Postcards: Ukrainians seek recognition for fallen soldiers
DAN PELESCHUK, of Reuters, reports on the growing number of petitions for the Ukrainian President to honour those killed with the nation’s highest military honour, Hero of Ukraine…
Ex-Suriname President convicted in killings ordered to report to prison-prosecutor
Paramaribo, SurinameReuters Former Surinamese President Desi Bouterse, whose conviction for involvement in the killing of 15 people more than four decades ago was upheld in December, must report to a jail to serve his sentence, the public prosecutor said on Wednesday. A three-judge panel affirmed the convictions of Bouterse and four others in the execution […]
Pope confirms new leader of India’s Syro-Malabar Church, divided for decades over liturgy dispute
Rome, ItalyAP Pope Francis on Wednesday confirmed a new leader for India’s Syro-Malabar Church in a step toward healing a decades-long liturgical dispute that became so dire that Francis recently threatened to excommunicate hundreds of priests. Francis confirmed the election of His Beatitude Mar Raphael Thattil as major archbishop of the arch-eparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, located […]
UN helicopter carrying “several” foreigners captured by al-Shabaab in Somalia
Mogadishu, SomaliaReuters Al-Shabaab militants captured a United Nations helicopter carrying two Somali men and several foreigners when it made an emergency landing in an area controlled by the Islamist group, a military official said on Wednesday. The aircraft encountered a defect shortly after taking off from Beledweyne city in central Somalia, Major Hassan Ali told […]
Ukraine risks becoming “forgotten war”, Pope Francis says
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis is concerned that international attention is shifting away from the nearly two-year-old Russian war against Ukraine, the Ukrainian eastern-rite Catholic Church said on Wednesday. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022, and the two sides are locked in what has been described as a war of attrition, amid […]
Despair in Gaza as fighting intensifies despite Israel promise to scale back war
Gaza/Manama, Bahrain/Doha, QatarReuters Israeli strikes in southern and central Gaza intensified on Wednesday despite a pledge by Israel that it would pull out some troops and shift to a more targeted campaign, and pleading from its ally Washington to reduce civilian casualties. In the latest sign of the three-month-old war spreading, US and British warships […]
Ecuador President says country is at war as gangs hold prison staff hostage
Quito, EcaudorReuters Ecuador President Daniel Noboa said on Wednesday that his country was “at war” with drug gangs who are holding more than 130 prison guards and other staff hostage, amid a dramatic surge in violence that saw gunmen briefly take over a TV live broadcast and explosions in multiple cities. Noboa on Tuesday named […]
Quakes and storms cause $US95 billion in insurance losses in 2023 -Munich Re
Munich, GermanyReuters Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, storms in the United States and other natural disasters caused an estimated $US95 billion in insured losses in 2023, down from the previous year but still above the long-term average, Munich Re said on Tuesday. The tally of losses from natural catastrophes covered by insurance is less than […]
South Korea passes bill to ban consumption of dog meat
Seoul, South KoreaReuters South Korea’s parliament passed a bill on Tuesday to ban the eating and selling of dog meat, a move that will end the controversial centuries-old practice amid growing support for animal welfare. Eating dog meat was once seen as a way to improve stamina in the humid Korean summer. But the practise […]
StrangeSights: A Christmas (tree) present for elephants; so cold in Finland even boiling water freezes, and, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un turns 40. Maybe…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…