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Somalis anxiously await news of loved ones as hotel siege ends

Somalis anxiously waited to know the fate of their missing relatives on Sunday as emergency workers attempted to clear debris after a deadly 30-hour siege by Al-Shabaab jihadists at a hotel in the capital Mogadishu.. On Sunday morning, the area surrounding the hotel was quiet and the roads blocked by a heavy security presence as emergency workers and bomb disposal experts sought to clear the premises of any explosives and remove rubble.

Sun, Aug 21, 2022 3 mins read

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Russian crops, fertiliser must move 'unimpeded': UN chief

Russian fertilisers and agricultural products must be able to reach world markets "unimpeded" or a global food crisis could strike as early as next year, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Saturday.. The other part of this package deal is the unimpeded access to the global markets of Russian food and fertiliser, which are not subject to sanctions," Guterres said, adding that despite this, Russian fertiliser and agricultural exports still faced "obstacles."  

Sat, Aug 20, 2022 2 mins read

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Eight dead as Somali forces battle Al-Shabaab at besieged hotel

At least eight civilians have been confirmed dead in an attack by Islamist militants on a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, an official said Saturday, as security forces continued to battle gunmen holed up inside.. "The security forces continued to neutralise terrorists who have been cordoned inside a room in the hotel building; most of the people were rescued but at least eight civilians were confirmed dead so far," security commander Mohamed Abdikadir told AFP. "The security forces rescued dozens of civilians including children who were trapped in the building safely," he added.

Sat, Aug 20, 2022 3 mins read

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22 million face starvation in Horn of Africa: WFP

The number of people at risk of starvation in the drought-ravaged Horn of Africa has increased to 22 million, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said Friday.. WFP says by September, at least 22 million people could face starvation. 

Fri, Aug 19, 2022 1 mins read

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Sri Lanka's ousted leader hopes to return home: party

Sri Lanka's deposed former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is seeking to return home from his exile in Thailand and has asked his successor to guarantee his safety, his party announced Friday.. "Basil Rajapaksa requested the president to make arrangements for the former president to return home," the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party said in a statement.

Fri, Aug 19, 2022 1 mins read

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UN chief to visit Odessa as Russian strikes batter Donbas

UN chief Antonio Guterres was expected in war-scarred southern Ukraine's main port of Odessa on Friday, a day after he said Turkey and Ukraine hoped to scale up their landmark grain export deal with Russia.. Guterres is expected to head to Turkey after Odessa to visit the Joint Coordination Centre, the body tasked with overseeing the accord.

Fri, Aug 19, 2022 3 mins read

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Spain wildfire resumes, threatening natural park

A major wildfire in eastern Spain that has destroyed vast swathes of land gathered pace overnight after flaring up again despite heavy rainfall, as another started Friday inside a nearby natural park, officials said.. Over the past week, hundreds of firefighters have been battling two major wildfires raging out of control in the Valencia region, with a bout of heavy rainfall offered some respite, almost totally extinguishing the flames. 

Fri, Aug 19, 2022 1 mins read

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Fuel price hikes, scarce rice add to hardship in Myanmar

Dozens of people queue under monsoon drizzle for subsidised cooking oil in Myanmar's commercial hub Yangon, waiting for one of the many commodities that have become scarce as economic misery strikes the city.. "People can't spend much of their income on food because of higher commodity prices," said 55-year-old housewife Khin Khin Than as she waited to fill her plastic bottle with oil sold by a local association.

Fri, Aug 19, 2022 2 mins read

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Chinese city dims lights in heatwave power crunch

A provincial capital in southwest China has dimmed outdoor advertisements, subway lighting and building signs to save energy, official announcements said, as the area battles a power crunch triggered by record-high temperatures.. And Chengdu metro said in a video on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform that it would also turn off advertisement lights and "optimise" the temperature in stations to save energy.

Fri, Aug 19, 2022 2 mins read

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Power shift for Mumbai's double-decker buses

India's entertainment capital is expanding its fleet of London-style red double-decker buses nearly a century after they made their debut -- this time as electric vehicles.. Fossil fuel-powered red double-deckers made their Mumbai debut in 1937 and up to 900 of them worked city routes at the peak of their operations.

Fri, Aug 19, 2022 1 mins read