Tibet quake highlights earthquake risk for dams on roof of the world
Beijing, China Reuters Tibet’s earthquake of magnitude 6.8 that killed at least 126 and damaged four water reservoirs last week highlights the risks from a hydropower building spree by Asian giants China and India in one of the world’s most remote, quake-prone regions, experts say. Some 68 major dams in the Himalayan region exploit the […]
Hollywood celebrities clear their closets for fire aid
Los Angeles, US Reuters When wildfires destroyed parts of Los Angeles this week, real estate agent Jenna Cooper started asking friends for clothing and other items to help people in need. Her request spread quickly through a network of powerful women. Actors including Sharon Stone and Halle Berry responded, providing sweaters, shoes, clothing, handbags, belts, […]
Trump’s Middle East envoy meets Netanyahu on Saturday amid ceasefire push
Jerusalem/Cairo, Egypt Reuters US President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday amid a push to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, Netanyahu’s office said. After the meeting, Netanyahu dispatched a high-level delegation which included the head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency to Qatar in order to […]
Biden extends deportation relief for 900,000 immigrants from Venezuela, El Salvador, Ukraine and Sudan
Washington DC, US Reuters President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday renewed deportation relief that currently covers 900,000 immigrants from Venezuela, El Salvador, Ukraine and Sudan, a move that would delay any attempts by President-elect Donald Trump to sunset those protections. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extended enrolment in the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) […]
Luce, the Vatican’s anime-style Jubilee mascot, has taken on a meme life of her own
Fort Worth, Texas RNS When Jason Whitehead first saw the Vatican’s 2025 Jubilee mascot, Luce, it “was a bit of a surprise”, he said. The anime-style character was a far cry from the traditional Roman Catholic style art the Fort Worth Diocese’s director of the department for evangelisation and catechesis was familiar with. The cartoon […]
Biden awards Pope Francis medal of freedom, highest US civilian honour
Washington DC, US Reuters US President Joe Biden spoke with Pope Francis on Saturday and awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, the nation’s highest civilian honor, the White House said. It was the first time during his four years in office that Biden awarded the medal “with distinction”, it said. President Joe […]
Sudanese army advances to retake city of Wad Madani from RSF
Cairo, Egypt Reuters Sudan’s army said on Saturday it had entered the central city of Wad Madani and was pushing out its paramilitary rivals the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a step which if completed successfully would be its biggest gain in near two years of war. The army posted a video appearing to show troops […]
Myanmar military air strike kills dozens in Rakhine village, UN says
Reuters Dozens of people were killed in an air strike by Myanmar’s military government in the western state of Rakhine this week, the United Nations said, as the South-East Asia nation’s civil war nears its fourth year. The civilian shadow government and the Arakan Army, an ethnic militia based in Rakhine fighting for the autonomy […]
Vast Los Angeles fire spreads into new areas near Palisades
Los Angeles, US Reuters A full-scale firefighting effort stretched into Saturday in the upscale Los Angeles neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades, as the wildfire there expanded into an additional 400 hectares overnight with residents warned of potential worsening weather conditions over the next 72 hours that could further stoke the blaze. Cal Fire official Todd Hopkins […]