Bearing Christmas cheer but no sweets, the Three Wise Men return to Madrid
Madrid, Spain Reuters Flanked by dancers and live camels the Three Wise Men paraded down Madrid’s central avenue atop glittering floats on Wednesday evening as traditional Epiphany celebrations returned – with restrictions – after last year’s COVID-19 cancellations. Most Spanish children receive their Christmas presents on 6th January, the day when Melchior, Balthazar and Caspar […]
Postcards: Solar power projects see the light on former Appalachian coal land
CAREY L BIRON, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how a former coal field is being transformed into a solar energy hub in the US…
The Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life takes on vaccine sceptics on social media
Vatican City RNS In a tweet laden with backstory and pointed frustration, the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life defended the COVID-19 vaccine and called out those who spread “malinformation” to discredit the vaccine as peddling “pure nonsense”. The Pontifical Academy for Life, the Vatican’s thinktank dedicated to protecting life from conception to natural death, took […]
North Korea fires suspected missile as South Korea breaks ground for “peace” railway
Seoul, South Korea Reuters North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile off its east coast on Wednesday, just hours before South Korean President Moon Jae-in attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a rail line he hopes will eventually connect the divided Korean peninsula. North Korea’s first launch since October underscored leader Kim Jong-un’s New Year vow […]
Vatican novelty to start New Year as Pope urges adoption
Rome, Italy AP Pope Francis called Wednesday for simplified adoption procedures and urged couples to have more children as he presided over his first general audience of the New Year with a novel supporting cast that emphasised his call for a less-clericalised Catholic Church. For the first time, a layman and a nun provided the […]
Kazakh President fails to quell protests, eight deaths reported
Almaty, Kazakhstan Reuters The President of ex-Soviet republic Kazakhstan appealed to a Russian-led security bloc for help on Thursday after failing to quell days of protests that have seen state buildings torched and eight security personnel reported dead. Initially angered by a fuel price rise, protesters have been storming buildings and chanting against President Kassym-Jomart […]
Kazakhstan Government resigns after violent protests over fuel price
Almaty, Kazakhstan Reuters Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the government’s resignation on Wednesday, his office said, after a fuel price increase in the oil-rich Central Asian country triggered protests in which nearly 100 police were injured. Police used tear gas and stun grenades late on Tuesday to drive hundreds of protesters out of the main […]
Philippines cancels ‘Black Nazarene’ parade again on COVID-19 concerns
Manila, The Philippines Reuters Philippine authorities have cancelled an annual procession, which normally draws millions of Catholic devotees accompanying a black wooden statue of Jesus Christ through the streets of Manila, for a second straight year due to coronavirus concerns. The government’s coronavirus task force cancelled the “Black Nazerene” procession, which is one of the […]
Metaverse to crypto: Five tech trends to watch out for in 2022
London, UK Thomson Reuters Foundation From tackling the coronavirus pandemic to working remotely and communicating with loved ones, digital tools, platforms and policies increasingly affect how we live our lives. Here are five tech trends to look out for in 2022. Cryptocurrencies Cryptocurrencies are shifting from the fringes of finance to the mainstream, with major […]
Tattoo artists in uproar over EU ink bans
Brussels, Belgium Reuters Tattoo parlours across the European Union were in crisis on Tuesday as a new rule came into force which effectively bans many of their most popular inks and which one artist described as like taking “taking the flour from a bakery”. Tattoo artists say alternatives to the inks, some of which have […]