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Rights groups, victims call UN to ban Bangladesh paramilitary force
Families of victims of enforced disappearances allegedly perpetrated by an elite Bangladesh paramilitary group Friday called on the UN to ban the security force from serving as peacekeepers.
Security beefed up in Pakistan capital after deadly Lahore blast
Security was beefed up across Pakistan's capital Friday, police said, a day after three people were killed and 22 wounded by a bomb in the eastern megacity of Lahore.
Howe defends Newcastle's Saudi trip despite 'sportswashing' fears
Eddie Howe confirmed on Friday that Newcastle would travel to Saudi Arabia for a training camp despite a fresh warning from Amnesty International that the kingdom was "trying to sportswash their appalling human rights record".
Taliban to meet Western officials in Norway for aid talks
The Taliban will hold talks with Western officials in Oslo next week on human rights and humanitarian aid in their first official visit to the West since returning to power, the Norwegian and Taliban governments said Friday.
Little hope of breakthrough as US, Russia hold high-stakes Ukraine talks
Washington and Moscow's top diplomats met Friday in Geneva for high-stakes talks on Ukraine, but with little hope of a breakthrough that would ease fears of a Russian invasion.
Land battle awaits Indigenous communities over Indonesia capital relocation: NGO
Tens of thousands of Indonesia's indigenous people are at risk of being expelled from their lands to make way for the construction of a new capital on jungle-clad Borneo island, a rights group warned on Friday.
Dead, wounded in air strike on Yemen prison
An air strike has destroyed a prison in the Huthi rebel stronghold of Saada in northern Yemen, leaving many dead or wounded, the insurgents said Friday as the Red Cross confirmed an attack.
Syria Kurds hunt down IS jihadists after prison attack
Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria on Friday hunted down Islamic State group fighters after an IS attack on a Kurdish-run prison housing fellow jihadists, a war monitor and Kurdish forces said.
Missing son of hard-luck Chinese labourer long dead, say police
The story of a Chinese migrant worker whose plight sparked a wave of online sympathy after he tested positive for the coronavirus took another sad twist Friday, as police said his missing son was long dead.
UK warns Putin faces Ukraine 'quagmire'
Russia risks becoming embroiled in a "terrible quagmire" if it invades Ukraine, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned Friday, raising the spectre of a prolonged, bloody and sapping conflict for Moscow.
Draghi, Berlusconi in mix as Italy elects new president
Italy's parliament begins voting for a new president Monday, with Prime Minister Mario Draghi tipped for election in a high-stakes version of musical chairs which threatens the survival of the government.
US extends protection of Venezuelan oil unit Citgo
The US Treasury on Thursday extended by one year a rule that shields Citgo, a US-based unit of Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA, from being seized by creditors, the department said.
West warns Russia against 'any' Ukraine incursion
The United States and its allies have warned Moscow Thursday of grave consequences if "any" of the tens of thousands of troops massed on the border were to cross the border into Ukraine.
Biden starts second year with charm offensive -- and bad polls
The White House launched a charm offensive, complete with a Tom Hanks video, to mark Joe Biden's first year as president Thursday, but dire new polls and a major congressional setback told another story.
Colombia car bomb kills one, injures 20
A car bomb detonated in Colombia overnight outside government offices and the seat of a human rights body, killing one person and wounded 20 near the Venezuelan border, authorities said Thursday.
US inflation spike also due to generous pandemic stimulus
President Joe Biden blames global supply snarls for the wave of price increases hitting US consumers and businesses, but the trillions of dollars injected into the economy during the pandemic also share responsibility.
China, Russia block US push for UN sanctions on N.Koreans: diplomats
China and Russia on Thursday blocked a US push to impose United Nations sanctions on five North Koreans in response to recent missile launches by Pyongyang, diplomats told AFP.
US Supreme Court deals another blow to abortion providers
The conservative-leaning US Supreme Court dealt another blow on Thursday to opponents of a Texas law that bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
EU ministers mull climate policy, carbon border tax
European Union environment ministers gathered in France Thursday to mull climate policy and the merits of a carbon border tax, while airing differences on whether nuclear energy can be classified as "green".
US stocks fall for 3rd straight day as rally fizzles
US stocks sank again Thursday as investors shunned equities amid lingering worries over surging global inflation and the prospect of rising interest rates.
UN adopts resolution against Holocaust denial
The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted a non-binding resolution calling on all member states to fight against Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism, especially on social media.
Biden says any Russian troop entry into Ukraine is 'an invasion'
US President Joe Biden said Thursday that any entry of Russian troops into Ukraine will be treated by the West as "an invasion," as he tried to clarify confusion over an earlier suggestion that a "minor" attack could invite a lesser response.
At least two dead, 22 wounded by bomb in Pakistan's Lahore
At least two people were killed and 22 wounded Thursday by a bomb blast in a busy shopping district of the Pakistani megacity of Lahore, police and officials said.
Tear gas fired at Sudan protesters rallying against post-coup killings
Sudanese security forces fired tear gas on Thursday at protesters rallying against the killing of dozens in a post-coup crackdown, as US diplomats pressed for an end to the violence.
Turkey halts four-month streak of rate cuts
Turkey's central bank on Thursday bowed to market pressure and halted a four-month streak of interest rate cuts that saw inflation soar and the currency collapse.
Indonesia to push for new global health agency, president says
Indonesia will push for the creation of a new global health agency while the country holds the presidency of the G20, President Joko Widodo said Thursday at the virtual Davos forum.
Google spars with EU activists after Austria data defeat
A years-long saga over tech firms transferring data from Europe to the US re-erupted on Thursday, days after Austrian officials slapped down Google for failing to respect EU privacy rules.
Athlete surveillance warnings cloud China's Winter Olympics
A growing number of Western nations and cybersecurity groups have issued digital surveillance warnings for next month's Winter Olympics in Beijing, with some advising foreign athletes to leave personal phones and laptops at home.
Taiwan VP to make US stopovers during Honduras visit
Taiwan said Thursday its vice president will transit in the United States on his way to the inauguration of Honduras' president-elect, a stopover seen by China as an affront to Beijing's claim on the island.
Ravaged by war, separatist east Ukraine fears new conflict
Tears stream down Antonina Zaytseva's face as she considers the possibility of her separatist region of Ukraine again being engulfed by war.
Can the US and Russia find a diplomatic 'off-ramp' on Ukraine?
The United States has called for a diplomatic solution with Russia to resolve a crisis over Ukraine, but in public at least, the two powers remain deeply at odds.
Trickle of residents return to Fukushima's last deserted town
Five former residents of the last remaining uninhabited town near Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant returned on Thursday to live there for the first time since the 2011 disaster.