Human trafficking rises sharply after dropping during pandemic, UN says
Vienna, Austria Reuters Human trafficking has risen sharply due to conflicts, climate-induced disasters and global crises, according to a United Nations report published on Wednesday. In 2022, the latest year for which data is widely available, the number of known victims worldwide rose to 25 per cent above 2019’s pre-pandemic levels, the United Nations Office […]
Refugees return to Syria as caretaker Prime Minister appointed
Damascus, Syria Reuters Refugees from Syria’s long civil war were making their way home on Wednesday, as a new interim Prime Minister said he had been appointed with the backing of the rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad. US officials, engaging with rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), urged them not to assume automatic […]
Zelenskiy urges allies for 10 to 12 more Patriot systems to fully protect Ukraine skies
Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine Reuters President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Ukraine’s allies on Tuesday to provide 10 to 12 more Patriot air defence systems that he said would fully protect its skies, after a Russian missile killed at least four people in the south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February, 2022, Ukraine has consistently asked […]
StrangeSights: Meet puppy trainer, Pablo (the pig); run a half marathon and win a cow, fish or chickens; and, Santa feeds the sharks…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Syrians scour disfigured corpses for signs of detained loved ones
Damascus, Syria Reuters Using only the light on their mobile phones, wailing men and women examined disfigured bodies lying in a darkened hospital morgue in Syria’s capital for signs of their relatives who had disappeared into Bashar al-Assad’s notorious prison system. Dozens of corpses – blackened, decomposing and missing limbs or heads – were found […]
Nicaragua tortured at least 229 political prisoners, rights group says
Reuters At least 229 people detained in Nicaragua for political reasons have suffered various forms of torture and other “crimes against humanity” at the hands of the government over the past seven years, a human rights NGO said on Tuesday. The Nicaragua Never Again Human Rights Collective said in a report that it had documented […]
Mexican congressman gunned down as political violence continues
Mexico City, Mexico Reuters A federal congressman was assassinated late on Monday in Mexico’s Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, the latest killing in an outbreak of political violence in the country. The Veracruz Attorney General’s office confirmed the death of Benito Aguas, a member of the leftist government’s ruling coalition in the 500-member lower house […]
Netanyahu assails media as he testifies for first time in his corruption trial
Tel Aviv, Israel Reuters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the witness stand for the first time on Tuesday in his long-running corruption trial, saying he was being hounded for his hawkish security policies. Netanyahu, 75, is Israel’s first sitting prime minister to be charged with a crime. He is testifying at the same time […]
Gunmen kidnap at least 50 in Nigeria’s Zamfara state, residents and police say
Maiduguri, Nigeria Reuters A gang of gunmen kidnapped more than 50 women and children in a raid on Kakin Dawa village in Nigeria’s north-west Zamfara state, police and residents said. Kidnapping for ransom by gunmen, known by locals as bandits, is rife in north-west Nigeria due to high levels of poverty, unemployment and the proliferation […]
A growing concern: Bear attacks are rising in Japan. Aging hunters are on the front line
SAKURA MURAKAMI, ADOLFO ARRANZ AND HAN HUANG, of Reuters, report on how Japan is grappling with a growing bear problem…