Krista's Current News

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has ordered a daily pause in the assault by its ally, the Syrian government, on the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area. It will start on Tuesday, and include the creation of a "humanitarian corridor" to allow civilians to leave. The rebel enclave near Damascus, where 393,000 civilians are trapped, has been under intense bombardment by government forces with Russian support. More than 550 people have been killed in eight days, a monitoring group says. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made the announcement about the humanitarian pause", saying it would run from 09:00 until 14:00 local time (07:00-12:00 GMT) daily. He said more details on the corridor would be released soon. The United Nations Security Council unanimously called for a nationwide 30-day cessation of hostilities on Saturday. The resolution demanded that "all parties cease hostilities without delay" to allow aid deliveries and medical evacuations

Oxfam has revealed that three of the men accused of sexual misconduct in Haiti physically threatened witnesses during a 2011 investigation. The charity has published its internal report on alleged abuse by some of its staff following public pressure. In the 2011 report, Oxfam said "more needed" to be done to prevent "problem staff" working for other charities. Despite the warning, several men linked to the alleged abuse subsequently took up roles at other charities. Oxfam - which has almost 10,000 staff working in more than 90 countries - has released a redacted version of the report, saying it wants to be "as transparent as possible" about the decisions it made. Parts of the 11-page document are blacked out to hide people's identities, including the names of the three men accused of intimidating witnesses. Oxfam will present the original, unedited report to the government in Haiti on Monday and apologize for "mistakes". Oxfam

The Maldives government has declared a 15-day state of emergency as political tensions on the island nation continue to intensify. Legal Affairs Minister  Azima Shakoor made the announcement on Monday evening on state television, and a statement attributed to President Abdulla Yameen was posted on the ministry of foreign affairs website. "The government of Maldives wishes to also assure all Maldivians and the international community that the safety of all Maldivians and foreigners living in and visiting the Maldives will be ensured," the statement said.  The Maldives plunged into political turmoil last week after the country's top court  threw  out a "terrorism" conviction against its former president Mohamed Nasheed, and ordered the release of other jailed opposition politicians. The ruling dealt a blow to Yameen with critics accusing him of corruption, misrule, and rights abuses. He denies the allegations. Earlier  Shakoor said: "The govern