World News

UN says Afghan women staff blocked from work by Taliban order

The Taliban have extended a ban on women working for NGOs to the United Nations' mission throughout the country, a UN spokesman announced Tuesday, calling such an order "unacceptable.". "UNAMA received word of an order by the de facto authorities that bans female national staff members of the United Nations from working," spokesman for the secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters, adding that the UN had heard "from various conduits that this applies to the whole country." 

Tue, Apr 4, 2023 2 mins read

World News

Russian cafe bomb suspect remanded in custody

A Moscow court on Tuesday ordered that Darya Trepova, the suspect in the fatal bomb attack on a high-profile military blogger, be held in custody for at least two months.. After investigators charged Trepova with terrorism, Moscow's Basmanny district court ruled that she should remain in custody until June 2.

Tue, Apr 4, 2023 2 mins read

World News

US details new $2.6 bn military aid package for Ukraine

The United States on Tuesday unveiled details of $2.6 billion in new military aid for Ukraine's war against invading Russian forces, including ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket systems, artillery rounds and small arms.. In addition to providing military equipment, Ukraine's international backers are also training Kyiv's forces.

Tue, Apr 4, 2023 2 mins read

World News

Long NATO delay spells trouble for Sweden and alliance: experts

While Finland Tuesday became a full NATO member, Sweden's membership bid remains blocked, an "embarrassing" delay if short-lived but which could make Sweden more vulnerable and create problems within NATO if it drags on, experts told AFP. Finland became the 31st member of the military alliance after securing the last two ratifications needed from Hungary and Turkey last week.. "If we are talking about months, it's embarrassing, but not really a major problem," Robert Dalsjo, an analyst at the Swedish Defence Research Institute (FOI), told AFP. However, should the process drag on, it could complicate both Sweden's and NATO's defence planning in the region.

Tue, Apr 4, 2023 3 mins read

World News

One dead, many hurt as Dutch train hits crane

A Dutch passenger train derailed after smashing into a crane early on Tuesday, killing a maintenance worker and injuring 30 other people in the Netherlands' worst rail accident for years.. The accident was the most serious in the Netherlands for years, according to public broadcaster NOS. The Netherlands' worst rail disaster happened on January 8, 1962, when two passenger trains crashed in thick fog at Harmelen, near Utrecht, killing 93 people and injuring 52 others.

Tue, Apr 4, 2023 3 mins read

World News

Lagging behind, Italy's plans for EU funds at risk

When Mario Draghi left Italy's government last year, Brussels fretted over the fate of the EU recovery funds he negotiated for his country.. But there are other long-running issues that have hampered the efficient spending of EU funds, including a lack of public officials to administer the funds and Italy's legendary bureaucratic red tape.

Tue, Apr 4, 2023 3 mins read

World News

'Trump or Death:' dueling protests outside court mirror US divide

Dozens of Donald Trump supporters demonstrated outside the courthouse where the former president is due to be arraigned on criminal charges Tuesday, as a handful of vocal counterprotestors shouted an anti-fascist message.. At one point during the demonstrations, a Trump supporter attempted to rip the other side's banner, prompting police to step in.

Tue, Apr 4, 2023 1 mins read

World News

'Snowball Earth' might have been rather slushy: study

Millions of years ago, the Earth was so cold that most of its surface was covered in ice.. The evidence comes from a thin layer of black shale that would have been under the sea during the Marinoan ice age, which began around 650 million years ago.

Tue, Apr 4, 2023 2 mins read

World News

Polish right-wing pins election hopes on John Paul II

Poland's governing conservatives have thrown themselves into defending late pope John Paul II against allegations of covering up child sex abuse in an apparent bid to mobilise voters and distract from runaway inflation in an election year.. Following the recent abuse cover-up allegations, the PiS-controlled lower house of parliament adopted a resolution "strongly condemning the disgraceful media campaign... against the Great Pope, Saint John Paul II, the most eminent Pole in all of history". 

Tue, Apr 4, 2023 3 mins read

World News

Raw sewage blights once-idyllic beaches on Isle of Wight

On the Isle of Wight, one of England's most popular seaside holiday destinations since Victorian times, a pipeline stretches out from the shore to pump raw sewage into coastal waters.. The Isle of Wight, a mecca for yachtspeople off England's southern coast, has three entries.

Tue, Apr 4, 2023 3 mins read