NASA unveils newly returned carbon-rich asteroid sample
Reuters NASA on Wednesday gave the public a first glimpse of what scientists found inside a sealed capsule that was returned to Earth last month carrying a carbon-rich soil sample scooped from an asteroid’s surface, including water-bearing clay minerals. A small quantity of the material collected by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft three years ago from the […]
Wow!: New award honours Tim Keller and Sister Norma Pimentel for civic renewal
A new group plans to honour Rev Timothy Keller, an evangelical Christian theologian who died earlier this year, and Catholic nun Sister Norma Pimentel, known for her work with migrants. JACK JENKINS reports…
Gore, gunfights and hostage-taking scar kibbutz dwellers
Beeri, Israel Reuters Israeli paramedic Hami Atias has seen much death and gore over 21 years of treating victims of violent attacks, natural disasters and war wounded. But the scene that greeted him at a leafy kibbutz near Gaza at the weekend will haunt him forever. Atias was one of the first-responders who went into […]
Afghanistan earthquakes a “disaster on top of a disaster” – World Food Programme
Karachi, Pakistan Reuters The World Food Programme on Wednesday called the recent Afghanistan earthquakes a ‘disaster on top of a disaster,’ urging the international community to provide humanitarian aid to the war-torn nation. Limited aid makes relief work difficult after earthquakes and aftershocks since Saturday rattled the religiously conservative nation. The tremors killed at least […]
Updated: US House in limbo as Republican Scalise appears short of votes for speaker
Updated: 12:20pm (AEDT)Washington DC, USReuters Republicans who control the US House of Representatives on Wednesday nominated Steve Scalise to serve as speaker following last week’s ouster of Kevin McCarthy, but delayed further action when he appeared to be short of the support needed to win a vote of the full chamber. Scalise, now number two […]
Egypt discusses Gaza aid, rejects corridors for civilians, say sources
Cairo, EgyptReuters Egypt has discussed plans with the United States and others to provide humanitarian aid through its border with Gaza Strip but rejects any move to set up safe corridors for refugees fleeing the enclave, Egyptian security sources said on Wednesday. Gaza, a tiny coastal strip of land wedged between Israel in the north […]
Israel forms emergency war cabinet against Hamas as deaths and damage in Gaza mount
Updated: 12:45pm (AEDT)Jerusalem/GazaReuters Israel formed an emergency unity government on Wednesday as its jets pounded Gaza and tanks massed around the Palestinian enclave, and the army said it killed three Hamas militants in a fresh confrontation on nearby Israeli territory. Former Defence Minister Benny Gantz, a centrist opposition leader, spoke live on Israeli television alongside Prime […]
Another quake hits western Afghanistan; official says losses “huge”
Updated: 8:30am, 12th October (AEDT)Kabul, AfghanistanReuters A strong earthquake rattled Afghanistan’s western province of Herat on Wednesday, forcing authorities to redeploy relief and rescue teams already in the field following a series of deadly quakes on Saturday. There were no details on casualties so far, disaster management spokesman Janan Sayeeq told Reuters, but provincial officials […]
Israel pounds Gaza by air; Biden condemns “evil” Hamas attacks
Updated 6pm (AEDT)Jerusalem/Gaza/Washington DC, USReuters Israel vowed to escalate its response to an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas with a ground offensive, while US President Joe Biden pledged support for Israel and issued a warning to anyone who might seek to take advantage of the situation. Israel said dozens of its fighter jets […]
Mexico eyes migrant processing centres in Latam countries of origin
Mexico City, MexicoReuters Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday he wants centers for handling asylum claims to be set up in migrants’ countries of origin instead of Mexico, and will discuss it with regional leaders at a summit later this month. Lopez Obrador is due to host leaders from Latin America in […]