UN climate talks in Poland go into overtime
AP, Katowice
Officials from around the world are still working to agree on the fine print of the Paris climate accord after two weeks of talks, even as workers dismantle sections of the conferenced venue around them.
Diplomats and ministers prepared for a closing meeting at noon Saturday, a day past the original deadline, but success was still uncertain.
Number of US inmates on death row at 25-year low
Reuters, New York
The number of U.S. inmates executed this year has reached a 25-year low as fewer death sentences are handed down and death row inmates clear their names or die of natural causes, the Death Penalty Information Center reported on Friday.
Fewer than 2,500 inmates are awaiting execution as 2018 draws to an end after 25 executions, making this the third consecutive year with fewer than 30 executions, the DPIC, a non-profit organization that collects data on the death penalty in the United States, said in its annual report.
Nigerian military lifts Unicef ban after ‘spy’ row
AFP, Abuja
The Nigerian military lifted a ban on UNICEF operations in the ravaged northeast late Friday after earlier suspending the aid agency and accusing it of training “spies” supporting Boko Haram jihadists.
The military earlier Friday said the United Nations children’s agency had this week held workshops in the northeast city of Maiduguri training people for “clandestine” activities that were “sabotaging” counterterrorism efforts.
11 die after eating ‘toxic’ rice at Indian temple
AFP, New Delhi
Eleven people have died after eating rice that had likely been contaminated with a toxic substance at a Hindu temple ceremony, a health official said Saturday. Another 29 people were critically ill and undergoing emergency treatment across various hospitals in Mysore, a city in the state of Karnataka.
“11 people have died so far and 93 others are hospitalised. Out of them, 29 are on ventilator support,” said K. H. Prasad, the health officer for Chamraj Nagar district where the temple is located.
