Iran detains Mahsa Amini’s uncle as anniversary of her death, protests looms
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters Iran’s security forces have detained a relative of a Kurdish Iranian woman days before the anniversary of her death in the custody of the morality police that sparked months of nationwide protests, a source close to the family said on Wednesday. Fearing a revival of the unrest that rocked the Islamic […]
At least 32 killed in Sudanese army strikes on Tuesday – activists
Reuters At least 32 civilians were killed and dozens injured in artillery strikes by the Sudanese army on Tuesday, one of the highest tolls from a single day of fighting since war broke out in April, the activist group Emergency Lawyers said. Rights activists and residents say the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that […]
African leaders call for new global taxes to fund climate change action
Nairobi, KenyaReuters African leaders on Wednesday proposed new global taxes and reforms to international financial institutions to help fund climate change action in a declaration that will form the basis of their negotiating position at November’s COP28 summit. The Nairobi Declaration capped the three-day Africa Climate Summit in Kenya, which was dominated by discussions of […]
Russian attack kills 17 in east Ukraine overshadowing Blinken visit
Kyiv, UkraineReuters Ukraine has made important progress in its counter-offensive against Russia’s invasion, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday during a visit overshadowed by a Russian attack that killed at least 17 people. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the attack, which hit a crowded market in the eastern front-line town of Kostiantynivka, which […]
US envoy in Chad to spotlight Sudan atrocities she calls “reminiscent” of Darfur 2004
N’Djamena, Chad Reuters The United States envoy to the United Nations arrived in Chad on Wednesday to meet Sudanese refugees who have fled ethnic and sexual violence in Darfur, which she described as “reminiscent” of atrocities 20 years ago that Washington declared a genocide. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who is a member of President Joe Biden’s cabinet, […]
Papua New Guinea opens embassy in Jerusalem
JerusalemReuters Papua New Guinea opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem on Tuesday, becoming only the fifth country with a full diplomatic mission in a city whose status is one of the most sensitive issues in the Middle East. The Pacific nation’s mission joins embassies from the United States, Kosovo, Guatemala and Honduras in Jerusalem, […]
StrangeSights: Pentagon launches UFO website; video game brings Pinochet resistance to life ahead of anniversary; and, a new Moon crater…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Belgium’s housing freeze raises fears of homeless refugee crisis
Brussels, BelgiumThomson Reuters Foundation The empty building on Rue de la Loi street in Brussels is crowded and run-down, but the roughly 100 asylum seekers who are squatting there say they have nowhere else to go if police carry out an eviction order. “We don’t know what to do – if we leave, we won’t […]
Brazil’s Lula legalises more Indigenous reservations in Amazon
Brasilia, Brazil Reuters Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday officially recognised two Indigenous territories, granting them legal protection as reservations to defend against invasions by illegal loggers, gold miners and cattle ranchers. The announcement came on the day Brazil celebrates its Amazon region, home to the world’s largest tropical rainforest, the preservation […]
Sand dredging is “sterilising” ocean floor, UN warns
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Around six billion tons of marine sand is being dug up each year in a growing practice that a UN agency said is unsustainable and can wipe out local marine life irreversibly. Sand is the most exploited natural resource in the world after water but its extraction for use in industries like construction […]