World

Ukraine's Zelensky says fight for Black Sea will go down in history

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said Kiev's forces will succeed in their fighting in future, particularly in the Black Sea region, even if the situation on the front is difficult at present. "The modern world is designed to get used to success too quickly. When the aggression started in full swing, many people in the world expected that Ukraine would not hold out," Zelensky said in his daily address late on Tuesday. "Meanwhile, the colossal achievements of our people, of all our soldiers, are simply taken for granted." "Ukraine's success in the battle for the Black Sea will g...

Spain's Princess Leonor swears allegiance to divided nation on her 18th birthday

By David Latona MADRID (Reuters) - Princess Leonor, the heir to Spain's throne, formally stepped into the spotlight by swearing allegiance to the constitution on her 18th birthday on Tuesday, though boycotts by leftist and separatist politicians underlined divisions over the monarchy. The ceremony in parliament marked her coming of age, meaning she will now directly become queen after her father King Felipe VI, assuming he does not go on to have any male children. The princess, who went to school in Wales and started three years of military training in Spain in August, vowed to uphold the law,...

UN human rights official resigns over ‘textbook case of genocide’ in Gaza

NEW YORK — A New York-based United Nations human rights official has resigned over the organization’s response to the situation in Gaza, which he described as a “textbook case of genocide.” Craig Mokhiber, the director in the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, announced his resignation in a letter shared publicly on Tuesday — more than three weeks into the Israel-Hamas conflict. “This is a textbook case of genocide,” he wrote in an Oct. 28 letter to Volker Türk, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights. “The European, ethno-nationalist, settler colonial project in Pa...

Dominican Republic allows some Haiti flights as OAS arrives to meet about border dispute

After banning all air travel with neighboring Haiti in adiplomatic row over the construction of a canal on Haitian soil, authorities in the Dominican Republic have relaxed their stance. But Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader says a decision announced on Monday by his Civil Aviation Board to lift a Sept. 15 ban on flights between the two countries, which share the island of Hispaniola, only applies to some individuals in Haiti, principally Haitian diplomats and Haitian nationals with Dominican visas who already had flight reservations. “It is a fairly small group,” he said about as he s...

US says Putin seeking to 'take advantage' of Israel-Hamas war

Washington (AFP) - The United States accused Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday of trying to use the Israel-Hamas war to reduce Western support for Ukraine, which it said requires continued backing from Washington to prevent Russia success. Hamas militants carried out a shock cross-border attack from Gaza this month that Israeli officials say killed more than 1,400 people, prompting Washington to rush military aid to Israel and sparking fears in Kyiv that backing for its war against invading Russian forces could suffer. "Putin is very much trying to take advantage of the Hamas attack on ...

El Salvador imposed a new $1000 fee for passengers with an African passport. Here’s why

The government of El Salvador is charging a new $1,000 fee for passengers from African countries that fly into its capital’s international airport, a measure that comes as countries in the Western Hemisphere aim to stem a record flow of migration across the region. Salvadorean port authorities said that the measure would be applied to passengers in transit earlier this month, and that the tariffs were for “airport improvements” as more passengers were entering, leaving, and connecting through San Salvador this year compared to previous ones. “The Government of President Nayib Bukele is working...

Israel military says it hit a Hamas leader responsible for October 7

The Israeli military on Tuesday said that its fighter jets struck a senior Hamas commander who was responsible for the October 7 terrorist attacks on two communities. Nasim Abu Ajina "directed the massacre on October 7th in the Kibbutz Erez and Moshav Netiv HaAsara," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) said in a joint statement posted on Telegram. "In the past, Abu Ajina commanded Hamas' Aerial Array, and took part in the development of the UAVs and paragliders of the terrorist organization," the statement continued. "His elimination significantly harms the ef...

How Nicaragua is helping – and charging – Haitians who want to reach the United States

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Across the street from the departure terminal at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Haiti’s gang-plagued capital, hundreds of anxious travelers spill out onto the road from an overflowing parking lot, listening for their Nicaragua-bound flight to be called. As ticket agents in white shirts walk through the chaotic crowd, there is chatter about how many days some have been camping out and the desperation driving them to Managua, the new migration springboard for migrants seeking asylum in the United States. “There is nowhere that is simple,” one young man says...

Britain's King Charles begins Kenya visit steeped in 'painful' colonial history

By Duncan Miriri NAIROBI (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles begins a four-day state visit to Kenya on Tuesday, his first to a former colony, during which he plans to acknowledge "painful aspects" of a shared history that included almost seven decades of colonial rule. Accompanied by Queen Camilla, Charles arrived in the East African country overnight and will be received by Kenyan President William Ruto in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday morning. Buckingham Palace says the visit is a reflection of the two countries' close cooperation on economic development, climate change and security issues. ...

Venezuela's top court suspends results of opposition presidential primary

By Mayela Armas and Vivian Sequera CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's Supreme Justice Tribunal said on Monday it has suspended the results of an opposition presidential primary that took place this month, despite an electoral deal between the government and the opposition that allows each side to choose its candidate. The ruling could risk the wrath of the United States, which this month rolled back some oil and gas industry and bond trading sanctions in exchange for the electoral deal. The U.S. State Department has already said it will reinstate sanctions if the government of President Nicolas M...

Kenyans urge King Charles III to formally apologize for colonial-era abuses

King Charles III didn’t receive the warmest of welcomes when he arrived in Kenya for a four-day state visit on Monday. Calls are growing for the British monarch to make a heartfelt apology for colonial era abuses as he and Queen Camilla tour the east African country. The tour is the first to a Commonwealth country since he succeeded his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, who died in September after a seven-decade reign. Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles would “acknowledge the more painful aspects of the U.K. and Kenya’s shared history,” which includes the bloody Mau Mau rebellion of the...

Hamas says it fires on Israeli troops pressing Gaza ground assault

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Hamas said its militants fired machine guns and anti-tank missiles toward Israeli forces in north and south Gaza early on Tuesday as Israel's tanks and infantry attacked the enclave's main city, raising concerns about the plight of Palestinian civilians. Israel has expanded ground operations in Gaza as it seeks to punish Hamas for a deadly gun rampage three weeks ago that Israeli authorities say killed over 1,400 people. Witnesses said Israeli forces targeted Gaza's main north-south road on Monday and attacked Gaza City from two di...

UK prepares to host global leaders' gathering on AI

London (AFP) - The UK government will welcome foreign political leaders, tech industry figures, academics and others this week for a two-day summit billed as the first of its kind on artificial intelligence (AI). The gathering, set to be attended by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US Vice President Kamala Harris, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, will focus on growing fears about the implications of so-called frontier AI. The most advanced generation of AI models, they have prompted concerns around everything from job losses and cyber attacks to humans losin...