LONDON — The Scottish government will face a no-confidence vote Wednesday, one it is expected to win after First Minister Humza Yousaf said he would resign.

Yousaf’s resignation Monday came just 13 months after he replaced Nicola Sturgeon as Scotland’s leader and sparks another leadership contest in the Scottish National Party.

The crisis in the SNP gives an opportunity for the U.K. opposition Labour Party to regain ground ahead of a national election expected this year.

The motion of no confidence in the government was submitted by Scottish Labour last week, after Yousaf said he was ending a coalition with the Scottish Green Party. Scottish parliament listings showed the vote was scheduled for Wednesday.

Facing a separate vote of no confidence in his own position as first minister, Yousaf said he would step down as Scotland’s leader, as opposition parties, including the Greens, lined up to vote against him. That vote now won’t take place.

However, Labour’s wider motion of no confidence in the whole government is set to be opposed by the Greens, meaning that it will likely fail and that the SNP will have chance to form a new minority government under another leader.

Former leader John Swinney has said he is considering standing, while Yousaf’s former leadership rival Kate Forbes is seen as a possible candidate.

If the Labour no confidence motion passes, it will result in the resignation of the government and likely Scottish elections thereafter.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said it would be a democratic outrage for the SNP to choose another leader — and thus First Minister — without a parliamentary election.
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London — A smiling and healthy-looking King Charles returned to public duties on Tuesday for the first time since he was diagnosed with cancer in February, telling patients at a treatment center for the disease in London that he was “all right.” 

Buckingham Palace announced on Friday that doctors were sufficiently pleased with the 75-year-old king’s response to treatment for the unspecified form of cancer that he would be able to resume some public-facing engagements. 

The first of these saw the king and his wife Queen Camilla visit the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre where he looked cheerful, waving to those gathered outside on his arrival. 

“I’m all right, thank you,” Charles told one patient, while he said to another that he would be having treatment himself later. 

The visit also marked Charles becoming the new patron of the Cancer Research UK charity, and was designed to help raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis of the disease. 

Charles’ health issues began in January when it was revealed that he would be admitted to hospital to have a corrective procedure for a benign enlarged prostate. 

The following month, the palace said tests had uncovered the presence of a “form of cancer,” but gave no further details beyond saying it did not involve his prostate. 

He has rested and undergone treatment since then, continuing with official state duties in private. He was well enough to greet well-wishers after an Easter church service at the end of March.

Although his diary will be carefully managed to minimize any risks to his health, the palace said he might attend some annual events such as the “Trooping the Colour” military parade in June, as well as commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of the World War Two D-Day landings, also in June. 

The palace has confirmed Charles and Camilla will host a state visit by the Japanese Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako in late June. 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said the king’s return was “great news.” “We all continue to wish him a full and speedy recovery as he returns to public duty,” the spokesman told reporters. 

Charles’ illness came less than 18 months after he succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth. His nephew Peter Phillips has said the monarch, who is known for his desire to keep busy, had found the limitation imposed by his treatment frustrating. 

Also absent has been Charles’ daughter-in-law Kate, wife of his son and heir Prince William, who is undergoing preventative chemotherapy after tests in the wake of major abdominal surgery revealed cancer had been present.
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Athens — Nearly six years after wildfires killed more than 100 people at a Greek resort, an Athens court on Monday convicted six people of involuntary manslaughter and criminal negligence. 

None of the politicians among the 21 people prosecuted were convicted, however, sparking fury among relatives of the victims present in court, media reports said. 

Six people — including the then head of the fire service — received suspended jail sentences of up to 111 years each for their role in the response to the inferno that tore through Mati on July 23, 2018. 

They were permitted by the court to reduce their sentences with a payment of up to $43,000 each. 

The governor of the region of Attica and the mayors of districts in and around the seaside community of Mati, northeast of the capital, were all let off. 

Reacting in court, relatives of the dead shouted: “Your court is an insult to the dead, the living and the truth,” “There is no justice” and “You have no shame,” state TV broadcaster ERT reported. Others wept. 

“The reaction is reasonable,” minister of state Makis Voridis told Skai TV. 

“This kind of a sentence is not commensurate with this kind of tragedy,” he said. 

 

Wildfires that broke out around Mati spread so fiercely that people burned to death in their cars because traffic jams prevented them from fleeing. 

Others drowned when they waded into the sea to escape the flames. 

Many people who went into the sea had to wait for several hours for help to arrive. 

Local fishermen were first to help ahead of the coast guard and navy. 

“We are lucky to be alive,” one of the survivors told reporters at court. 

In total, 104 people died and dozens were injured. 

The blaze destroyed an estimated 1,260 hectares (3,100 acres), the Athens Observatory said at the time. 

The then government of left-wing prime minister Alexis Tsipras said that with winds blowing at up to 120 kilometers (75 miles) an hour, there had been little time for officials to mount an effective evacuation. 

Police and the fire brigade gave different accounts.

Witnesses said at the time that residents had not been warned of the imminent danger. 

Instead of being diverted away from the fires, many motorists were accidentally directed towards the flames and became trapped in Mati’s narrow streets. 

Prosecutors lodged criminal negligence suits against 21 officials from the fire service, port police and civil protection, as well as against local authorities. 

Four senior officials, including then police minister Nikos Toskas and several police chiefs, resigned and fire fighters were forced to quit or move to jobs in other areas. 

Experts have said that poor urban planning, including a lack of proper access routes and the construction of too many buildings next to combustible forest areas, contributed to the disaster. 

The conservative government that succeeded Tsipras’s administration pledged to introduce systematic evacuation plans as soon as wildfires approach populated areas. 
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SYDNEY — Australia, one of Ukraine’s largest non-NATO donors, has announced a military aid package worth around $65 million to support Kyiv’s war effort following Russia’s invasion.

The package includes funding for drones, short-range air defense systems, inflatable boats and generators, as well as equipment like helmets, masks and boots.

The additional funding was announced by Australia’s deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, during a brief visit over the weekend to Ukraine.

Marles told local media that the Canberra government is committed to “supporting Ukraine to resolve the conflict on its terms,” adding that “their spirit remains strong.”

Australia is also part of a multinational program to train Ukrainian troops in the United Kingdom through Operation Kudu.

Canberra has also joined the U.K.-led so-called “drone coalition” to boost Ukraine’s aerial defenses.

Vasyl Myroshnychenko,Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that Australia’s help will make a difference in his country’s fight against Russia. 

“We are extremely grateful for the package that was announced and that Australia has joined the drone coalition, especially now that we see how the nature of war is changing,” Myroshnychenko said. “The role of drones is becoming more important, and we have to have a steady supply of those drones and that was a very important contribution from Australia to help us get that advantage on the battlefield.”

The new package brings Australia’s overall financial support to Ukraine to more than $650 million.

Previous aid included supplying armored vehicles, infantry carriers, lightweight towed howitzers, and munitions.

Australia’s announcement follows a $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine signed last week by U.S. President Joe Biden.

The Canberra government also has imposed restrictions on hundreds of Russian politicians, including President Vladimir Putin, military commanders and businesspeople. They are the most sweeping sanctions Australia has ever put on another country.

Additionally, Canberra has banned imports of Russian oil, petroleum, coal and gas.

More than 11,000 Ukrainians on various types of Australian visas, including visitors’ permits, have come to Australia since Russia invaded in February 2022.
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Tbilisi, Georgia — Thousands of Georgians marched through the capital, Tbilisi, on Sunday, as protests built against a bill on “foreign agents” that the country’s opposition and Western countries have said is authoritarian and Russian-inspired.

Georgia’s parliament said it would hold the bill’s second reading on Tuesday, with opposition parties and civil society groups calling for mass protests against its expected passage.

If passed, the draft law would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents” or face fines.

Protester Nika Shurgaia said he feared many non-government organizations would be shuttered because of what he called “the Russian law.” This label has been adopted by the opposition to compare the bill to a law used to crush dissent in Russia.

“There are hundreds of such NGOs who have done so much good for Georgia and now they face being stigmatized and possibly shut down,” Shurgaia said.

The EU and Western countries have warned that the bill could halt Georgia’s integration with the EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in December

The bill must pass three readings in parliament to become law, as well as overcome a veto by Georgia’s figurehead president, who opposes it.

Groups opposed to the bill have protested nightly outside parliament for over a week, since the legislature, which is controlled by the Georgian Dream ruling party, approved its first reading.

Thousands of student demonstrators have blocked Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue, facing off against riot police.

Opponents of the bill who called the mass protests on Sunday have also called for protests against its second reading on Tuesday. The government has called a demonstration in support of the bill for Monday.
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