COP28 clashes over fossil fuel phase-out after OPEC pushback
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters Countries clashed on Saturday over a possible agreement to phase-out fossil fuels at the COP28 summit in Dubai, jeopardising attempts to deliver a first-ever commitment to eventually end the use of oil and gas in 30 years of global warming talks. Saudi Arabia and Russia were among several countries insisting that […]
Ukraine presses ahead with removal of Soviet monuments
Kyiv, UkraineReuters Ukrainian officials pressed on with a campaign to remove Soviet-era monuments on Saturday as authorities in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv dismantled a statue of a Red Army commander from a central boulevard. Ukraine has doubled down on efforts to erase all traces of Russian rule amid a full-scale invasion by Kremlin troops, now […]
Israel orders more evacuations in Khan Younis after US blocks Gaza ceasefire call
Gaza/Cairo, Egypt Reuters Israel ordered residents out of the centre of Gaza’s main southern city Khan Younis on Saturday and pounded the length of the enclave, after the United States wielded its UN Security Council veto to shield its ally from a demand for a ceasefire. Since a truce collapsed last week, Israel has expanded […]
Trafficking for cyber fraud an increasingly globalised crime, Interpol says
Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Interpol said on Friday its first operation targeting human-trafficking fueled cyber fraud showed the criminal industry was going global, spreading beyond its origins in South-East Asia, with scam centres emerging as far away as Latin America. The global police coordination body said law enforcement from more than 20 countries in October carried […]
US sanctions dozens of people worldwide over human rights abuses
Washington DC, USReuters The United States on Friday slapped sanctions on dozens of people over human rights abuses, including Iranian officers it accused of being involved in the targeting of US officials, ahead of Human Rights Day on Sunday. The US Treasury and State Departments imposed sanctions and visa restrictions on 37 people in 13 […]
US embassy in Baghdad struck with seven mortars as attacks escalate
Reuters Approximately seven mortar rounds landed in the US Embassy compound in Baghdad during an attack early on Friday, a US military official told Reuters, in what appeared to be the largest attack of its kind in recent memory. US forces in Iraq and Syria were also targeted with rockets and drones at least five […]
Six French teenagers convicted in connection with 2020 beheading of teacher Paty
Paris, FranceReuters A French court on Friday convicted six teenagers in connection with the 2020 beheading of history teacher Samuel Paty, whose murder shocked the country. The teacher had shown his pupils caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in a class on freedom of expression, angering some Muslim parents. Most Muslims avoid depictions of prophets, considering […]
Sacred site: Lebanon’s Christians feel the heat of climate change in its forest and valley
KAREEM CHEHAYEB, of Associated Press, reports from Bcharre…
Gaza fighting intensifies, US vetoes Security Council demand for ceasefire
Updated: 12:30pm (AEDT)United NationsReuters The United States kept up pressure on Israel to do more to protect Palestinian civilians during a fierce offensive against Hamas militants across Gaza, even as Washington vetoed a UN Security Council demand for an immediate ceasefire. Fighting escalated and the Palestinian death toll rose on Friday, with Israel pounding the […]
Recovering Pope reads prayer from Vatican window, visits Rome church
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis was well enough to read the Angelus prayer from a Vatican window overlooking St Peter’s Square on Friday, speaking unaided for the first time since suffering from an acute lung inflammation two weeks ago. Marking the Catholic feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Pope later visited the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in […]