Wow!: Africa’s innovators turn to tech to tackle transport woes
KIM HARRISBERG, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how technology is driving some innovative solutions to provide bettee access to public transport in sub-Saharan Africa…
Arctic seed vault to receive rare deposits
Oslo, Norway Reuters A vault built on an Arctic mountainside to preserve the world’s crop seeds from war, disease and other catastrophes will receive new deposits on Monday, including one from the first organisation that made a withdrawal from the facility. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, on Spitsbergen Island halfway between mainland Norway and the […]
US-Canada bridge to reopen Sunday after police clear protesters
Windsor, Ontario, Canada/Washington DC, US/Ottawa, CanadaReuters North America’s busiest trade link will reopen for traffic on Sunday, ending a six-day blockade, a top US official said, after Canadian police cleared the protesters fighting to end COVID-19 restrictions. Canadian police made several arrests on Sunday and cleared protesters and vehicles that occupied the Ambassador Bridge in […]
Man accused of blasphemy stoned to death by mob in Pakistan
Multan, PakistanAP An enraged mob stoned to death a middle-aged man for allegedly desecrating the Quran in a remote village in eastern Pakistan, police said Sunday. The custodian of a local mosque said he saw the man burning the Muslim holy book inside the mosque Saturday evening and told others before informing police, according to […]
US says Russia may create pretext to attack Ukraine; Pope leads crowds in prayer for peace
Washington DC, US/Kyiv, UkraineReuters Russia could invade Ukraine at any time and might create a surprise pretext for an attack, the United States said on Sunday, as it reaffirmed a pledge to defend “every inch” of NATO territory. Russia has more than 100,000 troops massed near Ukraine, which is not part of the Atlantic military […]
Venice’s ‘Carnival of hope’ kicks off as COVID worries ease
Venice, ItalyReuters Thousands of people revelled in the start of the annual Carnival celebrations in Venice on Saturday, marking a slow return to normality after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the two previous editions. The 2020 Venice Carnival, which usually draws tourists from around the world, was curtailed when the pandemic broke out in Italy in […]
Sudan’s Burhan dismisses sanctions threats, says Israel visits not political
Khartoum, SudanReuters Sudan’s military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Saturday dismissed Western threats of sanctions and said meetings between Sudanese and Israeli officials were part of security cooperation rather than political in nature. Burhan led a military coup on 25th October that ended a partnership between the army and civilian parties which was meant […]
Australian art gallery acquires 450-year-old religious painting by first woman admitted to painters guild in Rome
Sydney, Australia The National Gallery of Victoria has acquired a 450-year-old painting by 16th century Italian artist Lavinia Fontana, thanks to a bequest established by English-born Australian entrepreneur and philanthropist Alfred Felton following his death in 1904. The lives of this pair, out of time and place, became entwined when Fontana painted Mystic marriage of St […]
Myanmar junta holds parade on major holiday, announces prisoner amnesty
Yangon, MyanmarReuters Myanmar’s junta showed off its military strength with a parade in the capital Naypyitaw on Saturday, with its leader Min Aung Hlaing defending last year’s coup as necessary to protect the country from enemies, both domestic and foreign. Celebrating Myanmar’s Union Day, which marks independence from British colonial rule in 1947, the government […]
“Not an adventure for anybody”: UK cost-of-living crisis reveals “hidden” child poverty
Families are being forced to choose between heating and eating as soaring energy bills spotlight extent of poverty in Britain, reports EMMA BATHA of Thomson Reuters Foundation…