US calls for UN to urge Taliban to reverse bans on women; Afghan cricket fans disappointed after Australia cancels over women’s rights
United Nations Reuters The United States on Friday pushed the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution calling on the Taliban-led authorities in Afghanistan to reverse bans on women working for aid groups or attending universities and high school, diplomats said. The 15-member council met privately on Friday – at the request of the United […]
Peru’s chief prosecutor launches probes into protest deaths
Lima, PeruReuters Peru’s Attorney General has launched 11 inquiries to identify those responsible for more than three dozen mostly civilian deaths during some of the country’s most violent social protests in years, her office said on Friday. The controversial ouster of leftist former President Pedro Castillo last month triggered the unrest, which has claimed the […]
Sri Lanka church seeks criminal justice for Easter bombings
Colombo, Sri LankaAP Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church urged the country Friday to criminally prosecute its former leader for negligence, a day after the top court ordered him to pay compensation to the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks that killed nearly 270 people. Two local Muslim groups that had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State […]
South Korean police blame fatal Halloween crush on lack of preparation, poor response
Seoul, South KoreaReuters South Korea’s police on Friday said a lack of preparations and an inadequate response were the main causes of the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul last year, wrapping up a monthslong investigation into the tragedy that killed 159 people. The annual festivities in the popular nightlife area of Itaewon turned deadly on […]
Snapshot: Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
See NANBO WANG’s image…
Polish officials say World War II trove of Jewish objects rare find
Lodz, Poland AP The discovery in central Poland of hundreds of objects that were most likely hidden by their Jewish owners during World War II provided a rare and precious find, officials said this week. Around 400 items, including silver-plated menorahs, hanukkiahs, tableware and daily use items were uncovered in the city of Lodz last month during […]
Peru families mourn protest dead after worst violence in decades
Lima, Peru Reuters Peruvians in the southern region of Puno carried coffins through the streets on Wednesday of the 17 civilians who died in protests in the area earlier this week, the worst outbreak of violence the Andean country has seen in over 20 years. Even as families mourned their dead, the country’s ombudsman reported […]
Australia’s natural disasters bill hits $A5 billion in 2022, billions more to come
Sydney, Australia Reuters Floods and natural disasters that hit all but one Australian state and territory in 2022 cost the economy $A5 billion and stoked inflation according to Treasury estimates which forecast billions more spending in 2023. Australia suffered four major bouts of flooding last year, with global reinsurer Munich Re estimating that February and […]
India revives network of village guards in Kashmir after militant attack
Srinagar, India Reuters India is reviving a network of thousands of village guards in Jammu and Kashmir, including arming some with automatic rifles, after a militant attack in the disputed region killed seven civilians earlier in January, a police official said. New Delhi has battled a decades-long armed insurgency in Kashmir, accusing arch rival Pakistan […]
War crimes investigations: Scale of alleged torture, detentions by Russian forces in Kherson emerges
ANTHONY DEUTSCH, ANNA VOITENKO and OLENA HARMASH, of Reuters, report…