Ukraine battles to push back Russian advance in northern Donetsk
Kyiv/Kramatorsk, Ukraine Reuters Ukraine has so far staved off any major Russian advance into the north of its Donetsk region, but pressure is intensifying with heavy shelling on the city of Sloviansk and nearby populated areas, the Ukrainian military said on Wednesday. Russia and separatist proxies were already in control of the southern part of […]
Islamic State claims raid on Nigerian prison, 440 inmates on run
Abuja, Nigeria Reuters Islamic State claimed responsibility on Wednesday for a raid on a Nigerian prison in the capital Abuja which freed around 440 inmates, raising fears that insurgents are venturing from their enclaves in the north-east. Inmates who escaped during the attack by suspected Boko haram fighters wait after being captured and returned back […]
World hunger rising as UN agencies warn of “looming catastrophe”
London, UKReuters World hunger levels rose again last year after soaring in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Ukraine war and climate change threatening starvation and mass migration on an “unprecedented scale” this year, according to UN agencies. Up to 828 million people, or nearly 10 per cent of the world’s population, were […]
Pope to give women a say in appointment of bishops
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis said he wants to give women more top-level positions in the Holy See and disclosed that for the first time he would name women to a previously all-male Vatican committee that helps him select the world’s bishops. The role of women in the Vatican hierarchy was one of the many church […]
Ruined Lysychansk eerily silent, residents remain in bomb shelters, after fall to Russia
Reuters Lysychansk was once a city of a 100,000 people in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region, but it now lies in ruins after its fall to Russian forces with many residents still living in bomb shelters and basements. The city was eerily quiet on Tuesday with scorched buildings, overturned vehicles and rubble a testament to the […]
Tokyo school swaps fresh fruit for jelly as food prices soar
Tokyo, JapanReuters For months, Kazumi Sato, a nutritionist at a middle school in eastern Tokyo, has received notices about hikes in ingredient prices. Mindful of the economic hardships many of the students’ families face, local authorities are loath to pass the burden of pricier school lunches on to them. For Sato, that has meant constantly […]
StrangeSights: Putin takes umbrage at bare-chested jokes; ‘Russian salad’ on the menu?; and, a Jetson’s house..
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
High school on fire – violent protests by kids rock Chile
Santiago, ChileReuters As Chilean school kids start winter vacation, they leave behind a semester marked by violence. Several high schools around Santiago were taken over by students; one was set on fire while hooded youths clashed with police and burned city buses. In June, the prestigious Internado Nacional Barros Arana high school in Santiago was […]
Ethiopian PM says he has agreed with Sudanese leader to settle dispute
Nairobi, KenyaReuters Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the military leader of neighbouring Sudan said on Tuesday they had reached an agreement to peacefully settle all issues, following the most recent flare-up connected to a border dispute late last month. However, the long-running dispute over a contested fertile border region, al-Fashqa, was not mentioned, nor […]
Thousands more evacuate in Sydney even though heavy rains ease
Sydney, AustraliaReuters A wild storm system that has pounded several parts of Sydney with torrential rain for four days has moved away from the city, satellite images showed on Wednesday, although rivers remained above danger levels, forcing more evacuations. More than 85,000 people in New South Wales, most in Sydney’s western suburbs, have been asked […]