US court upholds death sentence for church shooter Dylann Roof
Richmond, Virginia, USAP A US federal appeals court Wednesday upheld Dylann Roof’s conviction and death sentence for the 2015 racist slayings of nine members of a Black South Carolina congregation, saying the legal record cannot even capture the “full horror” of what he did. A unanimous three-judge panel of the 4th US Circuit Court […]
Western nations rush to end Afghan evacuation before troops depart; UN sees massive drop in COVID-19 vaccinations
Reuters Western nations scrambled to evacuate people from Afghanistan on Wednesday but acknowledged that many Afghans who helped during two decades of war would be left behind to face an uncertain fate under the Taliban when foreign troops leave next week. Although the airlift is due to last until Tuesday, the US military said it […]
“Trying to survive”: Scrap metal recycling brings cash in Haiti post-earthquake
Les Cayes, HaitiReuters After a devastating earthquake levelled tens of thousands of homes in Haiti, some residents have started to pick up the pieces, collecting scrap metal from the rubble to resell and make ends meet. Djedson Hypolite deftly coiled severed electrical wires at a collapsed home in the southern Haitian city of Les Cayes […]
StrangeSights: “You’re not a horse”; Ice cream museum hits Singapore; and, odd properties…
DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life…
Explainer – What happens after Biden’s evacuation force leaves Afghanistan?
Washington DC, USReuters President Joe Biden on Tuesday stuck by his plan to remove the nearly 6,000 US troops from Afghanistan by the end of August, contingent on whether the Taliban cooperates to allow the evacuation of more Americans and their Afghan allies. Biden announced a plan in April to withdraw 2,500 US troops who […]
UN refugee agency presses Poland to help migrants on Belarus border
Warsaw, PolandReuters The UN refugee agency UNHCR and rights groups have urged Poland to offer medical and legal support and shelter to migrants camping on the border with Belarus, a day after Warsaw said it would build a fence to prevent migrants crossing. Poland and fellow EU states Lithuania and Latvia have reported sharp increases […]
Canada’s Trudeau goes big on housing policy to woo back voters
Hamilton, Ontario, CanadaReuters Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, seeking to revive his election prospects, on Tuesday unveiled a new housing plan that pledged more supply, a ban on foreign buyers and other measures to tackle soaring home prices. “If you work hard, if you save, that dream of having your own place should be in […]
Drones, navies, attack boats: Will they be enough to tackle the world’s latest piracy hotspot?
LIBBY GEORGE, writing for Reuters, reports on a US-backed initiative to deter piracy off the coast of Nigeria in what is the world’s most dangerous area for seafarers…
Taliban rule presents aid agencies with moral, fiscal dilemma
Washington DC, USReuters As foreign governments, aid institutions and companies scramble to evacuate staff from Afghanistan, a crucial question is emerging: should they engage with the ruling Taliban or abandon years of investment in the country and 38 million Afghans? The Taliban in the past week has pledged peaceful relations with other countries, women’s rights […]
Essay: Mali’s roadmap for lasting peace has laudable goals; but it doesn’t go far enough
In an article first published on The Conversation, STEPHEN L ESQUITH, professor of political theory and global ethics at Michigan State University, evaulates recent efforts for peace in Mali…