Biden to meet with Pope’s Ukraine peace envoy, with the plight of children top of cardinal’s agenda
Rome, ItalyAP US President Joe Biden will meet with Pope Francis’ peace envoy Tuesday as part of the Holy See’s peace and humanitarian initiatives for Ukraine, with the plight of Ukrainian children taken to Russia topping the agenda, the White House and Vatican said Monday. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi is visiting Washington through Wednesday, a trip that follows his recent mission to […]
Attacks and displacement spread in Sudan’s Darfur
Reuters The paramilitary force battling the army in Sudan has taken control of a town in South Darfur, triggering clashes, looting and a new wave of displacement, conflict monitors and a witness said on Monday. Clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army around the town of Kas had caused up to 5,000 households […]
From China to Death Valley, extreme weather blankets the globe
New York, US Reuters Asia, Europe and much of the United States baked under extreme heat on Monday as global temperatures soared toward alarming highs and US leaders sought to reignite climate diplomacy with China. The US was scorched by record-setting heat in the west and south, lashed with flood-triggering rain in the north-east, and […]
Moscow halts grain deal in what UN says is a blow to people in need everywhere
Kyiv, UkraineReuters Russia halted participation on Monday in the year-old UN-brokered deal that lets Ukraine export grain through the Black Sea, spreading fear in poorer countries that price rises will put food out of reach. Hours earlier, a blast knocked out Russia’s bridge to Crimea in what Moscow called a strike by Ukrainian sea drones, […]
South Korea flood death toll rises to 40, Yoon blames botched responses
Seoul, South Korea Reuters South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday blamed authorities’ failure to follow disaster response rules as the death toll from days of torrential rain grew to 40, including a dozen people found dead in a submerged underpass. The rains have pummelled the country’s central and southern regions since Thursday as […]
Blasts on Crimea Bridge kill two, threaten Russian war supply lines
Kerch, Crimea Reuters Two people were killed and their daughter was seriously injured on Monday after blasts on the Crimean Bridge, a major supply artery for Russian troops fighting in Ukraine and a prestige project that was personally opened by President Vladimir Putin. Reuters images from the scene showed no traffic crossing the 19 kilometre […]
Quick facts – Crimea Bridge: why is it important and what happened to it?
Reuters Traffic on the road-and-rail bridge linking Russia and the Crimean peninsula was stopped early on Monday due to an “emergency situation”, the Russian-backed head of Crimea’s administration, Sergei Aksyonov said. The RBC-Ukraine news agency reported that explosions were heard on the bridge, with Russian military bloggers reporting two strikes. The bridge is a crucial […]
Demolition of 300-year-old Iraq mosque minaret for road expansion enrages locals
Basra, IraqReuters The demolition on Friday of a 300-year-old minaret of a mosque in Iraq’s southern city of Basra to make way for road expansion has enraged locals, religious and cultural authorities who condemned it as a further erosion of Iraq’s cultural heritage. Built in 1727, the 11-metre Siraji minaret and its mosque were toppled […]
Mexican journalist shot to death in car in Acapulco, media report
Mexico City, MexicoReuters Mexican journalist Nelson Matus was killed Saturday in the coastal resort city of Acapulco in the south-western state of Guerrero, local media reported. The director of local news site Lo Real de Guerrero, Matus was shot in his car in the parking lot of a store, Mexican newspaper El Universal reported. A […]
Zimbabwe opposition leader launches campaign with promise of prosperity
Gweru, Zimbabwe Reuters Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa promised economic prosperity and an end to corruption as he launched his party’s campaign on Sunday for national elections set for 23rd August. Chamisa, who leads the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change, is running against 80-year-old President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has led the ruling Zanu-PF since […]