Pope calls for an end to wars, urges respect for civilians
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis on Sunday urged respect for civilians in conflict areas and said people were tired of wars, which he called a “disaster for the peoples and a defeat for humanity”. After his weekly Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square, the Pope said humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow in Myanmar […]
Drone hits tower housing Russian ministries for second time in three days
Moscow, Russia Reuters A high-rise building in Moscow’s business district that houses three Russian government ministries was struck by a drone for the second time in three days on Tuesday, in what Russia called an attempted Ukrainian “terrorist attack”. A Ukrainian presidential adviser said Moscow should expect more drone attacks and “more war”. Emergency personnel […]
Pope to visit Hungary in April, migration and war on agenda
Rome, Italy/Budapest, Hungary AP Pope Francis will visit Hungary at the end of April, the Vatican said Monday, in a trip expected to focus on migration to Europe and Russia’s war in Ukraine. The 28th to 30th April trip to Budapest represents a proper state visit after Francis made a brief, hours-long stopover in 2021 […]
Icy winds of war buffet humanity at Christmas – Pope’s lament
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis used his Christmas message Sunday to lament the “icy winds of war” buffeting humanity and to make an impassioned plea for an immediate end to the fighting in Ukraine, a 10-month-old conflict he decried as “senseless.” At noon in Rome, Francis delivered the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (Latin for “‘to the city […]
North Korea fires missile amid tension over Russia arms aid
Seoul, South KoreaReuters North Korea fired two ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Friday, the South Korean military said, the latest in an unprecedented number of missile tests this year. Coming only days after two other missiles were launched and a day after allegations were made the country is shipping munitions […]
WTO chief warns of rocky road to deals amid “polycrisis”
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala expressed cautious optimism on Sunday that more than 100 trade ministers meeting in Geneva would achieve one or two global deals this week, but warned the path there would be bumpy and rocky. The director-general from Nigeria said the world had changed since the WTO’s last ministerial […]
Quick facts – Surging food prices fuel protests across developing world
Reuters The war in Ukraine and drought fuelled by climate change has sent global prices for grains, cooking oils, fuel and fertiliser soaring. Rising prices for basic food staples is fuelling protests from Indonesia to Iran. Riot police block demonstrators and members of worker unions during a protest against Peru’s President Pedro Castillo’s government and rising food […]
In Peru’s slums, chicken off the menu as soup kitchens struggle with inflation
Lima, PeruReuters In the hilly slums of Peruvian capital Lima, soup kitchens struggle to feed some of the Andean nation’s poorest and most vulnerable residents, cutting proteins and loading up on carbohydrates, as food prices soar. “The rise in prices is huge,” said Jenifer Mondalgo, president of the soup kitchen association in the Pamplona Alta […]
Ukraine war ripples to Yemen where no funds mean no food
Aden, YemenThomson Reuters Foundation Ali’s brittle legs stuck out awkwardly from a gray onesie that hung off him, although it was meant for his age. At three months old, the Yemeni infant has already spent a third of his life fighting to keep it. Ali was treated for acute malnutrition free of charge at the […]
Tentative hopes for Ukraine peace talks after fierce Russian attacks
Lviv, UkraineReuters Ukraine said it would seek to discuss a ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops and security guarantees with Russia on Monday after both sides reported rare progress at the weekend, despite fierce Russian bombardments. Previous rounds of talks have had similar aims but have ended up focused mainly on humanitarian issues and agreed ceasefires […]