US east coast blanketed in eerie veil of smoke from Canada fires
New York, USReuters Schools across the US east coast cancelled outdoor activities, commercial airline traffic was slowed and millions of Americans were urged to stay indoors on Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south, blanketing cities in a thick yellowish haze. The US National Weather Service issued air quality alerts for virtually the entire […]
Pope undergoes surgery, doctors say successful enough that he can travel
Rome, ItalyReuters Pope Francis underwent a three-hour operation in a Rome hospital on Wednesday to repair a hernia, which doctors said was successful enough that he should have no limitations on his travels and other activities after he recovers. “He even joked with me about when we would do the third operation,” said chief surgeon […]
Massive fire as Sudanese factions battle for control of arms factory
Khartoum, SudanReuters A massive fire broke out on Wednesday near a military complex containing an arms factory in southern Khartoum that Sudan’s army has battled to defend in some of the fiercest fighting for weeks in its conflict with a rival faction, witnesses said. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, in the eighth week of a […]
Ukrainians face homelessness, disease risk as floods crest from breached dam
Kherson, Ukraine Reuters Ukrainians abandoned inundated homes as floods crested across a swathe of the south on Wednesday after the destruction of a huge hydro-electric dam on front lines between Russian and Ukrainian forces, with their presidents trading blame for the disaster. Residents slogged through flooded streets carrying children on their shoulders, dogs in their […]
World’s first vaccine against deadly swine fever nears approval in Vietnam
Hanoi, Vietnam Reuters Vaccines against African swine fever being tested in Vietnam are close to approval, global and US veterinary officials said, in what would be a major breakthrough to tackle the deadly animal disease that regularly ravages pig farms worldwide. African swine fever has for years disrupted the $US250 billion global pork market. In […]
Gunman shoots two dead, wounds five others at Virginia high school graduation
Reuters A man armed with four handguns killed two people and wounded five others when he fired into a crowd outside a high school graduation ceremony in Richmond, Virginia, on Tuesday, police said. Police said they arrested one suspect, a 19-year-old man who knew one of the victims and shot at him amid the crowd […]
StrangeSights: Smiling lessons in Japan; designer coffins; and, Austria’s ballot mix-up…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Ukraine denounces Russia as “terrorist state” at World Court hearing
The Hague, The Netherlands Reuters Ukraine on Tuesday called Russia a terrorist state at the top UN court as hearings began in a case over Moscow’s backing of pro-Russian separatists blamed for shooting down Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014. It was the first time lawyers for Ukraine and Russia met at the International Court […]
Five nations elected to UN Security Council, but Belarus denied
United NationsReuters The United Nations General Assembly elected Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and South Korea to the UN Security Council on Tuesday for two-year terms starting on 1st January, 2024, while Belarus – allied with Russia in its invasion of Ukraine – was denied a spot. Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone and South Korea ran […]
Bulgaria’s parliament elects new government led by PM Denkov
Sofia, Bulgaria Reuters Bulgaria’s parliament on Tuesday voted in a government led by Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, which is set to implement reforms that would lead the Balkan country into the euro zone and Schengen groupings of European nations. One hundred and thirty-two deputies in the 240-seat parliament voted for Denkov, ending a two-year political […]