Fighting erupts along border of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region
Nairobi, KenyaReuters Fighting between forces from Ethiopia’s rebellious northern region of Tigray and central government forces has erupted around the town of Kobo, residents and both sides said on Wednesday, ending a months-long ceasefire. The fighting is a major blow to hopes for peace talks between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the Tigray People’s […]
Pope will not meet Russian Orthodox Patriarch during Kazakh visit – RIA
Reuters Pope Francis and the head of the Russian Orthodox church, who backs the war in Ukraine, will not meet at a gathering of religious leaders in Kazakhstan next month, RIA news agency cited a senior Orthodox official as saying on Wednesday. Francis, due to be in the capital Nur-Sultan from 13th to 15th September […]
Russian rockets kill 22 at train station on Ukraine’s independence day – Zelenskiy
Kyiv, UkraineReuters At least 22 people were killed and dozens wounded in a Russian rocket strike on a Ukrainian train station on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, as his nation marked the anniversary of its independence from Moscow-dominated Soviet rule. Zelenskiy had warned on Tuesday of the risk of “repugnant Russian provocations” on Independence Day, which […]
Under a bridge, Angola’s left-out youth look to ballot box for change
Luanda, AngolaReuters Two years ago, Francisco Mapanda and Arante Kivuvu were jobless during the COVID-19 pandemic so they started selling whiskey and cigarettes under a bridge in Angola’s capital, Luanda. To ease the boredom, they read books, and when they realised others also wanted to read, they got more – until their hawking spot in […]
UN warns over Libya threats
Tunis, Tunisia Reuters The United Nations Libya mission said on Tuesday it was deeply concerned by what it called an ongoing mobilisation of forces and threats to use force to resolve the country’s political crisis. Libya has been enmeshed in a stalemate for months after the eastern-based parliament swore in a new prime minister despite […]
StrangeSights: ‘The full English’ gets a chilly makeover; the best American mullets; and how a food day started as a hoax…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Explainer: Blood, treasure and chaos – the cost of Russia’s war in Ukraine
London, UKReuters Russia’s 24th February invasion of Ukraine has left tens of thousands of dead, displaced millions and sown economic strife across the world. Following are the main impacts of the war as it enters its seventh month: DeathSince 24th February, 5,587 civilians have been recorded as killed and 7,890 as injured, though the actual casualties are […]
Northern part of damaged Beirut grain silos collapses – media
Beirut, LebanonReuters The northern section of the grain silos damaged two years ago by a blast at the Beirut port collapsed early on Tuesday after warnings the structure was leaning too far to stay up. The crash sent a cloud of brown-grey dust billowing over the waterfront, the LBCI television station reported. There were no […]
Rohingya crisis fund is “well short of needs” – UN refugee agency
Reuters An appeal to help Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh is “well short of needs”, the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday, as refugees called on donors not to forget the crisis ahead of the fifth anniversary of their exodus from Myanmar. More than a million Rohingya are living in squalid camps in southern […]
Pope further tightens controls, centralisation of Vatican finances
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis on Tuesday acted to eliminate wiggle room or foot- dragging by Vatican departments in imposing tighter financial controls, setting a deadline for the closing of investment portfolios in foreign banks, including in Italy. Francis issued a document known as a “rescriptum”, or re-writing, making clear that all investments by all […]