UNITED NATIONS,, United States (AFP) – The United Nations will give “material” aid to cholera victims in Haiti and their families, the secretary general’s spokesman said Friday, citing the international body’s “moral responsibility.” UN chief Ban Ki-moon, in a statement by a spokesman, also noted that a decision Thursday by a US federal appeals court “upheld the immunity of the organization from legal proceedings” brought against it over the cholera crisis. US courts have consistently found […]
International
‘New port of call’ installed at space station
MIAMI, United States (AFP) – by Kerry SHERIDAN With more private spaceship traffic expected at the International Space Station in the coming years, two spacewalking US astronauts installed a special parking spot for them on Friday. Americans Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins floated outside the orbiting laboratory for a spacewalk lasting five hours and 58 minutes to attach the first of two international docking adaptors. The astronauts spent more than two hours tying down the adaptor, after […]
Brexit faces challenges in Northern Irish courts
DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) – Britain’s departure from the EU faced two separate legal challenges in Northern Ireland’s High Court Friday. Lawyers for one group lodged an application with the court to challenge London’s decision to abide by the June 23 referendum result and proceed to leave the European Union. In a letter last month, the group had asked British Prime Minister Theresa May to allow votes on the issue in both the British parliament […]
Syrian regime jets hit Kurdish positions, even after US warning
HASAKEH, Syria (AFP) – by with Thomas Watkins in Washington Syrian regime jets pounded US-backed Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria for a second day Friday, even after the US-led coalition scrambled jets to protect its military advisers working on the ground. In another escalation of Syria’s bloody conflict, warplanes from President Bashar al-Assad’s regime were bombarding the city of Hasakeh — targeting Kurdish forces that for months have worked closely with coalition military advisers helping local […]
Colombia urges UN to supervise ceasefire with rebels
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – Bogota pushed Friday for the United Nations to supervise Colombia’s ceasefire with the FARC rebels, even before the country votes on a peace deal to end the long-running civil war. The government and the country’s biggest rebel force, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), laid the groundwork for a full peace deal when they signed a definitive ceasefire in June. That deal will be followed by a full peace accord only […]
Local Zika spreads to tourist hotspot Miami Beach
MIAMI, United States (AFP) – by Leila MACOR Kerry SHERIDAN Five new cases of Zika have been found in the tourist hotspot of Miami Beach, signaling the spread of local transmission of a virus blamed for birth defects, officials said Friday. Pregnant women and those who want to become pregnant are urged to stay away from two areas — a 1.5 square mile (3.9 square kilometer) section of Miami Beach and a neighborhood north of […]
7.4-magnitude quake shakes southern Atlantic Ocean: USGS
A 7.4-magnitude quake shook the southern Atlantic Ocean early Friday, the US Geological Survey said, with an epicenter 195 miles (316 kilometers) from islands hosting British Antarctic research stations. There was no immediate tsunami warning following the quake. The USGS reported at least five aftershocks. The quake struck at 5:32 am local time (0732 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers. It was centered east-southeast of the remote British-administered South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, […]
Wounded Syrian child sparks social media outrage
ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — The Aleppo Media Center published a video showing a child that it said had been rescued after strikes on a area in rebel-held eastern Aleppo. The images of the child covered in dust and blood in the ambulance have brought the spotlight on the plight of civilians in Syria’s conflict-hit second city.
Photo of dazed Syrian boy symbolizes Aleppo’s plight
by Karam al-Masri A shocked Syrian boy pictured sitting in an ambulance covered in blood and dust after an air strike has become a symbol of civilian suffering in Aleppo, drawing worldwide attention. As international concern mounted, President Bashar al-Assad’s key ally Russia said it was ready to halt fire in the battleground northern city for 48-hour “humanitarian pauses” from next week. The announcement Thursday followed pleas from the United Nations and the European Union […]
Study in mice shows Zika virus also attacks adult brain cells
CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. researchers have found that Zika can attack special populations of brain cells in adult mice in the part of the brain involved in learning and memory, raising new questions about how the virus may be impacting millions of adults who have been infected with the virus. The findings, published on Thursday in the journal “Cell Stem Cell,” are the first to look at whether Zika can attack the same kinds […]
Streets with no names: navigating the maze of African cities
by Reinnier Kaze Maps, road signs, sat navs, Google maps — it all makes travelling so easy. But how do you get around in a city with few street names, where buildings have no numbers? “Cross ‘Death Junction’ then after about 500 metres on the left, you’ll see a curtain seller. Go up the path until you see a black building — that’s where I live,” says Judith Koumis, giving directions to her home in […]
Philippines receives first Japanese coast guard vessel
MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — The Philippines received the first of ten coast guard vessels from Japan Thursday, the coastguard said, as the two countries boost security ties in the face of their separate maritime disputes with China. The 44 metre (144 foot) BRP Tubbataha has arrived in Manila, the Philippinescoast guard said in a statement, adding that it will be used for search and rescue, law-enforcement and transport purposes. They did not specify where it […]
