NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 U.N. appeal: The United Nations launched a record appeal on Friday for $22.5 billion to help some 136 million people across the world in need of humanitarian aid as a result of conflicts, natural disasters, epidemics and displacement. In Geneva, U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said the number of needy is about 5 percent higher than the projection at this time last year. Lowcock said the largest crisis in the world is in conflict-wracked Yemen, where 20 million of the country’s 25 million people need humanitarian aid and between 7 and 8 million are on the brink of famine.
2 New Cabinet: Zimbabwe’s new President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed a new Cabinet filled with ruling party loyalists and figures linked to the military, whose takeover helped oust former leader Robert Mugabe. No opposition politicians are included. The Cabinet picks had been seen as the first test of whether Mnangwgwa, a longtime Mugabe ally, would move out of his shadow. Mugabe,93, quit Nov. 21 amid impeachment proceedings.
3 Okinawa murder case: A court on the Japanese island of Okinawa sentenced a former U.S. Marine to life in prison on Friday after convicting him of the rape and murder of a 20-year-old Japanese woman. Kenneth Franklin Shinzato, 33, confessed to raping Rina Shimabukuro and abandoning her body in Uruma, an Okinawa village, in April of last year, Kyodo News reported. At the time of the killing, Shinzato, who served in the Marines from 2007 to 2014, was a civilian working for a contract company on Kadena Air Base, a U.S. military installation. The case stoked extreme anger on Okinawa, where about 47,000 U.S. troops are stationed.
4 Soldiers’ remains: A team of forensic experts led by the International Committee of the Red Cross says it has identified the remains of 88 Argentine soldiers buried in a Falklands Islands cemetery after the 1982 war. Argentina lost a brief but bloody conflict with Britain after Argentine troops invaded the South Atlantic archipelago. Both countries reached a deal last year to identify the remains of the fallen soldiers. The Red Cross said in a statement Friday that the identification process began in June. The South American country still claims the islands that it calls the Malvinas. Britain says the Falklands are a self-governing entity under its protection.
5 Royal tour: Chanting “Harry, Harry!” and “Meghan, Meghan!” hundreds of people lined the streets of a central English city Friday to welcome Britain’s Prince Harry and his American fiancee, actress Meghan Markle. Dozens waved British and American flags. The couple’s visit to Nottingham was their first official commitment since they announced their engagement on Monday. They plan to tour Britain over the next six months to give Markle an opportunity to learn about the country before their May wedding in the chapel at Windsor Castle.
6 Record nativity scene: Residents of a small southern French town are hoping to break a record for the world’s biggest Provencal nativity scene. Craftsmen in Aubagne joined forces to create a 1,615square-feet nativity village. It sprawls around the room replete with 3,500 terracotta figurines in scenes that include Mary and Joseph, and even a French post office, cinema and bar with people playing cards. The making of hand-painted figurines in the region dates to the French Revolution.