Biden urges Putin war crimes trial after Bucha killings
Washington DC, US Reuters US President Joe Biden on Monday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of war crimes and called for a trial, adding to the global outcry over civilian killings in the Ukrainian town of Bucha as more graphic images of their deaths emerged. “You saw what happened in Bucha,” Biden told reporters after […]
“Now or never”: Only severe emissions cuts will avoid climate extremes – UN report
Reuters Drastic cuts to fossil fuel use. Growing forests and eating less meat. These are just some of the actions needed in this decade to contain global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial temperatures, a major report by the UN climate science agency said Monday. Despite climate change warnings issued by the Intergovernmental Panel […]
Sri Lanka gets new finance minister, central bank governor as unrest grows
Colombo, Sri Lanka Reuters Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa dropped his brother as finance minister and sought a new central bank governor on Monday, as crowds angry over the country’s deepening economic crisis surrounded the homes of several lawmakers. The debt-laden country, run by Rajapaksa and members of his family since 2019, is struggling to […]
Civilian killings at Bucha raise outcry as Russian attacks shift east
Bucha, UkraineReuters International outrage spread on Monday over civilian killings in northern Ukraine, where a mass grave and tied bodies of people shot at close range were found in a town taken back from Russian forces, as Moscow shifted the focus of the fighting elsewhere. The deaths in Bucha, outside Kyiv, drew pledges of further […]
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says she will not seek a second term
Hong Kong, ChinaReuters Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam, who has governed the global financial hub through the unprecedented upheaval of anti-government protests and COVID-19, said on Monday she will not seek a second five-year term of office. Lam’s announcement came as media said Chief Secretary John Lee, Hong Kong’s second most senior official, was […]
China sends military, doctors to Shanghai to test 26 million residents for COVID
Shanghai, ChinaReuters China has sent the military and thousands of healthcare workers into Shanghai to help carry out COVID-19 tests for all of its 26 million residents as cases continued to rise on Monday, in one of the country’s biggest-ever public health responses. Some residents woke up before dawn for white-suited healthcare workers to swab […]
Updated: Sri Lankan ministers offer to resign as economic crisis escalates
Updated: 3.50pm (AEST)Colombo, Sri LankaReuters The son of Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister resigned from the cabinet on Monday and several other members have offered to do so, a minister said, just days after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency following protests over an economic crisis. The debt-laden country is struggling to pay for […]
Taliban bans drug cultivation, including lucrative opium
Kabul, Afghanistan/Peshawar, PakistanReuters The Taliban announced on Sunday a ban on the cultivation of narcotics in Afghanistan, the world’s biggest opium producer. “As per the decree of the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, all Afghans are informed that from now on, cultivation of poppy has been strictly prohibited across the country,” according […]
Updated: Ukraine accuses Russia of war crimes after bodies found bound, shot
Updated: 12.15pm (AEST)Bucha, Ukraine Reuters Ukrainian authorities were investigating possible war crimes by Russia after finding hundreds of bodies, some bound and shot at close range, strewn around towns near Kyiv after Kremlin forces withdrew to refocus their attacks in other parts of the country. In the town of Bucha, 37 kilometres north-west of Kyiv’s city […]
Religious diversity: Corporate obstacle? Or asset?
KATHRYN POST, of Religion News Service, reports on how some US companies are embracing religious diversity as good for people and for business…