China to lift 4-year ban on Australian lobster imports, Australia’s prime minister says
MELBOURNE, Australia — China will resume importing Australian live lobsters by the end of the year, removing the final major obstacle to bilateral trade that once cost Australian exporters more than 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year, Australia’s…
Prayer camps in Nigeria attract ‘miracle seekers’
The power of simple prayer to heal illness is not clear, according to scientists, and is difficult to study. Whatever your faith, when you’re sick, you should seek treatment from a doctor. But in Nigeria, some people choose spiritual healers…
Lebanon crisis: Health workers and facilities ‘targeted or hit’
The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, reported that ambulances and relief centres had been “targeted or hit in Lebanon, causing further casualties”, adding that the UN health agency WHO and health partners have continued to deliver life-saving surgical supplies to…
Israeli forces fire on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon
“UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters and nearby positions have been repeatedly hit,” the UN mission said in a statement. “This morning, two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura,…
MIDDLE EAST: Updating live from the Security Council and across the UN
As turmoil roils the Middle East, senior UN officials provided humanitarian updates on the impact of continued fighting in Lebanon and Gaza, while many ambassadors in the Security Council offered strong support for the “indispensable” role of the Palestine refugee…
A rare comet brightens the night skies in October
NEW YORK — Prepare to spot a rare, bright comet. The space rock is slinging toward Earth from the outer reaches of the solar system and will make its closest pass Saturday. It should be visible through the end of…
Russia reports destroying 92 Ukrainian drones
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday its air defenses shot down 92 Ukrainian aerial drones that targeted areas along the Russia-Ukraine border. The ministry said more than half of the drones were intercepted over Krasnodar, where Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said falling…
One in 8 girls and women raped or sexually assaulted before age 18, UNICEF says
UNITED NATIONS — More than 370 million girls and women alive today, or one in every eight worldwide, experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18, the United Nations children’s agency said Wednesday. The number rises to 650…
Russia-Ukraine war appears frozen in place as winter approaches
WASHINGTON — Neither rising death tolls nor plunging temperatures are likely to change the trajectory of Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to senior U.S. officials charged with supporting Kyiv’s fight against Moscow’s forces. The officials, briefing reporters Wednesday on the…
Colombia’s Caribbean islands on front line of war on climate change
As representatives of the signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity prepare to meet in Cali, Colombia, this month, residents of some Colombian islands in the Caribbean are calling for action because rising seas are threatening their homes, families, and…