US faith-based aid agencies challenge Trump’s order “realigning” refugee program
Washington DC, US RNS An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office appears to keep all but a few refugees from entering the country, saying that the United States lacks the resources to absorb them. The measure, titled “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program,” was among a blitz […]
Trump order leaves Cuba prisoner deal in limbo
Havana, Cuba Reuters Karen Vasquez, 44, walked out of jail in Cuba on Sunday, part of a deal brokered by the Vatican under which the Biden administration would loosen sanctions on the communist-run island, while Havana would release more than 500 people from its jails who are considered political prisoners by Washington. Vasquez was still […]
StrangeSights: The world’s largest ice maze; another contender for world’s oldest person; and, a banana mystery…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Hundreds of Capitol rioters released from prison after Trump’s sweeping pardon
Washington DC, US Reuters Hundreds of Donald Trump supporters who had been serving prison sentences for participating in the 6th January, 2021, attack on the US Capitol were freed on Tuesday, after the new President pardoned more than 1,500 people, including some who assaulted police officers. The Federal Bureau of Prisons said 211 people had […]
Afghan Taliban member freed from US custody in exchange for two Americans, Kabul says
Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters The United States has freed an Afghan convicted by an American court on charges of drug smuggling and terrorism in exchange for two US citizens held in Afghanistan, authorities in Kabul said on Tuesday. Afghan officials said the man, Khan Mohammad, had landed in Kabul after being released. Mohammad was sentenced to […]
UK’s Starmer vows to uncover failings, lead change after Southport murders
London, UK Reuters UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed on Tuesday to “leave no stone unturned” to uncover failings in preventing the killings of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed event, saying an inquiry could lead to a change in terrorism laws. Starmer defended his government’s stance to not divulge many details earlier about the […]
Twenty-two Democratic-led US states sue over Trump’s birthright citizenship order
Boston, US Reuters Democratic-led states and civil rights groups filed a slew of lawsuits challenging US President Donald Trump’s bid to roll back birthright citizenship on Tuesday in an early bid by his opponents to block his agenda in court. After his inauguration on Monday, Trump, a Republican, ordered US agencies to refuse to recognise […]
Congo rebels seize eastern town on critical supply route
Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo Reuters The M23 rebel group in Democratic Republic of Congo has seized the eastern town of Minova, a main supply route for the provincial capital Goma, a local governor and a rebel leader said on Tuesday as the army reported fighting on all fronts. The Tutsi-led M23 group has been […]
Presidential clemency: Trump’s pardons will embolden Proud Boys, other far-right groups, say experts
NATHAN LAYNE, NED PARKER, PETER EISLER AND JOSEPH TANFANI, of Reuters, report on reactions to Donald Trump’s decision to grant clemency to all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the 2021 attack on the US Capitol…
As Trump era begins, Ukrainians are exhausted by war
Kharkiv region/Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters As Donald Trump’s second term as US President dawns, Ukrainian soldiers and civilians see a hard road ahead in their war with Russia, and many have come to hope for a ceasefire without expelling Russian forces. Trump’s aides have conceded that a deal to end the war could take months or […]