“It starts now”: South Korea’s President Yoon defiant as police closed in
Seoul, South Korea Reuters As 3,000 riot police swarmed his hillside villa on Wednesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol huddled with party loyalists, telling them that people were increasingly realising the country’s legal system had been hijacked by leftist forces. “People are now seeing how serious the situation is,” the impeached President told the […]
Snapshot: Constantine, Algeria
See ZENAD NABIL’s image…
North Korea’s suicide soldiers pose new challenge for Ukraine in war with Russia
Seoul, South Korea Reuters After a battle in Russia’s snowy western region of Kursk this week, Ukrainian special forces scoured the bodies of more than a dozen slain North Korean enemy soldiers. Among them, they found one still alive. But as they approached, he detonated a grenade, blowing himself up, according to a description of […]
SpaceX Starship prototype fails in space after Texas launch
Washington DC, US Reuters A SpaceX Starship prototype failed in space on Thursday, minutes after launching from Texas, setting back the company’s speedy rocket development efforts in a mission that was expected to debut a key satellite deployment demonstration. SpaceX’s Starship system, a heavily upgraded version standing roughly 37 stories tall, lifted off from the […]
Taiwan carries out first execution in five years, upsetting EU, rights groups
Taipei, Taiwan Reuters Taiwan carried out its first execution in five years late on Thursday, upsetting both rights groups and the European Union which called on the government to maintain its de facto moratorium on the death penalty. Despite Taiwan’s reputation as Asia’s most liberal democracy, the death penalty remains broadly popular according to opinion […]
Pope Francis using sling after injuring forearm in fall
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis injured his right forearm after a fall in his residence on Thursday but did not suffer any broken bones and continued on with his agenda for the day, the Vatican said. Images from the Pope’s meetings on Thursday morning showed Francis using a simple cloth sling, wrapped around his neck, […]
US issues sanctions on Sudanese army chief Burhan
Nairobi, Kenya/Washington DC, US Reuters The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Sudan’s leader, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, accusing him of choosing war over negotiations to bring an end to the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes. The US Treasury Department said in a […]
Dozens of migrants may have drowned in attempt to cross to Spain, NGO says
Madrid, Spain Reuters As many as 50 migrants, many of them Pakistanis, may have drowned in the latest deadly wreck involving people trying to make the crossing from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, migrant rights group Walking Borders said on Thursday. Moroccan authorities rescued 36 people on Wednesday from a boat that had left […]
US-Catholic Church relations: The Vatican braces for a second Trump presidency
CLAIRE GIANGRAVÉ, of Religion News Service, reports that recent appointments show Pope Francis and US President-elect Donald Trump are already setting a different tone for Vatican-US relations…
In the US, King Day and Inauguration Day confluence sparks plans for rallies, prayer, hospitality
Washington DC, US RNS As US President-elect Donald Trump takes his oath of office for a second presidential term, Rev Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, plans to gather people in another part of Washington, DC, “taking our oath to keep Martin Luther King’s dream alive and intact.” The confluence of the two […]