Japan’s Suga pledges not to wage war again as ministers visit controversial shrine
Tokyo, JapanReuters Japan will never wage war again, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged on Sunday, as he commemorated the end of World War II while members of his cabinet visited a shrine seen by critics as a symbol of the country’s past militarism. Nearly eight decades since the end of the war, the conflict remains a […]
President and diplomats flee as Taliban enter capital; Pope urges dialogue
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters Taliban insurgents entered Kabul on Sunday and President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed, bringing the Islamist militants close to taking over the country two decades after they were overthrown by a US-led invasion. As night fell, local television 1TV reported that multiple explosions were heard in the city, […]
Updated: Rescuers race to find Haiti quake survivors as death toll hits 1,297
Updated: 9am (AEST)Port-au-Prince, HaitiReuters The death toll from a devastating earthquake in Haiti rose to 1,297 on Sunday as neighboring countries rushed to send aid and rescuers scrambled to find survivors buried beneath the rumble before a tropical storm hits. The 7.2 magnitude quake on Saturday destroyed thousands of homes and buildings in a Caribbean […]
Taliban enter Afghan capital as US diplomats evacuate by chopper
Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters Taliban insurgents entered the Afghanistan capital Kabul on Sunday, an interior ministry official said, as the United States evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter. The senior official told Reuters the Taliban were coming in “from all sides” but gave no further details. Taliban forces patrol a street in Herat, Afghanistan, on […]
Tears and anger as Greek island residents face wildfire aftermath
Rovies, Evia, GreeceReuters Residents of the Greek seaside village of Rovies mourn a lost paradise of pristine pine forests and family homes, scorched by wildfires that burned for nine days. But they are also angry as they start to see how little was salvaged. Burnt hillsides are seen following a wildfire near the village of […]
Mexico tells Mennonites: stop cutting down jungle to plant
Mexico CityAP The Mexican Government said last week it has reached a preliminary agreement with Mennonites living in southern Mexico to stop cutting down low jungle to plant crops. The Environment Department said the agreement covered Mennonite communities in the state of Campeche, on the Yucatan peninsula. Mennonites have roots in northern Mexico dating back […]
Second Nigerian “Chibok girl” freed in a week seven years after abduction
Maidugri, NigeriaReuters A second young woman abducted seven years ago from the town of Chibok by Boko Haram militants was freed this week, Borno state’s governor said on Saturday. The kidnappings of some 270 teenagers in the northeastern town in 2014 sparked an international outcry and a viral campaign on social media with the hashtag […]
Life grinds to a halt in Lebanon’s blackouts
Beirut, LebanonReuters Lebanon’s worsening fuel crisis has reached a painful crunch point, with bakeries, businesses and hospitals either scaling back operations or shutting down completely, making life even harder for Lebanese already enduring a financial meltdown. As the fuel oil that powers Lebanon has disappeared from the market, Lebanese have sweltered at home in the […]
Sri Lanka Catholic Church faults government’s bombing probe
Colombo, Sri LankaAP Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church said Friday that 25 people charged this week in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks that killed 269 people could be “smaller fish,” and accused the government of still not taking steps to identify the true conspirators. The head of the Archdiocese of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm […]
“Ticket to work”: Indian state brings vaccines to migrant workers’ doorstep
ROLI SRIVASTAVA, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on moves to ensure migrant workers have access to COVID-19 vaccines in Kerala…