Posts by Riah Stelmack
What to Know About Pakistan’s Ongoing Water Crisis
Fisherman standing on their boat in search of fishes in the Indus River in Jamshoro district in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on May 6, 2025. Pakistan has warned of a full force response to any attempt by India to divert or block its share of water under the Indus water treaty. Credit – Jan Ali Laghari—Getty Images…
Read MoreVideo of Kenyan police officer stomping on a man’s head is from 2018, not 2025
Human rights bodies have long associated the Kenyan police with acts of violence, including excessive use of force during protests, unlawful arrests, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. A video of a police officer stomping on a man’s head and neck has been shared on X with a claim implying the event happened this year in…
Read MoreFar-right German lawmaker Krah investigated over China bribery claims
German prosecutors on Friday opened an investigation into far-right lawmaker Maximilian Krah in connection with bribery by China and money laundering. Krah is a member of the German lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, where his party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), is the second-biggest force. The allegations relate to his previous mandate as a…
Read MoreRussian ambassador marks 80th anniversary of WWII end in Berlin
Russia’s ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechayev, on Friday laid wreaths at Soviet memorials in Berlin to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Nechayev visited both the huge memorial in Treptower Park, in the former East Berlin, and the site in Tiergarten near the Brandenburg Gate, which was part of the…
Read MoreVideo of 2020 Beirut port explosion misrepresented as Huthi missile attack on Israel
Yemen’s Huthi rebels have fired numerous missiles at Israel since the war on Gaza began, and while most have been intercepted, one penetrated air defences this month and landed near the country’s main airport. A video of a major explosion has been shared on Facebook in Ethiopia with a claim that it shows Huthi missiles…
Read MorePKK militant group close to announcing decision to disband, Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party says
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Kurdish militant group could soon announce a historic decision to disband and disarm as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey to end a 40-year insurgency, a pro-Kurdish party suggested Friday. The armed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, whose leadership is based in northern Iraq, has already convened a…
Read MoreUkraine says it uncovered a Hungarian espionage network, two suspects arrested
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s main security agency said Friday it had arrested two people on suspicion of spying for Hungary by gathering intelligence on Ukraine’s military in the west of the country. In a statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said that two suspects, both former members of the Ukrainian military, had been…
Read MoreImage shows collapsed dam in Ukraine, not India
New Delhi suspended a key water treaty with Islamabad days before the nuclear-armed rivals saw their worst clashes in decades, but online rumours that India’s Kishanganga dam was closed and then collapsed are baseless. The image shared in the false posts dates to 2023 reports about a damaged Ukrainian structure. “India’s Kishanganga Dam that was…
Read MoreWhy India and Pakistan are, once again, on the brink of war
New Delhi — A deadly terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s picturesque Pahalgam area in April has brought India and Pakistan once again to the brink of war. The nuclear armed South Asian neighbors have attacked each other this week with missiles and drones in a sudden flare-up of a decades-old feud that’s being watched with concern by leaders…
Read MoreAfter Spain’s blackout, questions about renewable energy are back
MADRID (AP) — FOR FRIDAY 0500GMT The massive power outage that hit the Iberian peninsula on April 28 has reignited a debate in Spain over the country’s plan to phase out its nuclear reactors as it generates more power with renewable energy. As people wait for answers about what caused the historic power cut, which…
Read MoreAvoid same-day wilt: how to order the freshest Mother’s Day flowers
Melbourne florist Jane Marx, founder of same-day delivery service The Beautiful Bunch, is preparing to send more than 1,000 bouquets this Mother’s Day. Each artfully wrapped arrangement – pastel-toned sweet pea, peachy tulips – will come from farms in Victoria. “Because the best flowers are the ones grown closest to you,” she says. “We’re lucky…
Read MoreFact Check: Pope Francis donated a popemobile to children of Palestine in a final act
Claim: Pope Francis donated a “popemobile,” one of the vehicles the late pope used for transportation, to a Catholic relief organization to convert the vehicle into a mobile health unit for children in Gaza. Rating: Rating: True In early May 2025, rumors spread that Pope Francis donated one of the “popemobiles” (used to transport him)…
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