Colombia, Venezuela reach agreement to find remains of victims buried by paramilitaries
Reuters Colombia and Venezuela have reached an agreement to search for remains of victims who were killed by paramilitaries during Colombia’s internal armed conflict and reportedly buried in Venezuela, Colombia President Gustavo Petro said on Tuesday. The agreement follows recent confessions before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) tribunal by former paramilitary commander Salvatore Mancuso, […]
Russia reports attacks on oil refineries and town near border with Ukraine
Moscow, Russia/Kyiv, UkraineReuters Russia said Ukrainian artillery hit a Russian town for a third time this week and drones struck two oil refineries in an uptick in attacks on Russian territory as Ukraine prepares a Western-backed push to end Moscow’s invasion. Inside Ukraine, Russian-installed officials said five people had been killed in Ukrainian army shelling […]
Sudanese army suspends ceasefire talks
Khartoum, SudanReuters Sudan’s army suspended talks with a rival paramilitary force on Wednesday over a ceasefire and aid access, raising fears the six-week-old conflict will push Africa’s third largest country deeper into a humanitarian crisis. The armed forces said in a statement it halted talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah, accusing the other side […]
Child migrants crossing Darien Gap surge eightfold – UNICEF
Panama CityReuters The number of child migrants crossing a dangerous stretch of jungle dividing Colombia and Panama has rapidly increased during the first four months of this year, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday. The thick jungle terrain of the Darien Gap, which is also home to roving bands of criminals, has become a […]
Evacuation alerts, sirens cause panic in Seoul after North Korea launch
Seoul, South KoreaReuters Rare wailing air raid sirens and mobile phone alerts calling for evacuations rattled residents of the South Korean capital, Seoul, early on Wednesday after North Korea tried to launch what it said was a satellite. Nuclear-armed North Korea’s sixth satellite launch ended in failure, with the booster and payload plunging into the […]
StrangeSights: “Friendly” spiders; a battle over Transformers; and, the “Last Emperor’s” watch…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Mister Rogers Lego prototype a tribute to his “deep spiritual resonance”
United StatesRNS When Matt Smith introduced his toddler to television in 2022, he selected the show that brought him warmth and comfort when he was growing up in the 1990s: Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Now, the long-running children’s show that once graced the screens of more than 3.5 million televisions a week could again become a […]
Private astronaut crew, including first Arab woman in orbit, returns from space station
Reuters An all-private astronaut team of two Americans and two Saudis, including the first Arab woman sent into orbit, splashed down safely off Florida on Tuesday night, capping an eight-day research mission aboard the International Space Station. The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying them parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama […]
Indigenous groups protest Brazil bill limiting recognition of tribal lands
Brasilia/São Paulo, BrazilReuters Indigenous groups in Brazil on Tuesday blocked a highway and burned tires to protest a proposed law that would limit their ability to win protected status for ancestral lands. Outside São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, demonstrators blocked a major motorway with flaming tires and used bows and arrows to confront police, who […]
Uganda accuses West of blackmail in its response to anti-LGBTQ law
Kampala, Uganda Reuters Uganda on Tuesday condemned the Western response to the East African country’s new anti-LGBTQ law, considered one of the harshest in the world, and said sanctions threats from donors amounted to “blackmail”. The law signed by President Yoweri Museveni carries the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”, an offence that includes transmitting HIV […]