France and Germany's leaders urged Putin to agree to a ceasefire in a Saturday phone call
From CNN's Stephanie Halasz
The leaders of Germany and France held a phone call with Vladimir Putin on Saturday, in which they pressed the Russian President to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and withdraw Russia's troops from the country, German officials said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Putin for 80 minutes “on their initiative,” according to the German government's press office.
“The German chancellor and the French president urged an immediate ceasefire and a withdrawal of Russian troops. They called on the Russian president to engage in serious direct negotiations with the Ukrainian president and to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict,” the German government news release said.
Victoria’s Secret pays sacked Thai workers $8.3m in ‘wage theft’ settlement
The sacked garment workers had fought for fair compensation since the factory closed in March 2021
Agence France-Presse in Bangkok
More than 1,000 sacked Thai garment workers who made bras at a factory supplying lingerie firm Victoria’s Secret have received a landmark $8.3m settlement, labour rights activists have said.
Brilliant Alliance Thai closed down its Samut Prakan factory in March 2021 after going bankrupt.
The 1,250 laid-off workers – many of who had worked at the factory for more than a decade – did not receive severance payouts mandated under Thai law. A workers’ rights group also claimed that some workers received the equivalent of more than four years’ wages under the settlement.
Monkeypox: First case of virus found in Ireland, Health Service Executive says
A further suspected case is also being investigated
The first confirmed case of monkeypox has been identified in Ireland, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has said.
The infection was reported in the east of the country on Friday night and the person affected was not kept in hospital.
A further suspected case is also being investigated and test results are being awaited, health officials said.
A public health risk assessment has been undertaken and those who have been in contact with the person are being advised on what to do in the event that they become ill.
Learning to live with water scarcity
Regions around the world are facing drought and water shortage, even where rain was once abundant — and that will only worsen as the planet warms. In many parts of the world, cities and countries are learning to adapt.
Back in 2018, taps in Cape Town, South Africa, almost ran dry, making it the world's first major city to face the risk of running out of water. That problem hasn't gone away — this year, communities in Nelson Mandela Bay, about 750 kilometers (460 miles) to the east, could see their reservoirs used up by July.
Cape Town managed to avoid "Day Zero" by introducing strict water restrictions on businesses and residents. The city increased water tariffs and fines for overuse and worked with the agriculture sector to reduce water consumption and retain soil moisture.
Japanese Red Army founder Shigenobu freed after 20 years in prison
Fusako Shigenobu, the 76-year-old female founder of the once-feared Japanese Red Army, walked free from prison Saturday after completing a 20-year sentence for a 1974 embassy siege.
Shigenobu was one of the world's most notorious women during the 1970s and 1980s, when her radical leftist group carried out armed attacks worldwide in support of the Palestinian cause.
Shigenobu left the prison in Tokyo in a black car with her daughter as several supporters held a banner saying "We love Fusako".
‘Slavery, rape, torture’: Libya threatened by foreign fighters
Migrants ‘extremely vulnerable’ to human rights abuses carried out by foreign combatants and military groups, a UN report says.
Libya faces a serious security threat from foreign fighters and private military companies, especially Russia’s Wagner Group which has violated international law.
In a United Nations report obtained by The Associated Press news agency, experts also accused seven Libyan armed groups of systematically using unlawful detention to punish perceived opponents, ignoring international and domestic civil rights laws including ones prohibiting torture.
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