Toyota Recalls 1.8 Million RAV4 SUVs Due to Battery Fire Risk

Death Toll in Turkey, Syria Earthquake Surpasses 15,000

Death Toll in Turkey, Syria Earthquake Surpasses 15,000 https://ift.tt/W0jJthb https://ift.tt/fRTEr9o The death toll from the catastrophic earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria rose to more than 15,000 as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of collapsed homes in the stricken zone, Turkey’s disaster management agency. The agency said Thursday 12,873 people had been confirmed killed in Turkey after Monday’s early morning earthquake and series of aftershocks, which brought down thousands of buildings in southeastern Turkey. On the other side of the border in Syria, another 2,902 people have been reported to have been killed. 

Canada's Gov't Assisted Suicide Program Leads the World in Harvesting 'Live' Organs

Canada's Gov't Assisted Suicide Program Leads the World in Harvesting 'Live' Organs https://ift.tt/7ygcBrO https://ift.tt/O3Zv5Q4 Almost seven years after Canada passed an assisted suicide law, it has become the leader of the world in transplanted organs harvested from its citizens it has assisted in killing.

Defense Leaders Meet amid Dissent over Tanks for Ukraine

Defense Leaders Meet amid Dissent over Tanks for Ukraine https://ift.tt/iskEHAV https://ift.tt/qYcasht Defense leaders are gathering at Ramstein Air Base in Germany Friday to hammer out future military aid to Ukraine, amid ongoing dissent over who will provide the battle tanks that Ukrainian leaders say they desperately need for future offensives in the war with Russia. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are expected to discuss the latest massive package of aid the U.S. is sending — which totals $2.5 billion and includes Stryker armored vehicles for the first time.

Ukraine Building Suffers Deadliest Civilian Attack in Months

Ukraine Building Suffers Deadliest Civilian Attack in Months https://ift.tt/Hwohn8W https://ift.tt/NmpScYD The death toll from a Russian missile strike on an apartment building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro has risen to 30, according to the national emergencies service. Crews that worked through the frigid night scrambled on Sunday to pull survivors from the rubble of the wrecked multi-story building. The deaths reported there were the most civilians killed in one place since a Sept. 30 strike in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.

Iran Hangs Iranian-British Ex-Defense Official for Spy Claim

Iran Hangs Iranian-British Ex-Defense Official for Spy Claim https://ift.tt/eBI13bt https://ift.tt/NmpScYD Iran says it has executed a dual Iranian-British national who once worked for its defense ministry. That's despite an international outcry over his death sentence and those of others held amid nationwide protests. Iran’s Mizan news agency, associated with the country’s judiciary, announced Ali Reza Akbari’s hanging on Saturday. It didn't say when it happened. However, there are rumors he had been executed days ago. Iran accused Akbari, without offering evidence, of being a spy for Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency. It aired a highly edited video of Akbari discussing the allegations resembling others that activists have described as coerced confessions. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the execution “a callous and cowardly act carried out by a barbaric regime.”

Thousands Pour into St. Peter's for Funeral of Benedict XVI

Thousands Pour into St. Peter's for Funeral of Benedict XVI https://ift.tt/4aVJuGA https://ift.tt/mDa71PQ Mourners are streaming into St. Peter’s Square for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. They are hoping to pay final respects to the German theologian who made history by retiring. It's a rare requiem Mass for a dead pope presided over by a living one. Police estimated some 100,000 would attend, higher than an original estimate of 60,000. Benedict died Dec. 31 at age 95.

Ukraine Conflict Casts Shadow on Russia as It Enters 2023

Ukraine Conflict Casts Shadow on Russia as It Enters 2023 https://ift.tt/GTAgbeP https://ift.tt/FgUhH69 Russian President Vladimir Putin’s New Year’s address to the nation usually is rather anodyne and backed with a soothing view of a snowy Kremlin. Putin lashed out at the West and Ukraine this year with Russian soldiers in the background. The conflict in Ukraine cast a long shadow as Russia entered 2023. 

‘I Think of Them’: Abducted Nigerian Schoolgirls Remembered

‘I Think of Them’: Abducted Nigerian Schoolgirls Remembered https://ift.tt/9Cmlc4t https://ift.tt/MPgh9Y4 Margret Yama’s phone screensaver is a picture of her cousin, Rifkatu Galang, who is still held by Boko Haram extremists nearly nine years after she and 275 other girls were seized from their school in northeastern Nigeria. Yama was among those taken but later freed. Dozens of others have been rescued or found, but 94, including her cousin, remain missing in what was one of the Islamic extremist group's most daring attacks in Nigeria.

Pope Francis Calls for Prayer for Retired Pope Benedict XVI: 'He's Very Sick'

Pope Francis Calls for Prayer for Retired Pope Benedict XVI: 'He's Very Sick' https://ift.tt/BWfITlR https://ift.tt/MPgh9Y4 The Vatican says Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is lucid, conscious, and stable, but remains in serious condition – just one day after he called for prayers for his predecessor.

Germany: Former Nazi Camp Secretary, 97, Appeals Conviction

Germany: Former Nazi Camp Secretary, 97, Appeals Conviction https://ift.tt/4DYAo7n https://ift.tt/0RucBaF A 97-year-old woman is appealing her conviction in Germany of being an accessory to more than 10,000 murders when she was a secretary to the commander of the Nazis' Stutthof concentration camp during World War II.

THE GLOBAL LANE: Blasphemy Laws Could Lead to Violator's Execution, but Gov't Attitudes Changing

THE GLOBAL LANE: Blasphemy Laws Could Lead to Violator's Execution, but Gov't Attitudes Changing https://ift.tt/27bStNX https://ift.tt/8IZhivj Around the world, Christians and other religious minorities face punishment if convicted of blasphemy against Islam.

Ukrainian Youth Choir Defies War with Messages of Freedom

Ukrainian Youth Choir Defies War with Messages of Freedom https://ift.tt/deac2D5 https://ift.tt/02oASCX From a dank Kyiv bomb shelter to the bright stage lights of Europe’s theaters, a Ukrainian youth choir’s hymns in praise of freedom offer a kind of healing balm to its war-scarred members.

China Eases Anti-COVID Measures Following Protests

China Eases Anti-COVID Measures Following Protests https://ift.tt/mklTxo9 https://ift.tt/PfqVEdJ China has rolled back rules on isolating people with COVID-19 and dropped virus test requirements for some public places. That is a dramatic change to a strategy that confined millions of people to their homes and sparked protests and demands for President Xi Jinping to resign.

Iran Morality Police Status Unclear after 'Closure' Comment

Iran Morality Police Status Unclear after 'Closure' Comment https://ift.tt/H4YMnB3 https://ift.tt/rTQdJRD An Iranian lawmaker has said that Iran’s government was “paying attention to the people’s real demands” a day after a top official suggested that the country’s unpopular morality police has been shut down following months of protests. The comment regarding the force's purported suspension or abolition came after months of deadly anti-government protests. The Associated Press has been unable to confirm the current status of the religious force.