Hong Kong’s Cardinal Zen among six fined over fund for protesters
Hong Kong, ChinaReuters One of Asia’s most senior Roman Catholic clerics, Cardinal Joseph Zen, 90, was found guilty of failing to register a now-disbanded fund for pro-democracy protesters and fined $HK4,000 on Friday by a Hong Kong court. The May arrest of Zen and four others by the city’s national security police had triggered criticism from some Western […]
Freezing Ukraine gradually restores power after Russian strikes; Pope calls for Ukraine to be “far sighted” to secure peace
Kyiv, UkraineReuters Ukrainian authorities on Friday gradually restored power to millions of people left in the dark after the most devastating Russian air strikes so far, aided by the reconnection of the country’s four nuclear plants. National power grid operator Ukrenergo said that as of 7pm local time, 30 per cent of electricity supplies were […]
Snapshot: Quebec City, Canada
See TIM GEENAN’s image…
“Every breath you take”: Air pollution stifles Europe’s health targets
Reuters Air quality in Europe is improving but still poses high risks, the European Environment Agency said on Thursday, as fine particles exposure led to at least 238,000 premature deaths in the 27-nation EU in 2020. “Air pollution is still the largest environmental health risk in Europe,” the EEA said. “While emissions of key air […]
More than 15,000 people missing in war in Ukraine, says official
Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters More than 15,000 people have gone missing during the war in Ukraine, an official at the International Commission on Missing Persons said on Thursday. The Hague-based organisation, created in the wake of the Balkan wars of the 1990s, opened an office in Kyiv in July to help Ukraine to document and track down […]
UN committee urges China to free Xinjiang detainees, recommends reparations
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters A United Nations committee urged China on Thursday to release people held in detention facilities in its Xinjiang region and recommended that it provide victims with “remedies and reparation”. The committee’s statement adds to pressure on China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to enact reforms following a report from the […]
Increasing risk: Activists, academics say surveillance tech makes US-Mexico border even deadlier
AVI ASHER-SCHAPIRO, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on claims by humanitarian groups and researchers that hi-tech surveillance on the US-Mexico border is pushing migrants onto deadly routes…
Indonesia struggles to get aid to quake survivors, rescue continues
Cianjur, Indonesia Reuters Indonesian authorities struggled on Thursday to get aid to thousands of people displaced by a deadly earthquake in western Java, as rain-triggered landslides and difficult mountainous terrain hampered the efforts of rescue teams. Monday’s 5.6-magnitude earthquake in the town of Cianjur, about 75 kilometres south of the capital Jakarta, killed at least […]
Essay: The era of the megalopolis – how the world’s cities are merging
In an article first published on The Conversation, JAMES CHESHIRE and MICHAEL BATTY look at the rise of mega-cities…