Protests as Sudan military searches for dissenters
Sudanese opposed to the military coup took to the streets during the night in Khartoum to protest against the round-up of civilian leaders through house-to-house searches. Clashes had already erupted in the capital after the speech of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan as the head of the coup, with the information ministry saying that soldiers had “fired live bullets at the demonstrators who refused the military coup outside the army headquarters”. Seven protesters were killed and around 140 wounded, as supporters of the civilian government waved flags and erected barricades with stones and tyres, setting them on fire. Amid world-wide condemnation, the United States has suspended a $700-million economic support fund to Sudan and also demanded the release of Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdokand the restoration of civilian rule.
Central American caravan advances to the US
Several thousands of Central American migrants intent of reaching Mexico City are slowly advancing north, accompanied in the distance by agents of the National Guard and the National Institute of Migration. TV Milenio said the migrants have asked for guarantees of free movement across Mexican soil, in order to reach the northern border with the United States. The situation remains tense on the ground, however, as migratory flows rose sharply in 2021. According to official data, 1.3 million migrants have been arrested on the southern border of the United States since Joe Biden’s arrival at the White House last January. At the same time, Human Rights Watch has announced that Mexico expelled 54,000 foreigners from its territory this year.
Big states welcome Libya’s moves for stability
The embassies of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States have affirmed in a joint statement that December’s national elections in Libya are “an essential step” towards a peaceful, democratic country. They also praised the hosting of an international conference on the war-ravaged oil state “allowing senior officials from countries and organisations all over the world to show their support for Libya’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity”.
Cable car survivor must be returned to Italy
The Tel Aviv Family Court has decided that Eitan Biran, the only little survivor of the Mottarone tragedy, must return to Italy with his paternal aunt Aya Biran. The judge rejected the thesis of hismaternal grandfather that Israel is the child’s normal place of residence as well as the thesis that he has two places of residence, Israel and Italy. The court emphasised the continuity in the life of the minor, who arrived in Italy when he was born and lived there until the tragedy.
Baldwin’s wife breaks her silence on on-set shooting
Hilaria Baldwin broke her silence Monday on her husband’s fatal on-set shooting of a cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, expressing “shock and heartbreak” over the “tragic accident”. “My heart is with Halyna,” Hilaria wrote on Instagram. “Her husband. Her son. Their family and loved ones. And my Alec.” Meanwhile, Hutchins’ union collected more than $210,000 in donations for Halyna’s family. They sought to raise only $10,000.
Erdogan backs down from threat to expel Western envoys
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has backed down from his threat to expel 10 Western ambassadors over their joint statement of support for a jailed civil society leader. He spoke after the United States and several of the other concerned countries issued identical statements saying they respected a UN convention that required diplomats not to interfere in the host country’s domestic affairs. Erdogan said the new statement “shows they have taken a step back from the slander against our country”.
Children abandoned in house with brother’s skeleton
When the sheriff’s men entered the apartment in Harris County, Houston, Texas, they found a horror scene “they have never faced before”: in the house there was the skeleton of a child, who had been dead for a year, and around it a 15-year-old boy and two 10- and seven-year-olds , who had watched over the spoils. There was no trace of the parents. The alarm was raised by the older boy. The parents, he added, had been gone for months. Malnourished and with injuries on their bodies, all three were taken to hospital for treatment. Their mother and fiancé were spotted shortly after and subjected to questioning.
IS bride sentenced for letting Yazidi girl die
A 30-year-old German woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison as a ‘bride of Isis’ and for letting a girl from the Yazidi minority in Iraq die of thirst. The woman, now back in Germany, was found guilty by a Munich court of belonging to a terrorist group abroad and complicity in attempted murder, attempted war crime and crimes against humanity. She had left for Iraq after joining the Islamic State.
Beckham accused of having ‘sold his soul’
Several human rights associations have criticied the €177-million-agreement entered into by David Beckham with Qatar to become the ‘ambassador’ of the 2022 World Cup, as well as promoting tourism and culture in the Gulf country. They accused the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star of having “sold his soul” out of “pure greed”. Amnesty International in the UK, in particular, is putting pressure on the former footballer, urging him “to inquire about the deeply worrying human rights situation in Qatar, and to be ready to talk about it”. The country often at the centre of scandals for violations of human rights, especially against women and LGBTIQ people.
