Yemen warring parties agree to extend truce for two months – UN
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters Yemen’s warring parties agreed to extend a UN-brokered truce for another two months under the same terms as the original deal that was due to expire on Thursday, the UN envoy to Yemen said. Delegations from the Saudi-backed government and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement are expected to return to the Jordanian […]
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy eyes “inflection point” in war as Russia tightens grip on key target
Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters Russia tightened its grip on a key target in a battle for control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region while President Volodymir Zelenskiy pleaded for more Western arms to help Ukraine reach an “inflection point” and prevail in the war. Zelenskiy told Luxembourg’s parliament via videolink on Thursday that Russian forces now occupied […]
Some Russians wish “Granny Liz” well amid Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations
London, UK Reuters Russia may be deeply at odds with Britain over the invasion of Ukraine but that didn’t stop some Russians in Moscow praising Queen Elizabeth II as her Platinum Jubilee celebrations began on Thursday, wishing her good health and lauding her stylish choice of hats. The Queen along with members of the Royal […]
Updated: Beaming Queen Elizabeth waves to Jubilee crowds, will miss Friday service
Updated: 7.30am, 3rd June (AEST) London, UK Reuters A beaming Queen Elizabeth II waved to cheering crowds massed outside Buckingham Palace on Thursday as Britain kicked off four days of pomp, parties and parades to celebrate her record-breaking 70 years on the British throne. The 96-year-old monarch appeared on the balcony alongside her family, but […]
Cholita Mona Lisa: Bolivian artist gives famed portrait indigenous makeover
Alla Baja, Bolivia Reuters High in Bolivia’s Andean mountains, surrounded by small thatched roofed houses and sheep, Claudia Callizaya, 32, makes the final brushstroke to her newest piece of art: a take on the Mona Lisa as a local indigenous cholita woman. Her adaptation has the same steady gaze as in Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece […]
Helpdesk: What is the metaverse, and what can we do there?
ADRIAN MA, assistant professor of journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University, explains – in an article first published on The Conversation, the metaverse basics…
Kosovo harnesses legacy of war to train Ukrainians to clear mines
Peja, Kosovo Reuters Dressed in body armour and a protective visor, Iryna Kustovska slowly sweeps a metal detector across a patch of grass in search of a buried fake landmine as her machine emits high-pitched squeaks. The 38-year-old civil aviation administrator from Kiev is in Kovoso, where she is training to be a deminer before […]
On the Screen: ‘Man of God’, a stirring depiction of the saintly life of Nektarios of Aegina
DAVID ADAMS watches ‘Man of God’, a biopic on the life of late 19th and early 20th century Orthodox saint Nektarios of Aegina…
In wary Finland, Santa’s grotto is also bomb shelter
Rovaniemi/Helsinki, Finland Reuters Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has not caught Finland unprepared. Even the Santa Claus theme park in his “hometown” in the snowy north is ready to stand down its elves and revert to its original function – an emergency bomb shelter in case of attack. A member of the media takes pictures inside […]
WHO says COVID in North Korea likely “getting worse, not better”
Seoul, South Korea Reuters The World Health Organization has cast doubts on North Korea’s claims of progress in the fight against a COVID-19 outbreak, saying it believes the situation is getting worse, not better, amid an absence of independent data. North Korean state media has said the COVID wave has abated, after daily numbers of […]