Death toll in Pakistan floods nears 1,500; hundreds of thousands sleep in open
Karachi/Islamabad, Pakistan Reuters Unprecedented floods that have submerged huge swathes of Pakistan have killed nearly 1,500 people, data showed on Thursday, as authorities said hundreds of thousands of people were still sleeping in the open air after the disaster. The deluge, brought by record monsoon rains and glacial melt in northern mountains, has impacted 33 […]
Pope says supplying weapons to Ukraine is morally acceptable for self defence
Aboard the papal planeReuters Pope Francis on Thursday said it was morally legitimate for nations to supply weapons to Ukraine to help the country defend itself from Russian aggression. Speaking to reporters aboard a plane returning from a three-day trip to Kazakhstan, Francis also urged Kyiv to be open to eventual dialogue, even though it […]
Updated: Mass grave of more than 440 bodies found in Izium, Ukraine – police
Updated: 9:30am (AEST)Reuters Ukrainian authorities found a mass grave of more than 440 bodies in the north-eastern town of Izium that was recaptured from Russian forces days ago, a regional police official said, adding some of the people had been killed by shelling and air strikes. Thousands of Russian troops fled Izium last weekend after […]
Armenia reports truce after new clashes with Azerbaijan
Tbilisi, Georgia Reuters A senior Armenian official said late on Wednesday that a truce had been agreed with Azerbaijan after two days of violence linked to a decades-old dispute between the ex-Soviet states over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. There was no word from Azerbaijan about a truce to halt the deadliest exchanges between the countries […]
More Canadians see monarchy as “outdated” but political risks block change
Ottawa, Canada Reuters A growing number of Canadians do not want a foreign monarch to represent them despite deep historical ties to Britain and affection for the Queen, but risks that come with constitutional reform mean there is little political will for change. Britain colonised Canada beginning in the late 1500s, and the country formally remained part […]
Table Talk: How to bust your food budget (in a good way!)
EMMA WATSON on some tips – spiritual and practical – when finances tighten and an inexpensive family meal…
Afghans keep close watch as some girls’ schools open, then shut
Kabul, Afghanistan Reuters Many Afghans are following news of a reversal in girls’ school openings in eastern Paktia province for clues on whether the Taliban will loosen restrictions on girls’ education after reneging on a pledge to reopen high schools in March. Some girls’ secondary schools in what is considered a conservative part of the […]
Syria may “return to larger-scale fighting”, UN warns in new report
Reuters Syria’s simmering 11-year war is at risk of boiling up once again with a return to large-scale combat after several frontlines across the country flared up in recent months, the United Nations warned on Wednesday in a new report. “Syria cannot afford a return to larger-scale fighting, but that is where it may be […]
Thousands pass Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as she lies in state in London
London, UKReuters Mourners from all walks of life filed past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II through the night as she lay in state in London’s ancient Westminster Hall, paying their final respects to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch before her funeral on Monday. After days of processions and ritual as the queen’s body was brought to […]
Lebanon in crisis: Emergency numbers and suicide hotlines falter
TALA RAMADAN, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on the impacts of Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis with people there now at risk losing access to two more essentials – their mobile phones and the internet…