Russian forces disperse pro-Ukraine rally, tighten control in occupied Kherson
Kyiv, RussiaReuters Russian forces used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse a pro-Ukraine rally in the occupied city of Kherson on Wednesday, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General said, as Moscow tightened its grip over the southern Ukrainian region. Local authorities say Russia appointed its own mayor of Kherson on Tuesday after its troops took over the […]
Limping Pope again appeals for peace in Ukraine
Vatican CityReuters A badly limping Pope Francis again appealed for an end to the war in Ukraine on Wednesday, as he held his general audience a day after a fresh flare-up of knee pain forced him to abruptly cancel all activities. Pope Francis leaves on the pope mobile after the weekly general audience in Saint […]
Canadian lawmakers vote unanimously to label Russia’s acts in Ukraine as “genocide”
Reuters Canadian lawmakers voted unanimously on Wednesday to call Russia’s attacks in Ukraine a “genocide”, with members of parliament saying there was “ample evidence of systemic and massive war crimes against humanity” being committed by Moscow. The Canadian House of Commons’ motion said war crimes by Russia include mass atrocities, systematic instances of willful killing […]
US, Russia swap prisoners Reed and Yaroshenko amid war tensions
Washington DC, USReuters The United States and Russia swapped prisoners on Wednesday amid their most tense relations in decades over the war in Ukraine, with former US Marine Trevor Reed released in exchange for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko. The swap was not part of broader diplomatic talks and did not represent an American change in […]
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi handed five year jail term for corruption
Reuters A court in military-ruled Myanmar sentenced deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to five years in jail on Wednesday after finding her guilty in the first of 11 corruption cases against her, a source with knowledge of the proceedings said. The Nobel laureate and figurehead of Myanmar’s opposition to military rule is charged with […]
The man who evacuated 200 people from Mariupol in a battered red van
Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters As Russian forces tightened their siege of Mariupol and missiles rained down, Mykhailo Puryshev drove into the city six times last month to evacuate its citizens, somehow surviving despite his red van being all but destroyed. The 36-year-old Ukrainian, who once ran a nightclub in the city, said he evacuated more than […]
StrangeSights: A cafe for those with deadlines; French nun becomes world’s oldest person; and, ‘Elvis’ returns to Australian town…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Quick facts – What is the breakaway Transdniestria region of Moldova where tensions are rising?
Chisinau, Moldova Reuters Tensions are rising in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria, adjacent to Ukraine, where authorities say explosions have hit radio masts and the state security service headquarters in the space of a day. Here’s why the region is emerging as a possible new flashpoint of the war in Ukraine. An old trolleybus […]
Two million children at risk of starvation in Horn of Africa – UN aid chief
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Tuesday that close to 2 million children are at risk of starving to death as the Horn of Africa faces one of its worst droughts in decades. Parts of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia are suffering their driest conditions in more than 40 years and aid agencies […]
Sri Lanka says World Bank agrees to provide $US600 million in financial aid
Colombo, Sri Lanka Reuters The World Bank has agreed to provide Sri Lanka with $US600 million in financial assistance to help meet payment requirements for essential imports, the Sri Lankan president’s media division said in a statement on Tuesday. “The World Bank has agreed to provide $US600 million in financial assistance to address the current […]