Hundreds flee as Congo’s M23 rebels near key city of Goma
Goma, Democratic Republic of CongoReuters Fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo between the army and M23 rebels has moved close to the key eastern city of Goma, said an army spokesperson on Monday, causing a fresh wave of displacement amid diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict. Clashes picked up again in North-Kivu province on […]
Wow!: Nigerians trade waste material for health insurance
SEUN SANNI, of Reuters, reports on an innovative scheme in Nigeria to turn waste into insurance cover…
US Catholic bishops to elect new leaders, mark abuse reform milestone
United StatesAP US Catholic bishops began their fall meeting Monday where they will be electing new leaders – a vote that may signal whether they want to be more closely aligned with Pope Francis ‘ agenda or not. Several of the 10 candidates to be the next president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops are part of its powerful […]
Turkey blames deadly bomb on Kurdish militants; PKK denies involvement
Istanbul, TurkeyReuters Turkey blamed Kurdish militants on Monday for an explosion that killed six people in Istanbul and police detained 47 people including a Syrian woman suspected of planting the bomb. No group has claimed responsibility so far for Sunday’s blast on the busy pedestrian Istiklal Avenue, and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Kurdish-led […]
Biden and Xi clash over Taiwan in Bali but Cold War fears cool
Nusa Dua, Indonesia Reuters US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping engaged in blunt talks over Taiwan and North Korea on Monday in a three-hour meeting aimed at preventing strained US-China ties from spilling into a new Cold War. Amid simmering differences on human rights, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and support of domestic […]
Zelenskiy, visiting Kherson, vows to drive Russia from all of Ukraine
Kherson, Ukraine/Ankara, Turkey Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday visited Kherson, the biggest prize his troops have recaptured so far, vowing to press on until Kyiv reclaims control of all its occupied territory. Zelenskiy’s visit came as the heads of US and Russian intelligence met in Turkey for the highest level publicly acknowledged face-to-face talks […]
As world population hits eight billion, China frets over too few babies
Beijing/Hong Kong, China Reuters Chinese software developer Tang Huajun loves playing with his two-year-old in their apartment on the outskirts of Beijing but he said he is unlikely to have another child. Such decisions by countless people like Tang will determine the course not only of China’s population but that of the world, which the […]
For East Timor President, ASEAN membership a lifelong dream
Sydney, AustraliaReuters It was as a budding diplomat in the 1970s that Jose Ramos-Horta, a man who would go on to win the Nobel prize for his fight for East Timor’s independence, first raised the idea of his country joining South-East Asia’s economic and political bloc. Almost half a century later, his vision appears set […]
On the Screen: Finding beauty in ‘Mrs Harris Goes to Paris’
JO KADLECEK watches the film adaptation of novel ‘Mrs Harris Goes to Paris’…
Growing number of Germans won’t be left in dark with blackout courses
Berlin, Germany Reuters Once purely the stuff of action movie plots, the prospect of the lights going out in Europe’s biggest economy has become a conceivable threat during the current energy crisis. Looking to be the heroes in a real-life blackout, a growing number of Germans are turning to citizens’ courses to learn how to act […]