MEXICO
US asylum policy scrutinized
The government has asked the US for various conditions before restarting a program that forces US asylum seekers to wait for their court hearings south of the border, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. The Migrant Protection Protocols program, implemented by former US president Donald Trump, could be reinstated in the coming days, after a US federal judge ordered the administration of US President Joe Biden to restart it. Mexico “has raised various concerns of a humanitarian nature regarding the asylum procedure in the United States,” the ministry said in a statement. Among conditions, Mexico has asked to accelerate development programs for southern Mexico and Central America to address the root causes of migration.
SUDAN
Former minister released
Former minister of cabinet affairs Khalid Omer Yousif was released from detention a day after beginning a hunger strike, the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology and Postal Services said in a statement yesterday. An army takeover on Oct. 25 halted a power sharing deal between the military and the civilians Forces of Freedom and Change alliance, and some ministers and top civilian officials were detained. Also released yesterday were former Khartoum Governor Ayman Nimir and anti-corruption taskforce member Maher Abouljokh. Several high-profile politicians remain in custody. Yousif began the hunger strike to protest his continued detention despite a deal between military leaders and civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, the Sudanese Congress Party has said.
YEMEN
Saudi forces strike Sana’a
The Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting in the country yesterday said that it had launched airstrikes on military targets in the capital, Sana’a, asking civilians not to gather near or approach the targeted sites, Saudi Arabian state TV reported. The coalition, which intervened in the country in March 2015 after the Iran-aligned Houthi movement ousted the Ryiadh-backed government from the capital, has ramped up strikes on Houthi sites in Sanaa in the past few day days. The Houthis have repeatedly launched drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.
UNITED STATES
Worker dies in sewage tank
A worker in Hawaii died on Friday after being trapped in a tank at a sewage treatment plant, officials said. Firefighters received an emergency call at 10am requesting “a confined space” rescue at the Honouliuli Wastewater Treatment Plant, local media reported. A hazardous materials unit was first deployed to check the air quality in the tank to determine whether it was safe for a rescue team to enter. Rescuers later retrieved the worker, and he was transferred to paramedics at 10:39am. The city did not elaborate on the worker’s condition at the point of rescue, but confirmed that he died.
UNITED STATES
Musical legend passes away
Stephen Sondheim, a songwriter who reshaped the US musical theater, has died aged 91. Sondheim’s death was announced by his Texas-based attorney, Rick Pappas, who told the New York Times that the composer died at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut. Sondheim influenced several generations of theater songwriters, particularly with such landmark musicals as Company, Follies and Sweeney Todd. His most famous ballad, Send in the Clowns, has been recorded hundreds of times, including by Frank Sinatra.
Pakistani police yesterday said a father shot dead his daughter after she refused to delete her TikTok account. In the Muslim-majority country, women can be subjected to violence by family members for not following strict rules on how to behave in public, including in online spaces. “The girl’s father had asked her to delete her TikTok account. On refusal, he killed her,” a police spokesperson said. Investigators said the father killed his 16-year-old daughter on Tuesday “for honor,” the police report said. The man was subsequently arrested. The girl’s family initially tried to “portray the murder as a suicide” said police in
The military is to begin conscripting civilians next year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday, citing rising tensions with Thailand as the reason for activating a long-dormant mandatory enlistment law. The Cambodian parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced. Relations with Thailand have been tense since May, when a long-standing territorial dispute boiled over into cross-border clashes, killing one Cambodian soldier. “This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess and
The Russian minister of foreign affairs warned the US, South Korea and Japan against forming a security partnership targeting North Korea as he visited the ally country for talks on further solidifying their booming military and other cooperation. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov spoke on Saturday in Wonsan City, North Korea, where he met North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un and conveyed greetings from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim during the meeting reaffirmed his government’s commitment to “unconditionally support and encourage all measures” taken by Russia in its conflict with Ukraine. Pyongyang and Moscow share identical views on “all strategic issues in
‘FALSE NARRATIVE’: China and the Solomon Islands inked a secretive security pact in 2022, which is believed to be a prelude to building a Chinese base, which Beijing denied The Australian government yesterday said it expects China to spy on major military drills it is conducting with the US and other allies. It also renewed a charge — denounced by Beijing as a “false narrative” — that China wants to establish a military base in the South Pacific. The comments by a government minister came as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a six-day visit to China to bolster recently repaired trade ties. More than 30,000 military personnel from 19 nations are set to join in the annual Talisman Sabre exercises from yesterday across Australia and Papua New Guinea. “The Chinese military have
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