Killings hit record high in 2021 as post-lockdown stress grew – UN
Vienna, Austria Reuters The number of murders and other intentional killings surged to a record high across the world in 2021, driven in part by the stress and economic pressures of COVID-19 lockdowns, a UN report said on Friday. Around 458,000 people were killed intentionally, higher than the 400,000 to 450,000 recorded every year since […]
COP28 leader urges nations to get out of “comfort zones”
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber urged countries on Friday to get out of their comfort zones and work together to reach agreement before the two-week summit ends. “Let’s please get this job done,” he said, opening a plenary session as the summit entered its toughest phase of negotiations. “I need you to […]
Snapshot: Kabul, Afghanistan
See MOHAMMAD HUSAINI’s image…
Two months of war in Gaza leave elderly and newborns destitute and displaced
Gaza Reuters After two months of war in Gaza, most of its people are homeless, crammed by a pounding Israeli bombardment into yet smaller areas of an already tiny enclave where the elderly and newborns live alike in tents amid the rubble. Three women pushed from their homes in the Gaza Strip over 61 days […]
Study: Most Americans are spiritual but a growing number say they are not religious
United StatesRNS Americans have been abandoning organised religion in droves and while some have walked away from religion altogether, a distinct group of Americans now call themselves “spiritual but not religious”. A new Pew Research study puts their numbers at 22 per cent of Americans and attempts to describe them in greater detail. PICTURE: Marek Piwnicki/Unsplash The […]
Peru Attorney General suspended as probe into her actions escalates
Lima, Peru Reuters Peru’s justice oversight board has suspended the country’s Attorney General Patricia Benavides as a probe into accusations that she was leading a “criminal organisation” gathers pace. The board said late on Wednesday in a statement that the suspension was aimed at “preventing obstruction” of the investigation. It did not elaborate but last […]
Azerbaijan’s Aliyev calls snap election after Karabakh victory
Reuters Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, riding high on a wave of support for his recapture of the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, on Thursday called an early presidential election for 7th February. Aliyev, 61, was last re-elected in 2018 for a seven-year term, with a declared 86 per cent of the vote, in a poll boycotted […]
Talks on EU’s AI Act to resume Friday after marathon debate
Brussels, BelgiumReuters EU lawmakers halted talks on the bloc’s landmark Artificial Intelligence Act on Thursday, agreeing to resume discussions on Friday after they failed to reach a deal during almost 24 hours of negotiations. The tense three-way debate between European Union member states, the European Commission and the European parliament will now extend into a […]
Seychelles declares emergency after explosion and flooding
Nairobi, KenyaReuters A blast at an explosives store wrecked buildings and caused massive damage to an industrial zone on the Seychelles’ main island Mahe, officials said, prompting the President to declare a state of emergency on Thursday. The blast shook the island as heavy rains triggered flooding which killed three people, the President told reporters […]
Hanukkah in wartime: Israelis take stock two months on
HOWARD GOLLER, of Reuters, reports on the sombre mood in Israel…