Flood-hit Libyan city facing long recovery as search for missing goes on
Derna, Libya Reuters Residents of Derna in eastern Libya were counting their losses from a flood that devastated swathes of the coastal city as the search for the missing continued on Saturday for a sixth day and more bodies were pulled from the sea. Central Street, once a focus of economic activity in Derna lined […]
Iran’s security forces out in force a year after Mahsa Amini’s death
Reuters Iranian security forces cracked down on protests in Kurdish areas of the country on Saturday and briefly detained the father of Mahsa Amini, a year after the young woman’s death in custody set off some of the worst political unrest in four decades. The Revolutionary Guards detained a dual national suspected of “trying to […]
Afghan-Pakistan border crossing reopens after talks to settle clashes
Peshawar, Pakistan/Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters The main land crossing on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan re-opened on Friday after a closure of nine days following shooting between guards on both sides, a senior Pakistani official told Reuters. Thousands of travellers and hundreds of trucks laden with goods were stranded last week by the closure of […]
Moroccans in earthquake-hit tourist area grieve losses, fret about future
Ouirgane Valley, Morocco Reuters The Kasbah La Dame Bija guesthouse in Morocco’s picturesque Ouirgane Valley escaped unscathed from an earthquake that devastated the area, but the owner’s bookings collapsed and he worries about whether the region can revive its tourist appeal. “The earthquake killed people and destroyed villages on which our tourism activity depends,” said […]
Danger lurks behind “every bush” for brigade in Ukrainian counter-offensive
Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine Reuters For soldiers in Ukraine’s “Spartan” brigade, danger could lurk behind every bush and in every field as they fight in Kyiv’s counter-offensive against deeply entrenched Russian forces. Progress through vast Russian minefields and heavily fortified defences has been slower than many Ukrainians had hoped since the counter-offensive began in early June. […]
UN Secretary-General calls for equality for Global South at Cuba G77 summit
Havana, Cuba Reuters United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday praised efforts to support the Global South in the international arena as he opened a summit of the G77 group of developing nations and China with host Cuba. The focus is the scientific and technological divide between rich and poor countries and its impact on […]
“They knew”: Fury of Libyans that warnings went unheeded before flood
Reuters reports that the “catastrophe” which shattered the city of Derna this week had been warned about…
Pope’s visit to France stirs debate over immigration, secularism
Paris, FranceReuters Pope Francis’ scheduled visit to France next week has stirred debate in the French political class, with left-wing politicians criticising the president for attending Mass while the far-right objects to the Pope’s positive views on immigration. Francis will travel to Marseille, France’s second city and a historic gateway for immigrants, where he is expected […]
UN refugee agency: wave of migrants must be moved off island of Lampedusa
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The United Nations refugee agency on Friday said it was imperative that the thousands of migrants who have arrived in recent days on the Italian island of Lampedusa be relocated because of its limited resources. Around 7,000 migrants arrived on the shore of the small island in a two-day period, prompting pleas for […]