Ukraine’s Zelenskiy looks to EU offer as Russia pounds cities
Kyiv/Kharkiv, Ukraine Reuters Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday hailed the European Union’s expected offer of candidate status for his battle-weary nation as Russian forces pounded Ukraine’s second-biggest city Kharkiv and the eastern Donbas region. European leaders will formally set Ukraine on the long road to EU membership at a summit in Brussels on Thursday. […]
Priests killed in Mexico devoted decades to remote region; Pope decries killings
Mexico City, Mexico AP Well before many roads were paved in Mexico’s remote Tarahumara mountains, Jesuit priest Javier Campos crisscrossed the area on a motorcycle. During five decades ministering to its impoverished communities, his familiar imitation of a rooster and love of singing earned him the nickname “Gallo”. His colleague Joaquín Mora was often at […]
Updated: Afghanistan earthquake kills at least 1,000, toll expected to rise
Last updated: 7.30am, 23rd June, 2022 (AEST)Kabul, AfghanistanReuters The death toll from an earthquake in Afghanistan on Wednesday hit 1,000, disaster management officials said, with more than 600 injured and the toll expected to grow as information trickles in from remote mountain villages. Houses were reduced to rubble and bodies swathed in blankets lay on […]
COVID-19 vaccine scheme for world’s poorest pushes for delivery slowdown
London, UKReuters Leaders of the global scheme aiming to get COVID-19 vaccines to the world’s poorest are pushing manufacturers including Pfizer and Moderna to cut or slow deliveries of about half a billion shots so doses are not wasted. COVAX, the World Health Organization-led scheme, wants between 400 and 600 million fewer vaccines doses than […]
In pro-Russian Serbia, a few Russians and Ukrainians unite to oppose war
Belgrade, SerbiaReuters Each week about a dozen Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian expatriates opposed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine meet local Serbs in a Belgrade cafe to discuss the war and plan protest rallies. Serbia’s open borders to Russia have made the Balkan country a destination for thousands of Russians, including some fleeing sanctions or conscription […]
StrangeSights: ‘Boramy’ the stingray sets a record; a KFC landmark up for sale; and baby-jumping in Spain…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Sudan’s economy sinks as post-coup leadership searches for support
Khartoum, SudanReuters An accelerated breakdown in services including water and electricity supplies has left Sudanese citizens counting the cost of political stalemate after a military takeover last October. The slide in living conditions comes after the coup triggered the suspension of billions of dollars in international funding, and at a time when the war in […]
Updated: Jesuit priests killed by gunmen in church in northern Mexico
Updated: 3pm (AEST)Mexico City, MexicoAP Two elderly Jesuit priests were killed inside a church where a man pursued by gunmen apparently sought refuge in a remote mountainous area of northern Mexico, the religious order’s Mexican branch announced Tuesday. Javier Campos Morales, 79, and Joaquín César Mora Salazar, 80, were slain Monday inside the church in […]
Burkina Faso tells civilians to evacuate vast zones ahead of military operations
Ouagadougou, Burkina FasoReuters Burkina Faso’s army has ordered civilians to evacuate two large “military interest zones” in its northern and south-eastern regions ahead of anticipated operations against Islamist insurgents, it said. The announcement was made late on Monday, with few details about how long people have to evacuate or where they should go. Burkina Faso […]
Executions, trial procedures in Iran of deep concern, says UN
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Top UN officials voiced deep concern on Tuesday about human rights violations in Iran amid reports of rising numbers of executions, including of minors and Afghan migrants for drug-related offences. They spoke as an annual report on human rights in Iran, authored by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, was presented to the UN Human Rights […]