Caribbean armed violence fuelled by small-scale gun traffickers – report
Mexico CityReuters High rates of gun violence in the Caribbean are being fueled by small-scale trafficking, largely from the United States, via shipping firms, commercial airlines and by post, according to a new report by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey. Caribbean countries suffer three times more violent deaths than the global average, often caused by […]
Pope allows women to vote at upcoming bishops’ meeting
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis has decided to give women the right to vote at an upcoming meeting of bishops, an historic reform that reflects his hopes to give women greater decision-making responsibilities and laypeople more say in the life of the Catholic Church. Francis approved changes to the norms governing the Synod of Bishops, a […]
Fighting flares in Sudan; Bashir moved from jail as allies walk free
Khartoum, SudanReuters Sudan’s army and a paramilitary force battled on Khartoum’s outskirts on Wednesday, undermining a truce in an 11-day conflict that civilian groups fear will tighten the military’s grip and revive the sway of an ousted autocrat’s loyalists. The army said Omar al-Bashir, the 79-year-old former dictator toppled in 2019, had been transferred from […]
Ukraine plans for ‘complete transformation’ of six war-hit towns
Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters Ukraine will seek the “complete transformation” of six towns that have been badly damaged in Russia’s full-scale invasion under a reconstruction programme announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Tuesday. Kyiv’s Western partners are preparing to pour billions of dollars into Ukraine to support reconstruction efforts after 14 months of war. A […]
Chileans buy more guns, private guards as security tops concerns
Santiago, ChileReuters After their pick-up truck was stolen at gunpoint outside their home in Santiago last June, Javiera Castillo and her partner began learning how to shoot a pistol to prevent future encounters. Castillo, 23, a student and small-business owner who lives in the middle-class neighborhood of Maipu in Santiago, is one of a record […]
StrangeSights: When a prince takes a restaurant booking; promoting Italy using Slovenia; and, alone atop Mexico’s highest peak
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Ukraine, migration, to top agenda as Pope Francis visits Hungary
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis leaves on Friday on a three-day trip to Hungary, where the war in Ukraine, migration and Europe’s Christian roots are expected to top the agenda in his public addresses and private talks with nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Francis is going there to keep a promise of an official visit after […]
Dozens of bodies float ashore in Libya after migrant boats sink
Tripoli, LibyaReuters At least 57 bodies have been washed ashore after two migrant boats sank in the Mediterranean off different towns in western Libya, a coast guard officer and an aid worker said on Tuesday. Migrants rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard in the Mediterranean Sea arrive in Garaboli, Libya, on 25th April, 2023. PICTURE: […]
Global migration to grow, needs better management, says World Bank
Washington DC, US Reuters Rapid aging of both wealthy and middle-income countries will make their economies increasingly dependent on migration from poorer countries, and the process needs to be better managed, the World Bank said on Tuesday. The bank’s latest World Development Report said that about 184 million people across the world now live in […]
Freedom (with responsibility)
I read something about freedom recently that I can’t believe I previously missed. PICTURE: Jonas Jaeken/Unsplash Most of the time we imagine, or declare, that freedom is an escape from responsibility. Isn’t that what we want? “I want to be free! Free to do what I want, free from responsibility.” But in a huge irony […]