Browsing: News

As the country mourned the deadliest tragedy in years and tried to cope with its aftermath, the death toll from the Halloween crowd crush in Seoul has risen to 154, including 26 foreigners. According to officials at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, the death toll could rise further, as 33 others remain in serious condition. In addition, 116 others suffered minor injuries. Korean news agency Yonhap reports that officials have identified all but one of the dead. There are 26 foreign victims, including five from Iran, four each from China and Russia, two from the United States, two…

To reduce coal consumption and gain greater energy independence, Poland chose the US government and Westinghouse to build its first nuclear power plant. For the plant in Pomerania province near the Baltic Sea coast, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland would use Westinghouse Electric Company’s “reliable and safe technology.” No details have been released about the exact location of the plant. Morawiecki said a strong Poland-US alliance ensures the success of our joint initiatives. According to the Associated Press (AP), Poland plans to spend $40 billion on building two nuclear power plants with three reactors each. US and Westinghouse have…

A terrorist attack targeting Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, that resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries, has been strongly condemned by the United Nations. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, extended his sincere condolences to the family members of the victims, as well as to the Somali government and people, and wished all injured a speedy recovery. According to a statement attributed to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Somalia, Guterres reiterated that the United Nations stands in solidarity with Somalia against violent extremism. The UN Secretary-General reiterated his commitment to help Somalia achieve peace and prosperity…

A disaster agency in the Philippines reported on Saturday that Tropical Storm Nalgae caused 72 deaths in the southern provinces due to floods and landslides. The most affected province was Maguindanao with 67 deaths. This was followed by Sultan Kudarat with four deaths, South Cotabato with two and the Visayas region with the rest, agency spokesperson Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro said. On Saturday morning, the tropical storm made landfall in eastern Catanduanes province, with sustained winds of 95 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of 160 kph. As it cuts through Luzon island and makes its way to the South China…

As Britain’s third prime minister in two months, Rishi Sunak faces the greatest challenges any new leader can face. These include a mounting economic crisis, a warring political party, and a deeply divided country. As reported by Reuters, King Charles has asked the 42-year-old hedge fund boss to form a government and end the infighting at Westminster that has horrified investors and alarmed international allies. In the wake of a slowdown in the economy, higher borrowing costs, and a six-month energy bill assistance program, Sunak must make deep cuts in his spending plan to plug an estimated 40 billion pound…

Scientists have warned that a global insect apocalypse could have radical effects on the environment and humankind. According to the German press agency (DPA), an international study on the future of insects under climate change scenarios will drastically reduce humankind’s capacity to build a sustainable future. Co-author William Laurance, of James Cook University in Australia, said that the biosphere had already warmed by about 1.1 degrees Celsius since industrialization. A further 2-5 degrees Celsius of warming is predicted by 2100 unless greenhouse gas emissions are drastically reduced. Laurance said insects are especially vulnerable to changing temperatures and moisture levels due…

The Tunisian National Guard has told the media that it has thwarted several attempts to migrate irregularly across the country and has rescued hundreds of migrants. A spokesperson for the Directorate General of the Tunisian National Guard said in a statement that units of the maritime branches of the Naval Guard in the center had thwarted 22 attempts to cross maritime borders and rescued 669 migrants. The Tunisian National Guard units in the north, he added, had thwarted five attempts by people to cross the maritime border illegally in the past week. They also rescued 62 people. According to the…

Cuba’s electrical grid collapsed late Tuesday evening in Havana. In the aftermath of the hurricane, the whole island was left without electricity within hours of Hurricane Ian. This hurricane devastated the western side of the island with flooding and violent winds. It was reported by Reuters, citing state-run media, that Lázaro Guerra, Technical Director of the Electric Union of Cuba, said that a failure in the national electric system, which was in part caused by the storm, had affected infrastructure. According to Guerra, the union will work through the night and early Wednesday morning in an effort to restore power…

One after another, presidents and prime ministers from around the world spoke of their countries’ trials and triumphs. One of the biggest issues, however, was largely ignored in both columns. While war, climate change, and inequality have dominated the United Nations General Assembly, leaders have largely left the historic growth of the aging population unspoken. “Older persons are pretty much missing,” said Claudia Mahler, one of the few voices at the U.N. devoted to aging, in the Commission on Human Rights. “Everybody thinks the future belongs to the young.” Across the globe, societies are witnessing the promise and peril of…

Almost 2% of the world’s rarest zebras have been wiped out by Kenya’s most severe drought in 40 years, as well as 25 times as many elephants as usual. Kenya’s famed wildlife is being starved of normal food sources and being driven into deadly conflict with people. This is because they wander further into towns and villages seeking sustenance, according to Reuters. Conservationists say animals in the East African country could face an existential crisis if interventions to protect wildlife are not made, or if the rainy season fails again. Grevy’s Zebra Trust (GZT) monitoring officer Andrew Letura described it…