Migrants who have recently made it to the US arrive in buses from detention centers to reunite with family members for the first time after being separated at the US-Mexico border near Brownsville’s bus station, in Texas.
Ciudad Juárez (Mexico) (AFP) – Migrants at the southern US border are facing a significant technological hurdle, as an app launched by the Biden administration throws up some frustrating issues. The “CBP One” app was launched in January with the aim of managing asylum claims following the expiration of Title 42, a Trump-era piece of legislation with the stated purpose of stopping migrants infected with Covid-19 from entering the country.
Geneva (AFP) – An unprecedented 71.1 million people were registered as internally displaced in 2022 — up 20 percent from a year earlier — amid mass displacement caused by factors including Russia’s war in Ukraine and the monsoon floods in Pakistan. Alexandra Bilak, Director of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, warns that the findings of the body’s latest annual report “paint a rather bleak picture of the world”.
Las Vegas (AFP) – Known as an oasis of overindulgence, the desert city of Las Vegas has emerged as a model of austerity and prudence when it comes to water. Its water patrol cars hunt residential neighborhoods for broken sprinklers and leaky hoses.
London (AFP) – In a speech to Parliament, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announces that the UK government will supply Storm Shadow long-range missiles to Ukraine to use in its war againt Russia. By doing so, the UK will become the first country to provide longer-range weapons to Kyiv. “I can confirm that the UK is donating Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine,” says Ben Wallace. SOUNDBITE
Berlin (AFP) – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says Gaza “bloodshed” must end, after a meeting with her counterparts from Egypt, France and Jordan in Berlin, Germany.
Espoo (Finland) (AFP) – Images by the scene of a footbridge collapse in Espoo, close to Finland’s Helsinki, leading to some 27 young people being injured. The temporary footbridge situated by a construction site partially collapsed, causing the fall of a group of schoolchildren several metres onto a road, according to rescuers. IMAGES
Niigata (Japan) (AFP) – Political brinkmanship over raising the US debt ceiling risks “serious economic costs” even without the “catastrophe” of a default, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned at G7 finance talks in Japan.
Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comments on the ongoing air strikes on the Gaza Strip in a televised speech, saying “we see you everywhere, you cannot hide, and we choose the place and the time to hit you.”
Sao Paulo (AFP) – Brazilians arrive at a vigil for rock-and-roll icon Rita Lee who died at age 75. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter sang with the legendary group Os Mutantes and went on to a trailblazing solo career as one of Latin America’s first female rockers. TO COMPLETE 33ER9VL_EN
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Israel’s army and Gaza militants trade heavy cross-border fire in the worst escalation of deadly violence in the Palestinian coastal territory in months.
Djerba (Tunisia) (AFP) – Tunisian soldiers patrol Djerba island the morning after a Tunisian police officer shot dead two visitors and two fellow officers late Tuesday, in an attack that marred the annual pilgrimage to Africa’s oldest synagogue.
