In surprise move, Somalia asks UN to end political mission
Nairobi, Kenya Reuters Somalia’s government has requested the termination of a UN political mission that has advised it on peace-building, security reforms and democracy for over a decade, according to a letter the foreign minister wrote to the Security Council. The request for the departure of the 360-member United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) […]
Snapshot: Church of Ayios Lazarus in Larnaca, Cyprus
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Ukrainian rescuers evacuate elderly and infirm as Russians close in
Toretsk, Ukraine Reuters Anzhelika Sharonova and her 86-year-old mother held out in their battered eastern Ukrainian town for as long as they could before finally fleeing this week with just a few bags between them. Russian forces are steadily advancing north and south of Toretsk as they press on multiple parts of the eastern front, […]
On the Screen: ‘Planet of the Apes’ evolves with the birth of a new storyline
DAVID ADAMS watches the fourth instalment in the rebooted ‘Planet of the Apes’ series…
Explainer: What is a Roman Catholic Holy Year?
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis started the countdown on Thursday to the 2025 Holy Year, or Jubilee, which is one of the Roman Catholic Church’s most important events and is expected to draw tens of millions of pilgrims to Rome. But what exactly is a Holy Year? Pope Francis waves at people on the day […]
Contractors arrive in Haiti to build base for Kenyan-led forces
Nairobi, Kenya Reuters Civilian contractors have arrived in Haiti to build living quarters for a Kenyan-led international security force meant to counter gang violence in the Caribbean nation, the US military’s Southern Command said. The UN Security Council approved in October the creation of the Multinational Security Support mission to help Haitian police wrest back […]
Myanmar junta reiterates election plan after ex-Cambodia PM seeks Suu Kyi access
Reuters Myanmar’s military chief discussed plans to hold an election in the country with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen in talks this week, a senior official said, even as the ruling junta faces unprecedented pressure from an expanding armed resistance. The military government has promised repeatedly to return Myanmar to democracy but has given no […]
Israelis ready to fight with their fingernails, Netanyahu says in veiled Biden rebuff
Jerusalem Reuters Israelis are ready to fight with their “fingernails”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday in a thinly veiled rebuff to US President Joe Biden’s warning that arms supplies could be withheld over a planned operation in Gaza. Israel’s long-threatened move against Rafah, where it says thousands of Hamas fighters and potentially dozens […]
Deaths in Brazil floods rise to 107, horse rescued from rooftop
Porto Alegre, Brazil Reuters The death toll from severe flooding in southern Brazil has risen to 107, civil defence said on Thursday, as rescue operations continued and authorities began to see the cost of recovering from the devastation in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. In a dramatic symbol of the disaster, rescuers saved […]
Conflict impacts: War upends Ukraine’s economy in a shift that may be permanent
OLENA HARMASH, of Reuters, reports on the ongoing and future impacts of the war on Ukraine on the country’s economy…