Cuba’s forgotten Ian victims one year after

Two men travel on a cart in front of the entrance to the town of La Coloma, province of Pinar del Rio, Cuba, 27 September 2023. EFE/Yander Zamora

Juan Carlos Espinosa La Coloma, Cuba, Sept 27 (EFE).- One year after Hurricane Ian passed through western Cuba, the center of production of the world-famous Cuban tobacco, locals feel abandoned by the government, which has yet to complete reconstruction. Sitting in a wheelchair, José María Puentes, an 86-year-old Cuban, cries inconsolably. Not only because Ian … Read more

Philippines urges fishermen to continue activities in disputed waters with China

A handout photo made available by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows Chinese Coast Guard boats patrolling next to a floating barrier at the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on 20 September 2023 (issued on 25 September 2023). EFE-EPA/HO HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

Manila, Sep 27 (EFE).- The Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday urged local fishermen to keep operating at the disputed Scarborough shoal, two days after it removed a Chinese floating barrier that had prevented Filipino vessels from entering the contested area in the South China Sea. “It is the intention of the government to encourage more … Read more

Russian court rejects Navalny’s appeal against 19-year sentence

Moscow (Russian Federation), 26/09/2023.- Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny is seen on a screen as he appears in a video link from the colony in Vladimir region, during a hearing of The First Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction considering his appeal against the sentence of 19 years in prison in a case of extremism, Moscow, Russia, 26 September 2023. (Rusia, Moscú) EFE/EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

Moscow, Sept. 26 (EFE) – Russia’s First Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected the appeal filed by the defense of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, upholding his 19-year prison sentence for extremism. The court considered the appeal of the defense of Alexei Navalny and Daniel Jolodny and decided not to change the decision of … Read more

India champions Global South’s cause at UN General Assembly

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attends a press conference after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Goa, India, 05 May 2023. EFE-EPA FILE/DIVYAKANT SOLANKI

United Nations, Sep 26 (EFE).- India on Tuesday presented itself as the champion of the Global South and the voice of its complaints and aspirations through a speech at the United Nations General Assembly by its foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The speech marked a clear assertion of New Delhi’s growing role in the contemporary world … Read more

Australian zoologist pleads guilty to raping, torturing, killing dogs

A file picture showing dingo puppies at the Tierpark zoo in Berlin, Germany. EPA/EFE/FILE/STEPHANIE PILICK

Sydney, Australia, Sep 26 (EFE).- Australian zoologist Adam Corden Britton, an expert on crocodiles, pleaded guilty to raping, torturing and killing dozens of dogs, as well as accessing and sharing child abuse material, judicial sources confirmed Tuesday. Britton, who pleaded guilty on Monday before the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, the highest court in … Read more

Canadian House Speaker apologizes for inviting Nazi to Parliament

Toronto, Canada, Sept 25 (EFE).- The speaker of Canada’s lower house of parliament, Anthony Rota, apologized Monday for honoring on Friday a 98-year-old Ukrainian-born Canadian who fought with a Waffen-SS Nazi unit in World War II. “I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world,” he said … Read more

Taliban seek return of university professors who fled Afghanistan

Candidates attend the examination of the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice of Public Prosecutions at Kabul University, in Kabul, Afghanistan, 22 September 2023. EFE-EPA FILE/SAMIULLAH POPAL

Kabul, Sep 25 (EFE).- The Taliban are trying to ensure the return of university professors who had fled Afghanistan due to an atmosphere perceived as hostile to education, lack of opportunities and regressive measures such as a ban on higher education for women since the Islamists seized power in 2021. “We have sent different delegations … Read more

Indonesia to regulate social media e-commerce

A staff member walks past a TikTok signage in the TikTok office during a press tour of Bytedance and TikTok's offices in Singapore, 29 August 2023. ByteDance Ltd. is the parent company of popular short-video platform TikTok, which has headquarters in Singapore and Los Angeles. EFE-EPA/HOW HWEE YOUNG

Jakarta, Sep 25 (EFE).- Indonesia declared on Monday that it would bring a regulation to prevent social networks from integrating e-commerce services amid an ongoing dispute with TikTok, which has promoted its online store in the archipelago as part of its expansion efforts in Southeast Asia. Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said social media platforms would … Read more

Demonic-looking statue confronts worshipers, detractors in Bangkok

A demonic-looking statue, representing an ancient master of esoteric magic stands in Bangkok. EFE/Gaspar Ruiz-Canela

Bangkok, Sep 25 (EFE).- A demonic-looking statue, representing an ancient master of esoteric magic, has generated controversy in Bangkok between worshipers who leave offerings in exchange for favors and detractors who want it gone. Pitch black and winged, the figure of Kru Kai Kaew displays protruding fangs and red claws on an altar placed in … Read more