US & World

US criticised for sending landmines to Kyiv

[ad_1] The US has been criticised by humanitarian organisations for deciding to supply Ukraine with landmines, as the war in eastern Europe rages on.The approval from Washington is seen as an attempt to slow down Russian troops, who have been steadily advancing into Ukraine's east in recent months.In an interview with the BBC, Human Rights Watch director Mary Wareham said the decision marked a "shocking and devastating development" for those
US & World

South Carolina mother asks to be freed 30 years after killing her two sons

[ad_1] A South Carolina woman who killed her two sons 30 years ago is applying for parole on Wednesday. Susan Smith, 53, was convicted of killing her boys by strapping them into their car seats and letting the vehicle roll into a lake. The 1994 case captivated many. Now that she has spent three decades in prison she is eligible for a parole hearing. She will have a chance to
US & World

COP29 row breaks out with Vatican over gender rights

[ad_1] Alexander Nemenov/AFP/ Getty ImagesThe Vatican's Secretary of State Pietro Parolin has been the Pope's representative at the UN COP29 climate conferenceThe Vatican has blocked discussions over women’s rights at the UN climate summit following a row over gay and transgender issues, sources have told BBC News.Pope Francis’ representatives have aligned with Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, and Egypt to obstruct a deal which would have provided more support, including financial
US & World

Israeli strikes on Syria’s Palmyra kills 36, state media say

[ad_1] At least 36 people have been killed and 50 others injured in Israeli air strikes on residential buildings and an industrial area in the central Syrian town of Palmyra, Syrian state media report.The Sana news agency cited a military source as saying that Israeli jets attacked from the direction of the Jordanian border to the south at around 13:30 (10:30 GMT).A UK-based monitoring group put the death toll at
US & World

Jihadist police chief of Timbuktu jailed for war crimes in Mali

[ad_1] The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced the former head of the Islamic police in Mali's historic city of Timbuktu to 10 years in prison for war crimes.Prosecutors said al-Hassan ag Abdoul Aziz ag Mohamed ag Mahmoud led a "reign of terror" in the city after it was overrun in 2012 by the al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine group.He was found guilty in June this year of torture, overseeing public amputations
US & World

Virtually no aid has reached north Gaza in 40 days, UN says

[ad_1] AFPIsrael’s military says its offensive in Beit Lahia and other areas of northern Gaza targets regrouping Hamas fightersPalestinians are "facing diminishing conditions for survival" in parts of northern Gaza under siege by Israeli forces because virtually no aid has been delivered in 40 days, the UN has warned.The UN said all its attempts to support the estimated 65,000 to 75,000 people in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia and Jabalia this
US & World

Zelensky says Ukraine will lose war if US cuts funding

[ad_1] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky told Fox News late on Tuesday that Ukraine would lose the war if Washington, its main military backer, pulled funding.The Ukranian leader said it would be "very dangerous if we lose unity in Europe, and what is most important is unity between Ukraine and the United States". US President-elect Donald Trump has campaigned on a promise to end US involvement in wars and instead use
US & World

Palestinian olive harvest under threat from Israeli settler attacks and restrictions

[ad_1] Family handoutHanan Abu Salameh, 59, was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier while she harvested olivesOn a Thursday afternoon towards the end of last month, a 59-year-old Palestinian woman set out to gather olives on her family’s land near the village of Faqqua, in the north of the occupied West Bank. It was something that Hanan Abu Salameh had done for decades.Within minutes, the mother of seven and
US & World

Biden agrees to give Ukraine anti-personnel mines

[ad_1] US President Joe Biden has agreed to give Ukraine anti-personnel land mines, a US official told the BBC.The official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, said such mines would be delivered soon and Washington expected that they would be used on Ukraine's territory.Kyiv was also committed to not using such mines in areas populated with Ukrainian civilians, the official said.The move is seen as an attempt to slow