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Ethnic strife frustrates peace efforts in India’s Manipur

Borobekra, India Reuters Gunmen seized six hostages this month while exchanging fire with troops in India’s north-eastern state of Manipur after a rocket-propelled grenade reduced vehicles and homes to charred hulks in the hilly district of Jiribam. Ethnic clashes over land and quotas in education and government jobs have killed at least 258 people and […]

Australian PM says social media firms now have a responsibility to protect kids

Updated: 11:10am (AEDT) Sydney, Australia Reuters Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that social media platforms now have a responsibility to ensure the safety of children, after the country’s parliament passed a bill banning those under the age of 16 from using the services. Australia approved the social media ban for children on […]

Notre Dame primps for its grand post-blaze return. But why does the cathedral look unfinished?

Paris, France AP The bells of Notre Dame are chiming again, but scaffolding still clinging to the cathedral’s exterior is puzzling some Parisians, who question whether its grand post-blaze reopening is more symbolic than substantive. When French President Emmanuel Macron inspects the rebuilding work on Friday, in his final tour of the construction site, he’ll see the renovated interiors with […]

Landslides in Indonesia’s Sumatra kill at least 27, rescuers search for missing

Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters Indonesian rescuers are searching for passengers trapped in a minibus buried in mud after flash floods and landslides hit several locations in North Sumatra province, killing at least 27, an official said on Thursday. Torrential rain in the province since last week had caused flash floods and landslides in four different districts, […]

Israel steps up bombing of central Gaza, strikes kill 26 people

Cairo, Egypt Reuters Israeli military strikes killed at least 26 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, medics said, as forces stepped up their bombardment of central areas and tanks pushed deeper into the north and south of the enclave. The escalation came a day after Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah began a ceasefire in Lebanon, […]

Israel and Hezbollah trade accusations of ceasefire violations

Beirut, Lebanon Reuters The Israeli military said its air force struck a facility used by Hezbollah to store mid-range rockets in southern Lebanon on Thursday, after both sides accused each other of breaching a ceasefire that aims to halt over a year of fighting. Israel said it also opened fire on Thursday towards what it […]

Russia hits Ukrainian energy facilities, Kyiv sees “despicable escalation”

Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters Russia unleashed on Thursday its second big attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this month, triggering deep power cuts across the country. President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had struck in response to Ukraine’s strikes on Russian territory with US medium-range ATACMS missiles. He said Russia’s future targets could include “decision-making centres” in Kyiv. […]