Mexico City overhauls bullfights in win for animal activists
Mexico City Reuters Mexico City’s local congress on Tuesday passed a measure aiming to make bullfights much less harmful to bulls and matadors, a move applauded by animal rights activists but sharply criticised by fans of the centuries-old tradition. The measure, among other things, will not allow bullfighters to use spades and swords to attack […]
Trump’s cuts to US news outlets criticised for ceding ground to China, adversaries
Washington DC, US Reuters US lawmakers and rights advocates say the Trump administration’s drive to dismantle US government-funded news outlets, including Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, is a major blow to Washington’s hard-earned soft power globally at a time when Beijing is rushing to expand its sphere of influence. Since its inception to […]
Trump releases JFK assassination documents
Washington DC, US Reuters US President Donald Trump released material related to the 1963 assassination of former President John F Kennedy on Tuesday, seeking to honour his campaign promise to provide more transparency about the shock event in Texas. An initial tranche of electronic copies of papers flooded into the National Archives website in the […]
StrangeSights: A long ambulance ride; a minute’s silence for whom?; and, a gorilla on the loose (or not)…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Trump administration halts program to track abducted Ukrainian children, lawmakers say
Washington DC, US Reuters Democratic US lawmakers will call on President Donald Trump’s administration to restore a program that helps track thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, and to use sanctions to punish those responsible for the rights violation. As it slashes a wide range of US Government programs and most foreign aid, the […]
UN chief hails “meaningful progress” in Cyprus talks
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday talks on the future of Cyprus had made progress for the first time in years, with both sides agreeing a series of initiatives including the opening of crossing points. “Discussions were held in a constructive atmosphere with both sides showing clear commitment to making […]
Strike on market in north Mali kills 18, civil society group says
Bamako, Mali Reuters An army air strike at a market in Mali’s northern Timbuktu region on Sunday killed at least 18 people and injured seven, a local rights group said, while the army said it was targeting terrorists. The Collective for the Defence of the Rights of the Azawad People, which is linked to separatist […]
Zelenskiy calls for blocking Moscow’s attempts to drag out war after Putin-Trump call
Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had effectively rejected a US proposal for a full ceasefire on Tuesday, and urged the world to block any attempts by Moscow to drag out its war against Ukraine. Putin agreed to temporarily stop attacking Ukrainian energy facilities but declined to endorse […]
Europol warns of AI-driven crime threats
Reuters Organised crime gangs are turning to AI-powered scams and payment systems to target victims, allowing them to rapidly and more cheaply scale up operations globally and making them harder to detect, Europol warned on Tuesday. The technology means they can craft messages in multiple languages and create highly realistic dupes to impersonate individuals and […]
The Interview: In Mennonite pastor Isaac Villegas’ new book, God is a migrant, too
‘Migrant God’ offers a theological vision for the ways Christian faith transcends national borders and is rooted in solidarity with migrants. YONAT SHIMRON, of Religion News Service, speaks with Isaac Villegas about the book and the experiences that led to it…