Wow!: Virgin Atlantic jet makes maiden transatlantic flight on low-carbon fuel
SARAH YOUNG and JOANNA PLUCINSKA, of Reuters, reports on how a flight using 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel may be a sign of things to come…
Indian Government official directed plot to assassinate Sikh American in US – DOJ
New York City, USReuters An Indian Government official directed an unsuccessful plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist, who is also a US citizen, on US soil, the US Justice Department said on Wednesday, in announcing charges against a man accused of orchestrating the attempted murder. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Nikhil Gupta, 52, worked with […]
Freed Israeli hostages tell families of beatings and death threats
JerusalemReuters Israeli women and children on their return from Hamas captivity in Gaza speak of being beaten and threatened with death, moved from place to place and forced to whisper during weeks spent with little to do, their families say. Most hostages released during a six-day-old truce have been rushed to hospitals out of sight […]
Pope says he is “still not well” in first appearance after cancelling COP28 trip
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis sounded wheezy and limited his speaking at a public event on Wednesday, a day after he cancelled a trip to the COP28 climate summit in Dubai because of health issues. “Dear brothers and sisters good morning and welcome,” the 86-year-old pontiff said at his weekly audience, held indoors in the Vatican’s […]
Militants kill at least 40 in north Burkina Faso attack on Sunday – UN
Dakar, SenegalReuters Islamist jihadist militants killed at least 40 civilians during an attack in northern Burkina Faso over the weekend, the United Nations’ Human Rights Office said. The latest reported assault in an area rife with jihadist activity took place on Sunday in the town of Djibo, where many displaced people have sought refuge. Fighters […]
WHO says Gaza’s health system must be protected as disease spreads
Geneva, SwizterlandReuters The World Health Organization on Wednesday called for Gaza’s vulnerable health infrastructure to be safeguarded as the war-torn enclave faces an increased risk of epidemics and challenges in detecting infectious diseases. A fragile truce agreement between Israel and Hamas last week has allowed WHO and aid organisations to increase their deliveries of essential […]
Sixteen more hostages freed from Gaza as part of Israeli-Hamas truce
Updated: 12pm (AEDT)Gaza/JerusalemReuters Sixteen people who were being held hostage in Gaza were handed over to Israeli officials on Wednesday, the second and last day of an extended truce in the Gaza war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the Red Cross and other authorities said. In a repeat of scenes over the […]
UK accuses Greece of breaking Parthenon promise on PM’s visit
London, UK/Athens, GreeceReuters A dispute between Britain and Greece over the ownership of the Parthenon Sculptures, known as the Elgin marbles, escalated on Tuesday, with both sides blaming the other for the cancellation of a planned meeting between their two leaders. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled Tuesday’s meeting with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis after […]
StrangeSights: Inaugural litter clean-up ‘World Cup’; a day for records; and, a lion in the snow…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Delayed by war, Gaza’s olive harvest is too little, too late, say farmers
GazaReuters Farmers in Gaza were taking advantage of the truce between Israel and Hamas to harvest what was left of their olives after weeks of fighting during which they dared not go to their lands for fear of getting killed. In a normal year the harvest would have started weeks earlier, but until the truce […]