Flames destroy landmark tower as Sudan war enters sixth month
Cairo, SudanReuters One of Sudan’s main landmarks, a skyscraper that towered over the River Nile and housed the headquarters of a major oil company, has been reduced to a smouldering wreck amid heavy fighting between rival military factions in the capital. The Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company head office, a glass-sided tower with curved sides […]
US-bound plane leaves Doha with five Americans freed by Iran
Doha, Qatar/New York, USReuters A US-bound plane carrying five Americans freed by Iran left Doha on Monday as part of a prisoner swap for five Iranians held in the United States and the transfer of $US6 billion in Iranian funds, marking a rare deal between the long-time antagonists. “Today, five innocent Americans who were imprisoned […]
A week after floods, Libyans haunted by fate of the missing
Derna, Libya Reuters Sabreen Blil was on her hands and knees atop the rubble of her brother’s house, the wind beating at her black robe as she clawed with her bare hands at the flattened masonry in hope of somehow digging to the family buried below. She recited their names as she wept. “Taym, Yazan, […]
World leaders warn goals to fight hunger, poverty, climate change in peril
United NationsReuters World leaders meeting at the United Nations on Monday warned of the peril the world faces unless it acts with urgency to rescue a set of 2030 development goals to wipe out hunger and extreme poverty and to battle climate change. Their declaration, adopted by consensus at a summit before the annual UN […]
US-Iran detainee swap deal to go ahead on Monday, says Tehran
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters Tehran said a deal with its arch foe the United States for unfreezing Iranian funds worth $6 billion then swapping five detainees each would go ahead on Monday after months of talks mediated by Qatar. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said the funds frozen in South Korea would be in […]
Australia swelters in spring heat wave, temperatures set to break records
Sydney, AustraliaReuters A spring heat wave across large parts of Australia’s south-east, including Sydney, will intensify on Monday, the weather bureau said, with temperatures expected to peak up to 16 degrees Celsius above the September average. Australia is baking through a rising heat wave which has been building in the country’s outback interior over the […]
Sweden’s Carl XVI Gustaf celebrates 50 years as King
Stockholm, SwedenReuters Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf celebrated 50 years on the throne on Friday with ceremonies throughout the capital, including gun salutes, speeches and a lavish dinner with other heads of state. Friday is the culmination of a four-day celebration and the public was invited to the Stockholm palace courtyard to congratulate the 77-year-old […]
Mali’s Tuareg rebels claim capture of more military bases
Bamako, MaliReuters Fresh fighting broke out between Mali’s army and northern Tuareg rebels on Sunday, with the rebels claiming to have taken control of two army bases in the central town of Lere. The rebel alliance, called the Coordination of Azawad Movements, has been fighting the army since August, a conflict unleashed in part by […]
World Court to hear Russian objections to Ukraine genocide case
The Hague, The NetherlandReuters Russia and Ukraine will square off before the International Court of Justice on Monday in a case that centres around claims by Moscow that its invasion of Ukraine was done to prevent genocide. Ukraine brought the case to the United Nations’ highest court just days after the Russian invasion on 24th […]
Global hunger worse today than in 2015, imperiling UN goals – report
Washington DC, USReuters There are 745 million more moderately to severely hungry people in the world today than in 2015, and the world is far off track in its efforts to meet an ambitious United Nations goal to end hunger by 2030, the UN said in a report on Friday. At the halfway point to […]