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UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Schools in Haiti, previously considered safe havens from the Caribbean nation’s turmoil, have become increasingly targeted by violent groups, UNICEF warned Thursday. The UN agency reported that since the beginning of the school year last October, 72 schools had seen acts of violence — including kidnappings, ransacking and looting — a nine-fold increase over a year ago. “This includes at least 13 schools targeted by armed groups, one school […]
by Eva Rodriguez Lorenzo Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Over 200 detained members of Nicaragua’s opposition were freed Thursday and expelled to the United States, in a surprise move by the Central American country’s increasingly authoritarian president, Daniel Ortega. After weeks of quiet talks with Washington, Nicaragua allowed the 222 detainees — which include former challengers to Ortega — to board a chartered flight to Washington. US officials said they would allow the […]
JULIACA, Peru (AFP) — Thousands of Peruvians took to the streets anew Thursday to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte as they remembered civilians who have died in weeks of anti-government protests. Demonstrators came out in several cities to demand an end to the political crisis that has gripped the country since Boluarte’s predecessor, Pedro Castillo, was arrested on December 7. In Juliaca in the southern Puno region, protesters demanded justice for 18 civilians […]
by Cat Barton and Sunghee Hwang Agence France-Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea’s Kim Jong Un oversaw a major military parade showcasing a record number of nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missiles, state media reported Thursday, including what analysts said was possibly a new solid-fueled ICBM. The parade on Wednesday to mark the 75th founding anniversary of North Korea’s armed forces featured fireworks, military bands and uniformed soldiers marching in unison to spell out […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday that he was heading to Syria which has been hit, along with neighbouring Turkey, by a massive earthquake which has left over 21,000 people dead. “On my way to #Syria, where @WHO is supporting essential health care in the areas affected by the recent earthquake, building on our long-standing work across the country,” the WHO chief tweeted. At the same time, the […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday announced an initial $85 million package for emergency relief after a devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The US Agency for International Development said that the funding will go to partners on the ground “to deliver urgently needed aid for millions of people” including through food, shelter and emergency health services. The funding will also support safe drinking water and sanitation to prevent the outbreak […]
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos hailed new defence and other deals signed with Japan in Tokyo on Thursday, as the nations seek to deepen ties, including on security in response to growing Chinese military pressure. The countries agreed on measures to speed up military deployments for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. They also signed several other deals, ranging from infrastructure loans to cooperation on agriculture and technology. “After our meeting, I can confidently say that […]
by Omar Haj Kadour with Fulya Ozerkan in Adiyaman, Turkey with Remi Banet in Antakya, Turkey Hopes faded Thursday of finding more survivors after the earthquake that killed nearly 20,000 people in Turkey and Syria, as the first UN aid reached Syrian rebel-held zones. Bitter cold has hampered the four-day search of thousands of flattened buildings and threatened the lives of many quake victims who are without shelter and drinking water. Relatives were left […]
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife and First Lady Liza visit the palace and meet Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako during their trip to Tokyo. © Agence France-Presse
by Dmitry ZAKS Agence France-Presse Istanbul, Turkey (AFP) — Twitter was blocked for at least 12 hours on major Turkish mobile providers in an outage that ended early Thursday, following a flurry of online criticism of the government’s response to this week’s deadly earthquake. By about 5 am (0200 GMT), the social media site was accessible again. Online monitor netblocks.org on Wednesday showed Twitter becoming throttled and then completely blocked across all major cell phone […]
SOLLENTUNA, Sweden (AFP) — The frigid water under the frozen Ravalen lake north of Stockholm doesn’t intimidate Elton as the 11-year-old schoolboy takes the plunge to the applause of his classmates. Forty pupils are taking part in an “isvaksovning”, or a hole-in-the-ice exercise, part of their school’s physical education class to learn what to do if they ever fall through the ice on one of Sweden’s many lakes or out in the archipelago. Every day […]
The death toll from a massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria climbed above 15,000 on Wednesday, as rescuers raced to save survivors trapped under debris in freezing weather. Officials and medics said 12,391 people had died in Turkey and 2,992 in Syria from Monday’s 7.8-magnitude tremor, bringing the confirmed total to 15,383. © Agence France-Presse
