Pacific Islands endorse $A400 million regional policing plan
Sydney, Australia Reuters Leaders of several Pacific Islands said on Wednesday they have endorsed an Australian-funded $A400 million plan to improve police training and create a mobile regional policing unit, as Canberra looks to reduce China’s security footprint in the area. The leaders of Tonga, Fiji, Palau and Papua New Guinea said the programme would […]
Water profiteers thrive in Sicily as drought intensifies
Caltanissetta, Italy Reuters A drought on the Italian island of Sicily has become so severe that many residents of the city of Caltanissetta have been without running water for two months, leading to handsome profits for unauthorised private sellers. In a situation more readily associated with a developing country than an advanced European economy, thousands […]
StrangeSights: Redheads gather at unique Dutch festival; a 102-year-old skydiver; and, the world’s oldest person…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Pope will visit the Istiqlal Mosque in Indonesia on the first stop of an interfaith Asian trip
Jakarta, Indonesia AP When Pope Francis begins his Asia tour next week, one of his early stops will be at Indonesia’s iconic Istiqlal Mosque. The 87-year-old head of the Catholic Church will hold an interfaith meeting with representatives of the country’s six officially recognised religions as the populous South-East Asian nation faces growing challenges to […]
Insecurity, rising costs push 31 million Nigerians into acute food shortage, study says
Lagos, Nigeria Reuters More than 31.8 million Nigerians are acutely short of food due to security challenges and the removal of fuel subsidies, the government said on Tuesday, citing a study by several of the country’s international development partners. The scale of the shortages, which have led to malnutrition among women and children, was set […]
Kremlin calls Ukrainian ban on branch of Orthodox Church an attack on freedom of religion
Moscow, Russia Reuters Russia on Tuesday condemned a move by Ukraine to ban a Moscow-linked branch of the Orthodox Church, describing it as an attack on Christianity and a blow to freedom of religion. Ukrainian lawmakers voted last week to ban the Russia-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which Kyiv has accused of abetting Moscow’s 30-month-old […]
Donald Trump faces revised US indictment in election subversion case
Washington DC, US Reuters Donald Trump faced a revised federal indictment on Tuesday accusing him of illegally trying to overturn his 2020 election loss, with prosecutors narrowing their approach after a US Supreme Court ruling that former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution. US Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team obtained the superseding indictment in […]
Pakistan PM says militant attacks aimed at thwarting China cooperation
Islamabad, Pakistan Reuters Attacks by separatist militants in Pakistan’s south-western province of Balochistan are aimed at stopping development projects that form part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday. The assaults that began on Sunday, killing more than 70, were the most widespread in years by ethnic militants seeking […]
Mpox: New strain is changing fast; African scientists are “working blind” to respond
JENNIFER RIGBY and JULIE STEENHUYSEN, of Reuters, report…
Venezuela’s Machado says peaceful protests, external pressure could still oust Maduro
Caracas, Venezuela Reuters Peaceful street protests and international pressure still have the potential to unseat Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Tuesday, as an election dispute reached the one-month mark and the opposition’s pathways to claim power seemed narrow. The disagreement over the 28th July contest has sparked international cries […]