Blast hits western Afghan city of Herat, killing at least six
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters A blast ripped through a minivan in the western Afghan city of Herat on Saturday, killing at least six people, according to officials. Herat commander Mawlawi Ansari told Reuters that nine people had been injured. The cause of the blast was not clear. A vehicle burns in the street after a blast ripped […]
Italy rescues more than 300 migrants from boat in distress
Rome, ItalyReuters The Italian coastguard rescued 305 migrants who were trying to reach Europe aboard an overloaded boat that ran into difficulty off the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, a statement said on Friday. Migrants wait to be rescued by Italian coastguard during a search and rescue (SAR) operation off the coast of Lampedusa, on 20th […]
La Palma residents scale volcanic ash mountains to return home
Las Manchas, SpainReuters Eighty-year-old Sabino Leal Jeronimo returned to his home on Spain’s Canary Island of La Palma for the first time in four months on Friday after a volcanic eruption forced him to flee. Lava streams may no longer threaten to burn down his house in the hilly town of Las Manchas, but what […]
Tennis star Novak Djokovic’s detention turns spotlight on long-term internment of asylum seekers in Australia
Sydney, Australia The detention and deportation of tennis star Novak Djokovic from Australia this month has turned the spotlight on 75 asylum seekers, who have spent up to nine years in offshore and onshore detention. Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic walks in Melbourne Airport before boarding a flight, after the Federal Court upheld a government […]
New Zealand water ship unloads in Tonga as other aid trickles in
Wellington, New Zealand/Sydney, AustraliaReuters Life-saving water supplies from a New Zealand navy ship were distributed across Tonga’s main island on Friday, as other countries battled the logistics of delivering aid to one of the world’s remotest communities. Royal New Zealand Navy’s HMNZS Aotearoa sails in the sea off the coast of Tonga, on 21st January. […]
Urban rejuvenation: US to demolish more blighted homes with pandemic aid
CAREY L BIRON, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how a US cities can now tap into a $US350 billion pandemic aid package to fund local demolition and related work aimed at urban rejuvenation…
Pope vows justice for abuse victims after Ratzinger faulted
Rome, ItalyAP Pope Francis vowed Friday to provide justice to victims of clergy sexual abuse and German authorities called for further investigation after an independent audit faulted retired Pope Benedict XVI for having botched four cases of abuse when he was archbishop of Munich, Germany. The fallout from the report continued to reverberate Friday as […]