Beirut port blast: three years on, victims still await accountability
Beirut, LebanonReuters Lebanon on Friday marks the third anniversary of the Beirut port explosion which killed at least 220 people, wounded thousands, and damaged swathes of the city. Despite the devastation, an investigation has brought no senior official to account. Here is a summary of what happened and how the investigation has been stymied: Smoke […]
US Catholic Bishop Strickland subject to Vatican investigation
United StatesRNS The Vatican subjected the Catholic Diocese of Tyler, Texas, to an apostolic visitation last week, a rare disciplinary investigation by the Holy See into the diocese overseen by Bishop Joseph E Strickland, a controversial firebrand conservative cleric who has publicly criticised Pope Francis. A representative for the diocese confirmed reports of the visitation […]
Broken wires, faulty renovation caused deadly India bridge collapse, probe finds
Ahmedabad, India Reuters Broken corroded wires, improper welding and changes to the walking surface of a 145-year-old hanging bridge in India contributed to its collapse last year that killed 135 people, an investigation has found. The colonial-era suspension bridge in the town of Morbi in the western state of Gujarat was packed with sightseers when it collapsed […]
Judge unexpectedly resumes frozen Beirut blast investigation
Beirut, LebanonReuters The judge investigating the 2020 Beirut port explosion has unexpectedly resumed his inquiry and charged top security officials, three judicial officials said on Monday, more than a year after his probe was frozen by political resistance. Judge Tarek Bitar’s efforts to interrogate top officials over the explosion that killed 220 people and shattered […]
US Supreme Court report fails to identify abortion ruling leak culprit
Updated: 12pm (AEST)Washington DC, US Reuters The US Supreme Court after an eight-month investigation failed on Thursday to identify who leaked a draft of its blockbuster ruling overturning the 1973 Roe v Wade decision that had legalised abortion nationwide though the probe revealed multiple holes in security measures at America’s top judicial body. The leak […]
South Korea begins probe into deadly Halloween crush
Seoul, South KoreaReuters South Korean investigators combed footage on Monday from more than 50 state and private closed-circuit TV cameras as well as from social media looking for answers to how a surge in Halloween party-goers trapped in narrow alleys killed so many. As the country began a week of mourning, the death toll climbed […]
ACNA moves forward with investigation amid concerns from survivors and advocates
RNS As investigations into sexual abuse and abuse of church power get underway in the Anglican Church in North America’s Upper Midwest Diocese, at least five individuals who say they experienced sexual or spiritual abuse in the diocese say they will not participate in one or both of the investigations due to concerns about transparency. […]
Pandemic could be WHO’s Chernobyl moment for reform – review panel
Geneva, Switzerland/London, UKReuters The COVID-19 pandemic could be the catalyst for much-needed reform of the World Health Organization just as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 forced urgent changes at the UN nuclear agency, an independent review panel said on Tuesday. The panel, set up to investigate the global response to the coronavirus, said the […]
Team from WHO heads to China in search of COVID origins
Geneva, Switzerland/SingaporeReuters An international team of scientists led by the World Health Organization was set to arrive in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus that sparked the pandemic. The United States, which has accused China of having hidden the extent of its initial outbreak a […]
China doubles down on COVID narrative as WHO investigation looms
Shanghai, ChinaReuters As a team from the World Health Organization prepares to visit China to investigate the origins of COVID-19, Beijing has stepped up efforts not only to prevent new outbreaks, but also shape the narrative about when and where the pandemic began. China has dismissed criticism of its early handling of the coronavirus, first […]