Beijing (AFP) Oct 12, 2022 China’s state media on Wednesday signalled no let-up in its strict zero-Covid policy, publishing an editorial – the fourth this week ahead of the Communist Party Congress – vowing to never “lie flat” on virus controls. The messaging dashes widespread hopes from the Chinese public and overseas observers that the strategy might be relaxed after the congress, a twice-a-decade political … Continue reading Chinese state media signals no end to zero-Covid curbs

Karachi (AFP) Oct 11, 2022 Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai on Tuesday returned to her native Pakistan to meet flood victims, 10 years after a Taliban assassination attempt against her. Her visit – only the second since she was flown to Britain for life-saving treatment – comes as thousands of people protested in her home town, where the same militant group is once again on … Continue reading Malala visits Pakistan on 10th anniversary of Taliban shooting

Bangla Bazar, Bangladesh (AFP) Oct 10, 2022 For generations Paban Baroi’s family guarded a temple to Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, until Bangladesh’s mighty Padma river wreaked havoc of its own, wiping out the shrine, their home, and 200 other houses in their village. The 70-year-old and his neighbours are among thousands in the country who will be rendered destitute this year as surging … Continue reading Climate refugees flee as Bangladesh villages washed away

Riverside CA (SPX) Oct 11, 2022 The Salton Sea, California’s most polluted inland lake, has lost a third of its water in the last 25 years. New research has determined a decline in Colorado River flow is the reason for that shrinking. As the lake dries up, the concentration of salt and chemicals in the remaining water has increased dramatically, causing a mass die-off of … Continue reading Why the Salton Sea is turning into toxic dust

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 11, 2022 For the first time, high-energy muon particles created in the atmosphere have allowed researchers to explore the structures of storms in a way that traditional visualization techniques, such as satellite imaging, cannot. The detail offered by this new technique could aid researchers modeling storms and related weather effects. This could also lead to more accurate early warning systems. Ithttp://dlvr.it/SZsbLm Continue reading Opening the eye of the storm

Las Tejer?as, Venezuela (AFP) Oct 11, 2022 Neighbors helped rescue teams comb through mud and debris Monday for signs of dozens of people missing after a landslide swept through a town in Venezuela, killing at least 36. More than 3,000 rescuers were deployed in Las Tejerias, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the capital Caracas, after Venezuela’s worst natural disaster in decades. “Unfortunately, we have … Continue reading Neighbors, rescuers search for missing after Venezuela landslide

Baghdad (AFP) Oct 10, 2022 A year after Iraq’s last general election, the United Nations mission urged political factions to end the deadlock paralysing the oil-rich country, warning that “Iraq is running out of time.” “The protracted crisis is breeding further instability … it threatens people’s livelihoods,” the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq said, urging “dialogue without preconditions” toward a stable governmenthttp://dlvr.it/SZsbFt Continue reading Year after Iraq vote, UN urges dialogue to end gridlock

Wellington (AFP) Oct 8, 2022 About 250 pilot whales have died after beaching on New Zealand’s remote Chatham Island where the shark risk makes attempts to refloat them too dangerous, the government said Saturday. The pilot whales, members of the dolphin family, were reported to have been stranded Friday on the northwest of the island, New Zealand’s department of conservation said. “We do not actively … Continue reading 250 pilot whales die in remote New Zealand stranding

Nairobi (AFP) Oct 7, 2022 Kenya’s former president Uhuru Kenyatta, one of the key players in African Union-led efforts to bring peace to Ethiopia, said Friday he would not be attending negotiations expected to begin this weekend, raising doubts over whether the talks would go ahead. The bid to resolve the near two-year conflict comes as fierce fighting grips northern Ethiopia after a resurgence in … Continue reading Doubts over Ethiopia peace talks as Kenya envoy says won’t attend

Djibouti (AFP) Oct 8, 2022 Djibouti said seven of its soldiers were killed in an attack by a rebel group on a military barracks in the early hours of Friday, and launched a search to find six still missing. A defence ministry statement blamed the assault on the base in Garabtisan in the north of the tiny Horn of Africa nation on the “Armed FRUD” … Continue reading Djibouti says seven soldiers killed in rebel attack