StrangeSights: UFO report; a painting octopus; and, a French masterpiece rediscovered….
DAVID ADAMS looks at the odder side of life…
US blasts Nicaragua “campaign of terror” as global condemnation grows
Geneva, Switzerland/Mexico City, MexicoReuters International pressure mounted on Nicaragua on Tuesday, with President Daniel Ortega’s crackdown on the opposition described by Washington as a “campaign of terror” that the United Nations said meant November elections were unlikely to be free or fair. Ortega’s government has arrested at least 14 political opponents in recent weeks, including […]
US speeds visas for vulnerable Afghans as pullout looms, but Congress wants more
Washington DC, USReuters As the US military completes its withdrawal from Afghanistan in the coming weeks, the Biden administration says it is adding staff to hurry up the visa process for Afghans who worked for the US Government and want to flee to avoid Taliban reprisals. But for refugee advocates and members of Congress, the […]
Detecting slave-made goods from China is growing harder, US says
Thomson Reuters Foundation Major brands face a growing challenge to root out forced labour in Chinese supply chains, the top US anti-human trafficking official said Friday, as the United States stepped up the blocking of imports of goods made in Xinjiang. Ambassador-at-Large John Richmond said reports that forced labour by the Chinese government had spread […]
US finds Bangladesh improving anti-trafficking efforts in annual report
Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Bangladesh has improved its efforts to combat human trafficking but must do more to increase convictions and investigate cases involving Rohingyas, according to the US Government’s annual report ranking countries on their anti-trafficking standards. The State Department upgraded the South Asian nation in its 2020 Trafficking in Persons report, which sorts […]
Native Americans fear government “attack” on tribal land amid coronavirus
Seattle, USThomson Reuters Foundation Native Americans slammed a decision by the US Government to revoke a tribe’s reservation status, which they warned would leave them without control over their land and place them at increased risk during the coronavirus pandemic. The US Bureau of Indian Affairs told the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe last week that its […]
New documents show government targeted NYC pastor for officiating immigrant weddings
RNS New documents unearthed in an ongoing US federal lawsuit indicate the US Government surveilled and investigated a New York pastor and immigrant rights activist over allegations that she committed marriage fraud by officiating immigrant weddings along the US-Mexico border. But the cleric says she did nothing wrong and is accusing the federal government of […]
US raps global health summit over abortion, sex education
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Ten countries – including the United States, Brazil and Egypt – criticised a global conference on sexual and reproductive health on Thursday, saying it promoted abortion and sex education. Heads of state, financial institutions and donors were among the 9,500 delegates in Nairobi this week to address maternal mortality, violence against […]
Supporters scramble as US anti-trafficking funds are postponed
New York City, US Thomson Reuters Foundation The US Government has postponed an anticipated $US13.5 million grant to provide emergency shelter and housing for trafficking survivors, leaving their supporters scrambling for scarce funds for victim services. The money was approved two years ago but abruptly suspended in recent days without explanation, officials and supporters said […]
US Government hears woeful testimony from ‘heirs’ property’ owners
Washington, DCThomson Reuters Foundation Property heirs last week described to government officials the lengthy court cases, tense family disputes and expensive legal research required to keep property that was rightfully theirs, amid generations of land loss. The stories were shared at the second of two “listening sessions” on what is known as heirs’ property, as […]