International

Hostages were drugged, abused in Gaza: Israeli doctor

By Stuart White Hostages hauled into Gaza during Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel were drugged to keep them docile in captivity and subjected to psychological and sexual abuse, a specialist said Monday. “I’ve never seen anything like that” in 20 years of treating trauma victims, said Renana Eitan, director of the psychiatric division of the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre-Ichilov. “The physical, the sexual, the mental, the psychological abuse of these hostages that came […]

Fury as climate draft deal falls short of fossil fuel phase-out

By Laurent Thomet and Benjamin Legendre DUBAI, Dec 12, 2023 (AFP) – UN climate negotiations dragged into the early hours of Tuesday after the Emirati host of COP28 drew fire from Western powers and environmentalists over a draft deal that stopped short of calling for a phase-out of fossil fuels. With hours to go until the Dubai summit officially ends, US climate envoy John Kerry told ministers that this was “the last COP that we’ll […]

Police arrest 12 after Maori activists deface Treaty of Waitangi exhibit at New Zealand’s national museum

WELLINGTON, Dec 11, 2023 (AFP) – A dozen protestors from a Maori activist group were arrested Monday at New Zealand’s national museum after defacing an exhibit about the country’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi. Police said a man absailed from above the exhibit at the Te Papa museum in Wellington, before using an angle grinder and spray paint to damage a panel which is several metres high. The protestors were from the Te Waka […]

Ukraine forces say shot down eight Kyiv-bound missiles

KYIV, Ukraine, Dec 11, 2023 (AFP) – Ukrainian forces shot down eight Russian missiles headed for the capital Kyiv on Monday morning, the air force said. “The Russian invaders launched a missile attack on Kyiv region” at about 4:00 am local time (0200 GMT), Ukraine’s air force said, adding that “air defence destroyed eight air targets that were flying in the direction of the capital”. Missile fragments fell in the eastern Darnytskyi district of the […]

Philippines summons Chinese envoy over sea confrontations

MANILA, Dec 11, 2023 (AFP) – The Philippines said it had summoned China’s envoy on Monday and flagged the possibility of expelling him following the most tense confrontations between the countries’ vessels in years at flashpoint reefs in the disputed South China Sea. Videos released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed Chinese ships blasting water cannon at Philippine boats during two separate resupply missions to fishermen at Scarborough Shoal and a tiny garrison at Second […]

Israel bombs south Gaza after Hamas hostage threat

By Mai Yaghi with Chloe Rouveyrolles-Bazire in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Dec 11, 2023 (AFP) – Israel bombed southern Gaza’s main city on Monday after Hamas warned no Israeli hostages would leave the territory alive unless its demands for prisoner releases were met. Hamas triggered the conflict when the group carried out the deadliest-ever attack on Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures, and taking about 240 hostages back to […]

Harvard faculty back president after anti-Semitism testimony controversy

WASHINGTON, Dec 11, 2023 (AFP) – Hundreds of Harvard faculty have signed a letter backing the university’s president after her testimony at a congressional hearing on the rise of campus anti-Semitism ignited pressure for her to resign, a US newspaper reported Sunday. The letter backing Claudine Gay, which was reported on by the Boston Globe, came after her counterpart at another Ivy League university stepped down on Saturday in the face of withering criticism and […]

US F-16 fighter jet crashes in S. Korea during training exercise: Yonhap

SEOUL, Dec 11, 2023 (AFP) – A US F-16 fighter jet crashed Monday in South Korea during a routine training exercise after experiencing “an in-flight emergency”, the US military said, adding the pilot had been rescued. The incident involving an F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing happened early Monday over the Yellow Sea, the US Air Force said in a statement. “The pilot ejected the aircraft. The pilot has been recovered by […]

Last-minute push for historic fossil fuel deal at UN climate talks

DUBAI, Dec 11, 2023 (AFP) – UN climate talks enter their endgame on Monday as negotiators seek to convince an increasingly isolated Saudi Arabia and other holdouts to give up their opposition to a historic phase-out of fossil fuels. With 24 hours to go before the official end of COP28 in Dubai, a new draft deal was expected in the morning in the hope that the right language may have finally been found to achieve […]

‘Nothing more to say’: Trump cancels plan to testify in NY fraud trial

WASHINGTON, Dec 10, 2023 (AFP) – Donald Trump changed his mind about testifying in his own defense in his New York fraud case on Monday, he said, announcing that he will not take the stand as expected because he has “nothing more to say.” The 77-year-old posted the surprise statement on Truth Social on Sunday, adding that he has “already testified to everything” in the ongoing trial against him, his eldest sons Don Jr and […]

President Marcos says Philippines ‘undeterred’ after confrontations with Chinese vessels

MANILA, Dec 10, 2023 (AFP) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said Sunday the country was “undeterred” after confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels. “We remain undeterred,” Marcos said in a statement on Facebook and X platforms. “The aggression and provocations perpetrated by the China Coast Guard and their Chinese Maritime Militia against our vessels and personnel over the weekend have only further steeled our determination to defend and protect our nation’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and […]

Hamas warns hostages doomed unless demands met

By Mai Yaghi with Chloe Rouveyrolles-Bazire in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Dec 10, 2023 (AFP) – Hamas warned Sunday that no hostages would leave Gaza alive unless its demands for prisoner releases are met, while the World Health Organization said the territory’s health system was collapsing after more than two months of war. Hamas triggered the conflict with the deadliest-ever attack on Israel on October 7 in which it killed some 1,200 people, according […]