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Zelensky blasts Russian 'beasts' over beheading video

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday denounced Russian "beasts" after a video appeared to show the beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner, prompting international outrage.. "One of the videos shows a brutal execution of a man who appears to be a Ukrainian prisoner of war, while the other one shows mutilated bodies of apparent Ukrainian POWs." - 'Inhumane aggression' -  The EU said that, if confirmed, the footage was "yet another brutal reminder about the inhumane nature of the Russian aggression".

Wed, Apr 12, 2023 2 mins read

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Monkey business: Sri Lanka considers macaque sales to China

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka is considering exporting up to 100,000 endangered monkeys to China, the agriculture minister said Wednesday, raising concerns among conservationists.. "They want the monkeys for over 1,000 zoos they have across China," Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera told AFP. "I have appointed a committee to study the request and see how we can do this."

Wed, Apr 12, 2023 1 mins read

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Deadliest first quarter for central Med migrants since 2017: UN

January to March 2023 was the deadliest first quarter for migrants crossing the central Mediterranean since 2017, the United Nations said Wednesday, with 441 lives lost attempting to reach Europe.. Even as the IOM released its findings, the Tunisian coastguard said Wednesday that 10 migrants had drowned off the coast after their boat was wrecked in the Mediterranean.

Wed, Apr 12, 2023 2 mins read

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Biden admin unveils tough emissions rules to speed electric auto shift

President Joe Biden's administration unveiled new proposed auto emissions rules Wednesday, aiming to accelerate the electric vehicle transition with a target of two-thirds of the new US car market by 2032.. The head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Michael Regan, described the measure as the "strongest ever federal pollution standards for cars and trucks," saying his department's new policy would "accelerate the ongoing transition to a clean vehicles future."

Wed, Apr 12, 2023 3 mins read

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Taliban say ban on Afghan women working for UN 'an internal issue'

A ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations was an internal issue, the country's Taliban authorities said Wednesday, adding that the decision "should be respected by all sides".. Taliban authorities triggered international outrage earlier this month after extending a December ban on Afghan women working for non-governmental organisations to the UN. "The Islamic Emirate does not want to create obstacles for the United Nations," Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on Wednesday. 

Wed, Apr 12, 2023 2 mins read

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Anti-LGBTQ disinformation surges online after US shootings

Deadly mass shootings in the United States have fueled a torrent of online disinformation targeting an unlikely group: transgender people.. The disinformation that spread after the Nashville shooting came from "very online, right-wing troll accounts, who are always ready to capitalize on an emergency or a disaster," said Heron Greenesmith, a senior research analyst at Political Research Associates. 

Tue, Apr 11, 2023 3 mins read

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Venezuela rights abuse victims hopeful ICC will bring peace

Victims of alleged human rights violations under Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are hopeful an International Criminal Court probe into killings and torture will bring them some closure.. "All his rights were violated: he was subjected to arbitrary detention... torture and death in custody," Alban's widow Meudy Osio said in New York, where she lives with her two children.

Tue, Apr 11, 2023 3 mins read

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Biden touts peace and prosperity in restive N. Ireland

US President Joe Biden was set Wednesday to promote the potential of enduring peace as well as business investment on his trip to Northern Ireland.. Before boarding Air Force One, Biden said the priority for his trip was "to keep the peace" in Northern Ireland and help unlock its political paralysis.

Tue, Apr 11, 2023 2 mins read

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Myanmar confirms deadly air strike as international outcry mounts

Myanmar's ruling junta has confirmed that it carried out an air strike on a village in which dozens of people were reported killed, drawing condemnation from the United Nations and Western powers.. At least 50 fatalities and dozens of injuries were reported by BBC Burmese, The Irrawaddy and Radio Free Asia, as well as a witness contacted by AFP. The junta confirmed late Tuesday night that the strike had taken place, but did not say how many were killed.

Tue, Apr 11, 2023 3 mins read

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One in five Americans have a family member killed by guns: survey

One in five American adults have a family member who was killed by a gun -- including by suicide -- and a similar percentage said they've been threatened with one, according to a survey released Tuesday.  . Gun-related violence -- including mass shootings, suicides and accidents -- has become so common in the United States that 84 percent of US adults say they have taken precautions to protect themselves and their families from the danger of being shot, according to health research group KFF, which released the survey.

Tue, Apr 11, 2023 1 mins read