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India to probe railway collision that killed nine, injured dozens

Kolkata, India Reuters India will launch an investigation on Tuesday into a train collision that killed nine people in the state of West Bengal and injured more than 50, a day after a top railway official blamed the incident on driver error. The death toll was revised down to nine from 15 after Monday’s accident, […]

South Korea orders doctors to return to work amid prolonged strike

Seoul, South Korea Reuters The South Korean Government issued a return-to-work order for doctors on Tuesday as more doctors including medical professors join the months-long strike to protest increasing medical school admissions. Around four per cent of some 36,000 private clinics have notified the government of plans to be closed on Tuesday to take part […]

Old Hanoians hail “world leader” Putin ahead of expected visit

Hanoi, Vietnam Reuters Nguyen Thi Hong Van’s Russian souvenir shop may be a bit of an oddity in the Vietnamese capital but her gifts sell very well, she says, reflecting the enthusiasm old Hanoians have for an expected visit by President Vladimir Putin. “Vietnamese people love Russian products very much,” she told Reuters, surrounded by […]

Malawi mourns VP amid protests over plane crash response

Blantyre, Malawi Reuters Malawians gathered to mourn Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima amid heavy security on Monday, a day after people from his home district launched protests over the government’s response to the plane crash that killed him and eight others last week. Chilima, 51, was laid to rest in his village of Nsipe in […]

EU summit ends without agreement on top jobs

Brussels, Belgium Reuters European Union leaders ended a discussion on who should take the bloc’s top jobs for the next five years without agreement on Monday, aiming instead for a decision at a summit next week. The leaders’ meeting was the first since the European Parliament election, which saw gains for the centre-right and right-wing […]

Campaigning takes off in France for snap election in two weeks

Paris, France Reuters Campaigning kicked off on Monday for France’s snap parliamentary election, which opinion polls suggest the far-right National Rally will win ahead of a left-wing alliance, with President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist group trailing in third. Political uncertainty has triggered heavy selling of French bonds and stocks since Macron unexpectedly called the election after […]

Brazil’s Lula demands faster action against organised crime in the Amazon

Brasilia, Brazil Reuters Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday urged his government to speed up actions in the Amazon to combat organised crime that has contributed to destruction of the world’s largest tropical rainforest. Lula complained that it had taken a year for a security plan for the Amazon, known as AMAS, […]

Out of balance

After reading many biographies of people who have achieved amazing things in life, I’ve found that, often, the people who’ve done such things have life sooo out of balance. PICTURE: Alejandro Tocornal/Unsplash We idolise them, but they don’t always have lives worth mimicking.  It seems many people achieve remarkable things, precisely because their life is […]