Russia breached global chemical weapons ban in Ukraine war: US
(Reuters) — United States on Wednesday accused Russia of violating the international chemical weapons ban by deploying the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops and using riot control agents “as a method of warfare” in Ukraine. “The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident and is probably driven by Russian forces’ desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield,” the State Department said in a statement.
Israel state watchdog calls on Netanyahu, military chief to cooperate in Oct. 7 probe
(Reuters) — Israel’s state auditor on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of the armed forces to cooperate with an official investigation into how Hamas was able to stage the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war. State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said in the early days of the war that he intended to investigate the events around the Oct. 7 attack, the deadliest single day in the country’s 75-year history.
Thousands of Colombians march in support of Petro’s reforms
(Reuters) — Tens of thousands of people marched in Colombia’s biggest cities on Wednesday to support reforms proposed by President Gustavo Petro which he says will tackle inequality, but which have struggled to win congressional approval. The demonstrations mark the latest in a series of tit-for-tat rallies convened by the opposition against the reforms, which they argue are economically damaging, and also by Petro, the country’s first leftist leader, in favor of them.
Kenya flood toll rises to 181 as homes and roads are destroyed
(Reuters) — Floods and landslides across Kenya have killed 181 people since March, with hundreds of thousands forced to leave their homes, the government and Red Cross said on Wednesday, as dozens more were killed in neighbouring Tanzania and Burundi. Torrential rain and floods have destroyed homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure across the region. The death toll in Kenya exceeds that from floods triggered by the El Nino weather phenomenon late last year.