At least 20 migrants die in shipwreck off Italy's Lampedusa island, UN says
Rescuers have recovered 20 bodies so far and operations were continuing, according to initial reports by Ansa news agency. Between 70 and 80 people were believed to have survived.
Filippo Ungaro, from the UN's refugee agency UNHCR, expressed 'deep anguish' over the disaster and said more migrants could still be missing at sea.
'Twenty bodies have been recovered and the same number are missing,' he wrote on his account on social media platform X.
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Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Grace Van Patten teases ‘new information' in Hulu's Amanda Knox series
Grace Van Patten will be playing the role of Amanda Knox in Hulu's The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, a limited series following Knox's fight to clear her name after being convicted in Italy of killing her roommate Meredith Kercher. The series, Van Patten told People, covers Knox's '16-year odyssey to set herself free' and gives her the chance 'to reclaim her story.' Grace Van Patten stars as Amanda Knox in Hulu series(Instagram/Hulu) She was struck by how the production treated the subject. 'What I thought was so beautiful is, everyone approached it so empathetically. No one's the villain in the story,' she told People. Van Patten reveals she once had a dream of playing Amanda Knox Van Patten remembers the case vividly. She had first seen Knox's 2016 documentary, which left a lasting impression. 'It was a crazy, full-circle moment for me because I do remember when this happened. I remember watching the documentary… I was so fascinated by the story and Amanda as a human being. I remember having this dream of playing her one day,' she said. The actress admits she felt more pressure here than ever before. 'I had never played a real existing human in the world, so that was very new for me. And the main thing for me was what involvement Amanda was going to have in it," she explained. Also read: Amanda Knox asks Italian court to clear her of a slander charge, saying police forced the confession Knox, now 38 and a mother of two, came on board as an executive producer. Van Patten says Knox's openness made the process easier. 'How willing she was to talk to me and trust me, it felt very beautiful and emotional because of how people have created this narrative of her whole life,' she said. Van Patten reveals the show will feature ' new information' Van Patten also teased that the show digs into corners of the case that many viewers don't know. She revealed, "It's new information that the public does not know — especially in that last episode." Knox was vilified in headlines after her 2007 arrest, described as a 'sex-crazed young girl' and worse. Van Patten wants audiences to leave those labels behind. 'Most people did just read the headlines… which couldn't be further from who she is,' she said. Knox's conviction was thrown out by Italy's highest court in 2015, though some legal issues remain unresolved. For Van Patten, telling the story right feels urgent. 'It just felt very, very important to me… the importance of telling something that really should be told,' she explained to People. The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox debuts August 20 on Hulu with two episodes, rolling out weekly through October 1. FAQs When does The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox premiere? The series premieres August 20 on Hulu with two episodes, followed by weekly releases until October 1. Who plays Amanda Knox in the series? Grace Van Patten stars as Amanda Knox. Is Amanda Knox involved in the show? Yes, Knox is an executive producer and worked closely with the team. What new information does the series reveal? Van Patten says the final episodes bring details about Knox's story that the public has not heard before. When was Amanda Knox exonerated? Italy's highest court cleared her in 2015 after years of legal battles.
Hans India
10 hours ago
- Hans India
Rights body urges UN, diplomatic community to press Bangladesh for Hindu priest's release
New Delhi: New Delhi-based rights group -- Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) – on Saturday urged the diplomatic community and the United Nations to intervene with the Bangladesh government to release Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a former leader of ISKON and spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote, on the occasion of Janmashtami. Chinmoy Das has been in custody since November 25, 2024, in connection with a sedition case. He was arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka for allegedly defaming the national flag. Das was also arrested in connection with the murder of assistant government prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif, who was hacked to death during the violent protest sparked by the Hindu leader's arrest. The RRAG on Saturday requested the diplomatic community and the United Nations to intervene with the Government of Bangladesh to release the Hindu Priest from prison custody on the occasion of Janmashtami. The rights body, in a statement, said that Bangladesh Chief of Army Staff General Waqar Uz Zaman, Chief of the Bangladesh Navy Admiral Mohd Nazmul Hussain, and Chief of the Bangladesh Air Force Hasan Mahmud Khan attended the Janmashtami function, the birthday of Lord Krishna, on Saturday in Dhaka. 'This is a sham and a desperate attempt to beguile the international community in the light of the ongoing, relentless atrocities against the Hindus. A total of 2,485 incidents of violence against religious and ethnic minorities were reported during the year of the reign of the caretaker government under the Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus,' RRAG Director Suhas Chakma said in a statement. He said that if the Bangladesh government is serious, Chinomoy Das at least ought to be released on bail on Saturday, the birthday of Lord Krishna. Das remains in prison from November 25 last year (2024) first on a private complaint of sedition for allegedly putting the flag of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) on top of Bangladesh's national flag and thereafter, for the murder of a lawyer in court complex when Das was already in police custody and being produced in the court, RRAG Director said. 'If there was any conspiracy by Das to murder the lawyer, it was done by the Bangladeshi security forces under whose custody he was. None of the security officials of the Bangladesh government has been charged for this murder. The prosecution is opposing the bail of Chinmoy Das to send a clear message to the Hindus not to organise any political meeting but remain restricted to religious programmes like celebrating Janmashtami,' Chakma said.
News18
12 hours ago
- News18
WUC weekly briefing exposes Chinas ongoing abuses and global pushback
Munich [Germany], August 16 (ANI): The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) weekly briefing has highlighted several key developments regarding China's human rights record and global the recently released brief, it stated that on 11 August, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor urged Beijing to safeguard the rights of imprisoned human rights defenders, many of whom are serving sentences of ten years or called on authorities to allow family and legal visits, provide adequate medical care, and ensure that detainees are held in officially recognised facilities with transparent information about their to the weekly brief, among the cases raised was that of renowned Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti, who is serving a life noted that despite her February 2025 request for detailed updates on seven defenders' health, treatment, and access to counsel, China has so far provided only vague and unsatisfactory briefing also underlined the findings of the 2024 U.S. State Department Country Report on China, which reaffirmed that genocide and crimes against humanity continue to be committed against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East report documented systemic abuses, including arbitrary detention, torture, forced labour, coercive birth control measures, cultural erasure, and repression beyond China's also listed prominent Uyghur political prisoners–such as Ilham Tohti, Rahile Dawut, Gulshan Abbas, Ekpar Asat, Qurban Mamut, Hushtar Isa, Erkin Tursun, and Yalqun Rozi–whose imprisonment underscores the Chinese government's targeted persecution of intellectuals, cultural figures, and community addition, the WUC brief pointed to the enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in the United to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, authorities reviewed 6,613 shipments in 2025, of which 5,541 shipments–worth nearly 97 million dollars–were denied entry due to links with forced labour in East of the flagged goods came from the automotive and aerospace industries, followed by apparel, electronics, and other Act, which presumes all goods from the region to be produced with forced labour unless proven otherwise, continues to serve as a critical tool in holding supply chains briefing further drew attention to China's efforts to suppress dissent World Uyghur Congress is a global organisation of Uyghur exiles that claims to speak on behalf of the Uyghur people, representing their collective interests both within China's Xinjiang region and across the diaspora. (ANI)
