Portugal’s President feels heat from church sex abuse remark
Lisbon, Portugal AP Portugal’s President is scrambling to quell an outcry over his comments appearing to make light of revelations that more than 400 people were victims of child sex abuse by members of the Portuguese Catholic Church. A lay committee looking into historic child sex abuse in the church said Tuesday it has so […]
Postcards: In a land of spas, Hungary’s cave bath falls victim to soaring gas prices
KRISZTINA FENYO, of Reuters, reports from the world famous Miskolctapolca cave baths…
Iranians keep up protests over Mahsa Amini death despite mounting fatalities
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters Iranians kept up anti-government protests on Wednesday despite an increasingly deadly state crackdown, social media reports showed, as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the demonstrations as “scattered riots” planned by Iran’s enemies. Protests ignited by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police on […]
Millions of Venezuelan migrants lacking access to basic services
Panama City, PanamaReuters Some 4.3 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants face difficulty accessing basic services, food, and formal employment, a statement from the International Organization for Migration said on Wednesday. Half of the refugee and migrant population across Latin America and the Caribbean cannot afford three meals a day and do not have access to […]
Pope condemns “relentless” bombing of Ukrainian cities
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned Russia’s “relentless bombings” of Ukrainian cities, saying the attacks had unleashed a “hurricane of violence” on residents. Speaking to thousands of people at his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square, he also appealed to “those who have the fate of the war in their hands” to stop. […]
United Nations condemns Russia’s move to annex parts of Ukraine
United NationsReuters The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly condemned Russia’s “attempted illegal annexation” of four partially occupied regions in Ukraine and called on all countries not to recognize the move, strengthening a diplomatic international isolation of Moscow since it invaded its neighbor. Three-quarters of the 193-member General Assembly – 143 countries – voted […]
West backs Ukraine with more air defences, harsh winter of fighting expected
Kyiv, Ukraine/Brussels, BelgiumReuters Ukraine’s allies on Wednesday announced delivery of new air defences and committed more military aid to Kyiv after intense Russian missile strikes and in anticipation of fighting through a harsh winter. More than 50 Western countries met in Brussels on the heels of heavy retaliatory strikes on Ukraine this week ordered by […]
Prayers, wreaths mark 20th anniversary of Bali bombing
Updated: 6:15pm (AEST)Kuta, Indonesia/Sydney, Australia Reuters Survivors of the Bali bombing, alongside families and friends of the victims, prayed and laid wreaths on Wednesday to mark the 20-year anniversary of the attacks, joining gatherings held near the site of the blasts in Indonesia and across Australia. A total of 202 people, including 88 Australians and 38 […]
StrangeSights: AI robot addresses UK parliamentary inquiry; scandal at Alaska’s Fat Bear Week; and, the world’s largest Tetris game…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Books: A girl, a goat, and the power of words
JO KADLECEK reads the Kate DiCamillo’s latest novel for younger readers, ‘The Beatryce Prophecy’…