For Congo’s Pygmies, expulsion and forest clearance end a way of life
IDJWI, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – On Idjwi, the largest island in Democratic Republic of Congo, a way of life is dying.
U.S. sanctions Syrian officials for chemical weapons attacks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Thursday blacklisted 18 senior Syrian officials it said were connected to the country’s weapons of mass destruction program, after an international investigation found Syrian government forces were responsibl…
Europe erects defenses to counter Russia’s information war
BERLIN (Reuters) – Nations in Europe, where Germany and France this year hold elections, are erecting defenses to counter possible Russian cyber attacks and disinformation to sway Western politics, but intelligence experts say this might be too little …
Swedish government drops plans for gender quota bill for company boards
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden’s minority center-left government said on Thursday it would drop a planned bill forcing listed companies to increase the number of female board members which faced defeat after an opposition parliament majority formed again…
In Syria, a rebel fighter clears Islamic State minefields
MAREA, Syria (Reuters) – Ahmad Najjar stands in the middle of an Islamic State minefield in northern Syria holding torn camouflage rags that he said were from the clothing of a colleague recently blown up while dismantling explosives planted by the mil…
Trump, European populists are a threat to human rights: Human Rights Watch
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The election of Donald Trump as president of the United States and the rise of populist leaders in Europe poses a “profound threat” to human rights, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch warned on Thursday in its annual global report…
Nigerian lower house moves to offer Gambia’s Jammeh asylum, lawmakers say
ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigeria’s lower house voted on Thursday to offer Gambian President Yahya Jammeh asylum if he steps down, lawmakers said.
Myanmar, Bangladesh agree to start talks on Rohingya refugees
YANGON/DHAKA (Reuters) – Myanmar has agreed to begin talks with Bangladesh over an estimated 65,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled Myanmar’s northwestern Rakhine State since attacks on border posts three months ago, a senior Myanmar official said on Th…
In Mosul areas retaken from Islamic State, loss and fear linger
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) – Iraqi soldiers kicked in the gate of a home in eastern Mosul and emerged moments later with two young men whose hands they bound with plastic ties and dragged off toward black Humvees.
Energy crisis leaves Gaza with barely four hours of power a day
GAZA (Reuters) – For weeks, Gazans have been making do with less than half their usual electricity supply – barely a few hours a day – with no sign of the shortages alleviating anytime soon, fuelling distress and frustration among the population.
