Bangladesh restores internet as students call off job-quota protests

Dhaka, Bangladesh Reuters Bangladesh said it had restored internet services as conditions return to normal after students called off protests against reforms to job quotas that killed nearly 150 people this month. The agitation, which began in universities and colleges last month, flared into nationwide protests that injured thousands as security forces cracked down, leading […]
Beirut flights cancelled, delayed amid fears of Israeli attack

Reuters Flights at Beirut airport have been cancelled or delayed with Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines (MEA) saying disruptions to its schedule were related to insurance risks, as tensions escalate between Israel and armed political group Hezbollah. Lufthansa on Monday said it had suspended five routes to and from Beirut by the group’s carriers Swiss International […]
Venezuela’s Maduro, opposition each claim presidential victory

Updated: 4:30pm (AEST) Caracas, Venezuela Reuters Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his opposition rival Edmundo Gonzalez were each claiming victory in a presidential election on Monday morning, after a vote marked by accusations of underhand tactics and isolated incidents of violence. The country’s electoral authority said just after midnight on Monday that Maduro had won […]
India links of US election contenders may spell little fizz for ties

New Delhi/Chennai, India Reuters The Indian links of some US presidential election contenders probably mean little additional benefit for ties, experts said, against the backdrop of bipartisan support for closer relations with the South Asian nation to counter an assertive China. Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Usha Chilukuri Vance, the wife of Republican Donald […]
Ukraine keeps pounding Russia’s Kursk region with drones, Russian official says
Reuters Kyiv launched more than two dozen drones on the Russian region of Kursk in several waves of attacks that started Saturday night and damaged an oil depot, the acting governor of the region that borders Ukraine said late on Sunday. At least 13 drones launched from Ukraine were destroyed by Russia’s air defence systems […]
Rome’s first highway added to UNESCO World Heritage list

Rome, Italy/Bucharest, Romania Reuters The Appian Way, the ancient Romans’ first highway and a tourist attraction in modern Rome, has been added to the United Nations’ cultural heritage list. Known as the Regina Viarum or Queen of Roads, it connected the capital of the early Roman state to the south-eastern town of Brindisi. It is […]
Libyan court jails 12 officials over deadly floods

Benghazi, Libya Reuters A Libyan court has jailed 12 officials in connection with the collapse of a series of dams in Derna last year that killed thousands of the city’s residents, the Attorney General said on Sunday. The officials, who were responsible for managing the country’s dams, were sentenced to between nine and 27 years […]
Indigenous Catholics: Apache Christ icon controversy sparks debate over faith practices

DEEPA BHARATH, of Associated Press, reports on the controversy surrounding the removal of a painting depicting Christ as an Apache…
Crisis-hit Ukrainian city prepares for life after the war

Mykolaiv, Ukraine Reuters For the mayor of the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, wartime crises like water and power outages and a crumbling local economy are short-term obstacles to a long-term plan. Oleksandr Sienkevych believes that reforms and accountability, including overhauling how public firms are run, are critical to the Black Sea port’s future as […]
Essay: Religious leaders are playing an important (and unusual) role in Ukraine war

JENNIFER MATHERS, in an article first published on The Conversation, looks at how religious leaders in Russia and Ukraine have responded to the conflict…