The number of refugees and others fleeing their homes worldwide has hit a new record, spiking to 65.3 million people by the end of 2015, the United Nations said Monday. Europe’s high-profile migrant crisis, its worst since World War II, is just one part of a growing tide of human …
Read More »China, Uganda yet to fully deliver promises to UN
United Nations, UNITED STATES | AFP | Of the 46 countries that pledged to provide resources to maintain United Nations peace operations, 14 have failed completely or only partially kept their promises. In a United States-led initiative organized at a summit in September, dozens of countries vowed to contribute more …
Read More »Canada promotes first female combat general
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | A Canadian woman who fought insurgents in Afghanistan became the country’s first female combat officer to rise to the rank of general. Colonel Jennie Carignan, 47, was promoted to brigadier-general (one star) and put in charge of the Canadian army’s day-to-day operations including training and …
Read More »British MP killed in shock attack before EU vote
London, United Kingdom | AFP | A pro-EU British lawmaker was killed in a shock daylight street attack on Thursday, halting campaigning for the referendum on Britain’s membership in the bloc just a week before the crucial vote. Jo Cox, a 41-year-old mother-of-two from the opposition Labour Party, was shot …
Read More »Pieces of EgyptAir plane found at bottom of Med
A deep-sea robot has located pieces of the missing EgyptAir plane at the bottom of the Mediterranean as investigators race to find the black boxes that could reveal the cause of the crash. While the wreckage discovered may offer clues about why the Airbus A320 went down with 66 people …
Read More »Live-streaming of attacks a challenge for social media
Washington, United States | AFP | As more gruesome crimes and attacks show up on live online video, social media platforms are facing new challenges on preventing the spread of gruesome and horrific content. The challenge was underscored in Monday’s deadly attack on a policeman and his wife in France …
Read More »Alligator snatches toddler at Florida Disney resort hotel
An American family’s Disney vacation turned into a nightmare when an alligator snatched their two-year-old boy at the shore of a resort lake and the father was unable to pry the toddler from the animal’s jaws, officials said Wednesday. A search and rescue operation launched after the attack Tuesday night …
Read More »WHO: Zika will not spread or disrupt Olympics
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | There is a “very low risk” of the Zika virus spreading further internationally as a result of the Olympic Games in Brazil, the World Health Organization’s emergency committee on the disease said Tuesday. The statement came as worry mounted that the mosquito-borne virus, which has …
Read More »French policeman killed in fresh terror attack
A man claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group killed a French policeman and his partner, investigators said Tuesday, in what authorities blasted as an “appalling terrorist act.” President Francois Hollande held a top-level security meeting after the overnight attack, which took place as France was on high alert …
Read More »Orlando shooter homophobe and wife beater
People close to the gunman behind the attack on a gay nightclub in Florida that left 50 dead, paint a picture of a violent and prejudiced young man. The suspect, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, is a Muslim American of Afghan descent and law enforcement were investigating whether he had ties …
Read More »