Tunisian election had only 8.8 per cent turnout, officials say
Tunis, Tunisia Reuters Only 8.8 per cent of Tunisian voters cast ballots in Saturday’s parliamentary elections, authorities announced, after most political parties boycotted the vote as a charade aimed at shoring up presidential power. The provisional turnout figure is lower than the 9.8 per cent inflation rate – underscoring the economic pressures that have left […]
Fog-shrouded Kyiv recovers after Russia strikes, power restored to six million
Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters Basic services were being restored in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on Saturday after the latest wave of Russian air strikes on critical infrastructure, as residents navigated a city gripped by fog and girded for a holiday season marked by uncertainty. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a quarter of Kyiv remained without heating but that […]
New COVID model predicts over a million deaths in China through 2023
Chicago, US Reuters China’s abrupt lifting of stringent COVID-19 restrictions could result in an explosion of cases and over a million deaths through 2023, according to new projections from the US-based Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. According to the group’s projections, cases in China would peak around 1st April, when deaths would reach 322,000. […]
Malaysia campsite search continues as 12 still missing after deadly landslide
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaReuters The search for the remaining 12 campers caught in Friday’s deadly landslide at an unlicensed campsite in Malaysia continued for a second day after an overnight halt due to bad weather, officials said. At least 21 people, including five children, were killed after a landslide in Batang Kali, a popular hilly area […]
As Tunisia votes, coastal town’s youth dream only of Europe
Zarzis, TunisiaReuters Tunisia holds an election on Saturday but, in the coastal town of Zarzis, teenager Ismail Challahki and others like him couldn’t care less. All they’re waiting for is the chance to risk their lives on another smugglers’ boat bound for Europe. A dozen years after the country’s revolution triggered the Arab spring, poverty […]
Elon Musk’s Twitter suspension of journalists draws global backlash
Dallas, Texas, USReuters Twitter’s unprecedented suspension of at least five journalists over claims they revealed the real-time location of owner Elon Musk drew swift backlash from government officials, advocacy groups and journalism organisations across the globe on Friday. Officials from France, Germany, the UK and the European Union condemned the suspensions, with some saying the […]
Finding consensus: In these polarised times, even a prayer could be up for debate
ADELLE M BANKS reports that after struggling over wording in the prayer, one ecumenical organisation in the US is developing new tools to address divides within its own network…
Pope returns Greece’s Parthenon Sculptures in ecumenical nod
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis will send back to Greece the three fragments of the Parthenon Sculptures that the Vatican Museums have held for two centuries, in the latest case of a Western museum bowing to demands for restitution of artifacts to their countries of origin. In announcing the decision Friday, the Vatican termed the gesture […]