At least 100,000 bodies in Syria mass grave, US advocacy group says
By Reuters
The head of a US-based Syrian advocacy organisation on Monday said that a mass grave outside Damascus contained the bodies of at least 100,000 people killed by the former government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
Mouaz Moustafa, speaking to Reuters in a telephone interview from Damascus, said the site at al-Qutayfah, 40km (25 miles) north of the Syrian capital, was one of five mass graves that he had identified over the years.
“One hundred thousand is the most conservative estimate” of the number of bodies buried at the site, said Moustafa, head of the Syrian Emergency Task Force. “It’s a very, very extremely almost unfairly conservative estimate.”
Moustafa said that he is sure there are more mass graves than the five sites, and that along with Syrians victims included US and British citizens and other foreigners.
Reuters was unable to confirm Moustafa’s allegations.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are estimated to have been killed since 2011, when Assad’s crackdown on protests against his rule grew into a full-scale civil war.
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By Reuters
The head of a US-based Syrian advocacy organisation on Monday said that a mass grave outside Damascus contained the bodies of at least 100,000 people killed by the former government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
Mouaz Moustafa, speaking to Reuters in a telephone interview from Damascus, said the site at al-Qutayfah, 40km (25 miles) north of the Syrian capital, was one of five mass graves that he had identified over the years.
“One hundred thousand is the most conservative estimate” of the number of bodies buried at the site, said Moustafa, head of the Syrian Emergency Task Force. “It’s a very, very extremely almost unfairly conservative estimate.”
Moustafa said that he is sure there are more mass graves than the five sites, and that along with Syrians victims included US and British citizens and other foreigners.
Reuters was unable to confirm Moustafa’s allegations.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are estimated to have been killed since 2011, when Assad’s crackdown on protests against his rule grew into a full-scale civil war.
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Buildings ‘pancaked’ in Vanuatu as 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocks Pacific nation
By Reuters
An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila on Tuesday, damaging buildings and cars with at least one person reported killed.
Vanuatu state broadcaster VBTC showed footage of vehicles crushed in a building collapse on a street lined with retailers. The broadcaster reported one person had been trapped in a collapsed building.
Other footage posted on social media showed buckled windows and collapsed concrete pillars on a building hosting foreign missions in the capital, including the US, British, French and New Zealand embassies.
“Our High Commission building, which is co-located with the United States, the French and the United Kingdom, has sustained significant damage,” New Zealand’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
There were communications outages across the country, the statement added.
Police reported at least one person had been killed and injured people had been taken to hospital, according to Dan McGarry, a journalist with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project based in Vanuatu, in a post on X.
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By Reuters
An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila on Tuesday, damaging buildings and cars with at least one person reported killed.
Vanuatu state broadcaster VBTC showed footage of vehicles crushed in a building collapse on a street lined with retailers. The broadcaster reported one person had been trapped in a collapsed building.
Other footage posted on social media showed buckled windows and collapsed concrete pillars on a building hosting foreign missions in the capital, including the US, British, French and New Zealand embassies.
“Our High Commission building, which is co-located with the United States, the French and the United Kingdom, has sustained significant damage,” New Zealand’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
There were communications outages across the country, the statement added.
Police reported at least one person had been killed and injured people had been taken to hospital, according to Dan McGarry, a journalist with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project based in Vanuatu, in a post on X.
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Hong Kong lawmaker hits out at government’s claim of Coliseum’s capacity usage
By Ambrose Li
A lawmaker has challenged the government’s claim of “100 per cent usage” at the Hong Kong Coliseum and demanded greater transparency on venue approval policies, adding “multiple” pop stars’ applications to perform there had been repeatedly rejected.
The war of words between Lawmaker Adrian Ho King-hong and the new secretary for culture, sports and tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui intensified on Tuesday, as the former lamented the “pathetically few” number of shows at the premier concert venue in Hung Hom this year and none during the coming Lunar New Year period.
Law on Monday said the Coliseum was one of the most popular concert venues in the city, with “full dress rehearsals” often taking place, including for singer Andy Lau Tak-wah’s concert tour which begins on Tuesday night.
But in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, Ho rebutted: “Multiple pop stars have told me personally their applications to perform at the Coliseum in the past years have been turned down a few times to more than 10 in a row with no explanations. It feels bafflingly unfair.”
Ho questioned whether there were guidelines or approval mechanisms for concert applications and urged that such information be made public for transparency, especially as Hong Kong sought to promote tourism as a key driver of its economic growth.
“The authorities are not responding to the demand, which is essentially surrendering … soft power to cities in the Greater Bay Area which have reaped enormous economic benefits,” he added.
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By Ambrose Li
A lawmaker has challenged the government’s claim of “100 per cent usage” at the Hong Kong Coliseum and demanded greater transparency on venue approval policies, adding “multiple” pop stars’ applications to perform there had been repeatedly rejected.
The war of words between Lawmaker Adrian Ho King-hong and the new secretary for culture, sports and tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui intensified on Tuesday, as the former lamented the “pathetically few” number of shows at the premier concert venue in Hung Hom this year and none during the coming Lunar New Year period.
Law on Monday said the Coliseum was one of the most popular concert venues in the city, with “full dress rehearsals” often taking place, including for singer Andy Lau Tak-wah’s concert tour which begins on Tuesday night.
But in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, Ho rebutted: “Multiple pop stars have told me personally their applications to perform at the Coliseum in the past years have been turned down a few times to more than 10 in a row with no explanations. It feels bafflingly unfair.”
Ho questioned whether there were guidelines or approval mechanisms for concert applications and urged that such information be made public for transparency, especially as Hong Kong sought to promote tourism as a key driver of its economic growth.
“The authorities are not responding to the demand, which is essentially surrendering … soft power to cities in the Greater Bay Area which have reaped enormous economic benefits,” he added.
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China offers 10-day visa-free transit for international travellers
By Yuanyue Dang
China will now offer 10 days of visa-free transit for international travellers, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced on Tuesday.
Passport holders from 54 nations, including Australia, Japan, the United States and countries throughout Europe, can now stay up to 10 days in certain areas of mainland China when transiting via one of the country’s 60 international ports, the NIA said.
More to follow …
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By Yuanyue Dang
China will now offer 10 days of visa-free transit for international travellers, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced on Tuesday.
Passport holders from 54 nations, including Australia, Japan, the United States and countries throughout Europe, can now stay up to 10 days in certain areas of mainland China when transiting via one of the country’s 60 international ports, the NIA said.
More to follow …
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