South Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Japan.

Today's three stories you should know.

Apr 03, 2023

South Sudan

Senior government and military leaders in South Sudan have committed serious human rights violations, a UN report said today, detailing murder, rape and sexual slavery. The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, which conducted a year-long investigation, named several officials, including a state governor and a lieutenant general. South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, has been beset by conflict, drought and political instability since becoming independent in 2011.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has executed someone during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to the country’s state news agency, in what is reported to be the first Ramadan execution since 2009. The Saudi Press Agency said the man put to death had been found guilty of murder after stabbing someone to death and setting their body on fire. Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most prolific executioners with 147 people killed in 2022 – more than double the 2021 figure of 69, according to the AFP news agency. The country has often carried out death sentences by beheading.

Japan

A weird one out of Japan. A vending machine in Semboku city has started selling cuts of wild bear meat, local media reported. Customers can get fatty or lean meat for about 2,200 yen ($17) per 250g, according to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. The Soba Goro restaurant, which operates the machine, says it sells about 10 - 15 packs a week and that it gets the bear meat from local hunters. Asiatic black bears are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species. Japan says it limits the number of bears that can be hunted.