Washington, United States A federal jury on Tuesday ordered a US defense contractor to pay $42 million in damages to three Iraqi men who were tortured at Abu Ghraib prison, their lawyers said. CACI Premier Technology Inc was found liable at the conclusion of a long-running trial for its role in the torture of the three...
Berlin, Germany Germany is headed for snap elections on February 23, the main parties agreed Tuesday, aiming to form a stable government after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition collapsed last week. The country’s two biggest parties agreed on the early timetable, which will see centre-left leader Scholz seek a vote of confidence on December 16. This...
Cali, Colombia European officials pointed Thursday to devastating flooding in Spain as a reminder of the self-harming effects of humans’ destruction of nature, urging delegates at a deadlocked UN biodiversity conference in Colombia to “act.” European Commission envoy Florika Fink-Hooijer said the “catastrophe” in Spain’s Valencia region earlier this week highlighted the link between biodiversity loss...
Washington, United States The US and South Korean defense chiefs called Wednesday for North Korea to withdraw its troops from Russia, where Washington says some 10,000 of them have been deployed for possible action against Ukrainian forces. Russia and North Korea have deepened their political and military alliance as the Ukraine war has dragged on, but sending...
Beirut, Lebanon For weeks, Fatima Zayyoun has tended to her daughter Ivana, whose bandaged fragile body is in a Beirut hospital after an Israeli strike near their home engulfed her in flames. At the Lebanese Hospital Geitaoui, home to the country’s only burns unit, 35-year-old Zayyoun is still in shock, five weeks after a third of her daughter’s body...
Neufchâtel-Hardelot, France A migrant died Wednesday trying to cross the Channel to Britain, French authorities said, while the date of death was not immediately clear for three more people found dead on beaches. The finds bring the number of deaths this year linked to crossings in overcrowded dinghies to around 60. With British and French authorities...
Cochabamba, Bolivia At a traffic stop on a road leading to the central Bolivian city of Cochabamba, a group of coca-chewing demonstrators man a barricade of tree trunks. For over two weeks, supporters of former president Evo Morales have been blocking roads around the country, particularly in Cochabamba, his political stronghold, to ward off his potential...
Washington, United States The Chinese government should use its tax-and-spend policies to help boost flagging economic growth, a senior IMF official told AFP ahead of key meetings this week in Washington. The IMF has raised concern about the levels of global public debt, which it estimates will reach a record $100 trillion this year, with...
Manila, Philippines Philippine rescuers waded through chest-deep floodwaters Wednesday to reach residents trapped by Tropical Storm Trami, which has forced thousands to evacuate as it barrels towards the country’s east coast. Torrential rains driven by the storm have turned streets into rivers, submerged entire villages and buried some vehicles up to their door handles in volcanic...
Caracas, Venezuela Relatives of Venezuelan minors detained in connection with protests against President Nicolas Maduro’s disputed reelection on Monday appealed to the United Nations children’s agency to seek their release. “We respectfully request the intervention of UNICEF to guarantee the immediate release of these children and adolescents who are arbitrarily detained in conditions that violate their human...