEtdm9sY2Fuby1sYXZhLXRzdW5hbWktYXMtZWFydGhxdWFrZS1pbnRlbnNpZmllcy1lcnVwdGlvbg?oc=5

2021-10-15 15:20:02Z
52781931584049

Germany closes in on SPD-led government with Scholz at helm - Financial Times

Olaf Scholz has moved closer to succeeding Angela Merkel as German chancellor after his Social Democrats agreed with the Greens and liberal Free Democrats on moving towards formal negotiations to create a three-party coalition.

At a joint press conference in Berlin on Friday, Scholz hailed the results of eight days of exploratory talks on a tie-up that has no precedent in Germany’s postwar history. “A new start is possible with the three parties that have come together here,” he said.

The announcement indicates that Germany is heading for an SPD-led coalition with Scholz as chancellor and that Merkel’s CDU/CSU will be confined to opposition for the first time in 16 years.

The SPD, Greens and FDP all saw their share of the vote increase in last month’s election, while the CDU/CSU slumped to 24.1 per cent — the worst result in its history.

The three parties released a 12-page paper on Friday that sketched out what they had agreed during the talks. This will form the basis of formal coalition negotiations.

The document must still be approved by a Green party conference scheduled for this weekend and by the governing executive of the FDP, though both are expected to give the go-ahead for formal talks.

Scholz said the three parties had agreed to implement the “biggest industrial modernisation project Germany has undertaken in more than 100 years”, with huge investments in climate protection and an overhaul of the country’s creaky bureaucracy.

“There has not been a comparable chance in a long time to modernise our society, economy and state . . . and we can’t let this chance pass us by,” said Christian Lindner, FDP leader.

The three parties also wanted to “significantly increase” private and public investments over the coming years, but without touching the “debt brake” — Germany’s constitutional restriction on new borrowing.

The Greens had called for a loosening of the rule to allow €500bn in investments over the next decade, much of it financed through increased public debt. But the FDP has always insisted the debt brake must stand.

The paper contains important SPD election promises, such as a commitment to raising Germany’s minimum wage to €12 per hour. It also rules out any cuts in the state pension or an increase in Germany’s pensionable age, and says the next government should aim to build 400,000 new flats a year, 100,000 of them in the social housing sector.

It also satisfies Green demands, saying Germany’s next government must “drastically accelerate” the buildout of renewable energy and exit all coal-fired power by 2030 — eight years earlier than currently planned. All new commercial buildings will be obliged to have solar panels installed and 2 per cent of Germany’s total territory will be set aside for wind turbines.

But the Greens were unable to overcome liberal resistance to one of their big demands — a speed limit on German motorways. The FDP also blocked any attempt to raise the income tax rate for high earners and to introduce a wealth tax — a demand of both the SPD and Greens.

The FDP also got its way with a mention in the paper of one of its key demands — “super” tax write-offs for investments in climate protection and digitisation.

The paper says the three parties will strive to create a “digital state” that works “proactively for its citizens”. Administrative procedures will be accelerated, bureaucracy reduced and big investments in fast internet mobilised. The parties also said they would seek to reform Germany’s citizenship laws to enable immigrants to obtain residency status more quickly.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiP2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZ0LmNvbS9jb250ZW50L2JhZGYzNzI4LWIyMWUtNDExNC04NDBlLWJjYWI4Zjg2NTYwZtIBAA?oc=5

2021-10-15 13:54:01Z
CAIiEEnb324X3XZ4VAR2HmDQUDkqGAgEKg8IACoHCAow-4fWBzD4z0gw_fCpBg

Beirut port blast: Day of mourning in Lebanon after bloodshed at protest - BBC News

Funerals have been held in Lebanon for some of those killed in heavy fighting in the capital Beirut on Thursday.

Seven were killed and dozens injured when gunfire broke out during a protest by Shia Muslim groups against the judge investigating last year's huge blast at the city's port.

Hezbollah, which organised the protest, said demonstrators were fired on by gunmen on rooftops.

They blamed a Christian faction, although the group denies the charge.

Huge tension surrounds the inquiry into the port explosion that killed 219 people in August 2020.

Swathes of the city were devastated by the blast, but no one has yet been held accountable.

Hezbollah and its allies have said the investigating judge is biased, but the victims' families support his work.

• The tensions around the Beirut blast probe
• The ship of ‘lost lives and dreams’
• The inferno and the mystery ship

The protest began outside the Palace of Justice - the main court building - with hundreds of people arguing the investigation had become politicised and demanding the removal of Judge Tarek Bitar. It then quickly escalated.

Getty Images

Heavy gunfire erupted in the streets as the crowd passed through a roundabout in the central Tayouneh-Badaro area.

Local residents had to flee their homes as men armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers - believed to have been members of Shia and Christian militias - exchanged fire in the streets.

At a nearby school, teachers instructed young children to lie face down on the ground with their hands on their heads, a witness told Reuters news agency.

The clashes continued for several hours before calm was restored.

Hospital and military sources said some of those killed had been shot in the head. They included a woman who was hit by a stray bullet while inside her home.

For now, an uneasy truce

By Anna Foster, BBC News, Beirut

The streets around Tayouneh are still thickly carpeted with shattered glass after hours of gun and rocket fire.

Some families who live there left their homes last night in case violence flared again.

President Aoun said it wasn't acceptable for arms to return as communication between the Lebanese parties. But these divisions run deep.

Shia politicians accuse the presiding judge Tarek Bitar of bias.

But families of those who died in the port blast died back him, saying MPs are trying to evade justice.

For now there's an uneasy truce. But all sides are waiting to see what direction the investigation will now take, and whether its outcome might be swayed.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea condemned the violence and appealed for calm.

"The main cause of these developments lies in the presence of uncontrolled and widespread weapons that threaten the citizens at any time and in any place," he tweeted.

Mr Mikati called on everyone to "calm down and not be drawn into sedition for any reason whatsoever".

Getty Images

The army said it had deployed troops to search for the assailants, and warned that they would "shoot at any gunman on the roads". It later said it had arrested nine people "from both sides, including a Syrian".

Earlier on Thursday, a court dismissed a legal complaint brought by two former government ministers and Amal MPs - Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zaiter - whom Judge Bitar had sought to question on suspicion of negligence in connection with the port explosion.

The two men, who deny any wrongdoing, accused the judge of bias.

Getty Images

Families of the victims had condemned the complaint, which caused the inquiry to be suspended for the second time in three weeks.

They have accused the country's political leadership of trying to shield itself from scrutiny.

"Keep your hands off the judiciary," they warned the cabinet on Wednesday after ministers allied to Hezbollah demanded that Judge Bitar be replaced.

The port blast last year happened after a fire detonated 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a combustible chemical widely used as agricultural fertiliser, that had been stored unsafely in a port warehouse for almost six years.

Senior officials were aware of the material's existence and the danger it posed, but failed to secure, remove or destroy it.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiNWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLW1pZGRsZS1lYXN0LTU4OTIxMzE00gE5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3Mvd29ybGQtbWlkZGxlLWVhc3QtNTg5MjEzMTQuYW1w?oc=5

2021-10-15 12:58:49Z
52781937439312

Afghanistan: At least 35 killed in suicide bombing during prayers at Kandahar mosque - Sky News

At least 35 people have been killed in an explosion at a mosque in southern Afghanistan, according to news agency Bakhtar.

The blast happened in the Kandahar region during Friday prayers at a Shia mosque, with 68 believed to be wounded, officials say.

The interior minister's spokesman, Qari Saeed Khosti, said authorities were collecting details of the explosion, which occurred days after the Islamic State claimed a bombing at a Shia mosque in the northern city of Kunduz that killed several people.

Image: Kandahar is located in southern Afghanistan, about 115km (71 miles) from the Pakistan border

Nematullah Wafa, a former member of the local provincial council, said Friday's incident occurred at the Imam Bargah mosque and caused heavy casualties.

Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi reported the number of dead and wounded as 32 and 68.

Advertisement

But a local hospital official who is not authorized to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity gave a higher toll to the Associated Press, saying at least 37 people were killed and more than 70 wounded.

A local reporter in Kandahar told Reuters that the nearby hospital, where the dead and injured are being taken are asking young people to give blood.

More on Afghanistan

Related Topics:

"The situation is very bad. Mirwais hospital is messaging and calling on young people to give blood," he said.

Pictures shared on social media showed the devastation of the explosion, with several people lying motionless on the floor.

Image: The attack has not been claimed yet but a similar attack in northern Afghanistan was claimed by the Islamic State. Pic AP

There was no immediate claim of responsibility and the number of bombers is unclear.

One eyewitness, called Murtaza, told The Associated Press that four suicide bombers attacked the mosque, while another told Reuters that there were three attackers.

Two detonated their bombs at a security gate, allowing the other two to run inside and strike the congregation of worshippers, he said.

Image: Mirwais hospital, where the wounded and dead are being taken, is messaging and calling on young people to give blood. Pic AP

He added that Friday prayers are typically attended by around 500 people.

Another witness, also named Murtaza, was in charge of security at the mosque and said he saw two bombers.

He said one detonated explosives outside the gate, and the other was already among the worshippers inside the mosque.

He added the mosque's security personnel shot another suspected attacker outside.

Image: Suicide bombers attacked the mosque in Kandahar during Friday prayers, which is usually attended by almost 500 people. Pic AP

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the attack and said security forces had been ordered to capture the perpetrators and bring them to justice under Islamic law.

On 8 October, at least 46 people were killed and more than 140 wounded after a suicide bombing in Kunduz.

The bomb went off during the Friday prayer service at the Gozer-e-Sayed Abad Mosque when the venue was packed with worshippers.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZWh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2FmZ2hhbmlzdGFuLWF0LWxlYXN0LTE1LWtpbGxlZC1pbi1leHBsb3Npb24tYXQtbW9zcXVlLWluLWthbmRhaGFyLTEyNDM0MzI30gFpaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL2FmZ2hhbmlzdGFuLWF0LWxlYXN0LTE1LWtpbGxlZC1pbi1leHBsb3Npb24tYXQtbW9zcXVlLWluLWthbmRhaGFyLTEyNDM0MzI3?oc=5

2021-10-15 13:53:57Z
52781939528261

Norway attack: Bow and arrow killings suspect moved into care of health services, police say - Sky News

The suspect in a bow and arrow attack that killed five people in Norway has been moved into the care of health services, police have said.

Detectives have requested that Espen Andersen Braathen be remanded in custody for four weeks, with full isolation for 14 days.

He has acknowledged killing the victims, investigators have said.

Police are to give an update at a news conference at 1.30pm UK time.

Image: Victims were targeted seemingly at random. Pic: AP

Four women and one man were killed during the rampage in the town of Kongsberg, and three, including a police officer, were injured. The victims were aged between 50 and 70, police confirmed.

Advertisement

Braathen, 37, has been charged with the attack, with police saying it appears to be an act of terrorism.

In the town's central square, people lay flowers and lit candles in honour of those who died.

More from World

"This a a small community so almost everybody knows each other, so it's a very strange and very sad experience for us," Ingeborg Spangelo, a teacher who brought her students to the impromptu memorial, said.

"It is almost surreal or unreal."

Speaking ahead of the decision to remand Braathen for a further four weeks, Norway police said: "The police request that the accused after the serious incidents at Kongsberg be remanded in custody for four weeks, with full isolation for 14 days, in addition to letters and visit bans and media bans throughout the custody period."

Police said the attacker had broken into some of his victims' homes and killed them there, with people seemingly targeted at random.

Police lawyer Ann Iren Svane Mathiassen told state broadcaster NRK: "We have information that the perpetrator entered homes where he committed murder."

Image: Members of the town lay candles and flowers at the scene of the attack. Pic: AP

Asked if he knew the victims, she said: "According to the information we have, and the way we perceive the case, these are completely random victims."

A student told Reuters he and his friends shut themselves in his bedroom when Baathen tried to enter their home.

Norwegian student Mohammed Shaban said one of his friends looked up and saw a man pushing at an open window and trying to get in.

"My friend said 'what's happening, what's happening? Who is he?,'" the 25-year-old told Reuters. The man appeared to aim something at his friend.

Image: Members of the police work as the investigation continues after a deadly attack in Kongsberg

"We ran into the bedroom to save ourselves and I held on to the door handle.

"From the window I saw the man, wearing grey jeans and a white singlet. I saw him from behind."

They watched as the man ran away.

Braathen is a Danish citizen who has lived in Kongsberg nearly all his life.

Image: Police continue work in Kongsberg. Pic: AP

Police said the suspect had been convicted several times in the past and confirmed that he had converted to Islam and shown signs of radicalisation.

He also has a history of being "in and out" of health institutions, the force added, without elaborating. He will be subjected to a full psychiatric evaluation, his lawyer Fredrik Neumann said on Thursday.

He had previously been identified as showing signs of radicalisation.

Braathen was given a six-month restraining order against two family members last year - believed to be his parents - after refusing to leave their house and threatening to kill one of them.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, who took office the day after the attack, will visit Kongsberg on Friday with Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl.

It is the worst attack in Norway since far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people, most of them teenagers at a youth camp in 2011.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMifmh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L25vcndheS1hdHRhY2stYm93LWFuZC1hcnJvdy1raWxsaW5ncy1zdXNwZWN0LW1vdmVkLWludG8tY2FyZS1vZi1oZWFsdGgtc2VydmljZXMtcG9saWNlLXNheS0xMjQzNDM0NdIBggFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9hbXAvbm9yd2F5LWF0dGFjay1ib3ctYW5kLWFycm93LWtpbGxpbmdzLXN1c3BlY3QtbW92ZWQtaW50by1jYXJlLW9mLWhlYWx0aC1zZXJ2aWNlcy1wb2xpY2Utc2F5LTEyNDM0MzQ1?oc=5

2021-10-15 10:58:37Z
52781936571714