By Farah Master HONG KONG (Reuters) – Living under China’s stringent COVID-19 restrictions for the past three years had caused Zhang Qi enough stress and uncertainty to consider not having babies in the country. When China abruptly dismantled its “zero COVID” regime last month to let the virus spread freely, the balance tilted to a …
China set for historic demographic turn, accelerated by COVID traumas Read More »
By Lisandra Paraguassu and Adriano Machado BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that security force members were complicit in letting an anti-government mob ransack the seat of power in Brasilia, and promised to weed out hardcore supporters of his predecessor. The task of screening out those actors will …
Lula to purge Bolsonaro loyalists from Brazilian security forces after rampage Read More »
(Reuters) -Ukrainian forces in the eastern city of Soledar are holding their positions and inflicting significant losses on Russia troops, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address on Thursday. A Russian-installed official in Ukraine’s Donetsk region earlier said “pockets of resistance” remained in Soledar, undermining claims that the town had been captured. Zelenskiy thanked …
Zelenskiy: Ukraine forces are holding Soledar positions, inflicting big losses Read More »
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Astronomers have detected in the stellar halo that represents the Milky Way’s outer limits a group of stars more distant from Earth than any known within our own galaxy – almost halfway to a neighboring galaxy. The researchers said these 208 stars inhabit the most remote reaches of the …
Astronomers discover Milky Way galaxy’s most-distant stars Read More »
ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkey summoned Sweden’s ambassador to Ankara on Thursday, a diplomatic source said, over a demonstration in Stockholm in which a puppet of President Tayyip Erdogan was hung from its feet. Sweden has been seeking Turkey’s approval to join NATO, for which it applied after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Ankara has said …
Turkey summons Swedish ambassador over Erdogan puppet protest in Stockholm Read More »
By Catarina Demony LISBON (Reuters) – Portugal’s government said on Thursday future officials would from now on have to answer a questionnaire before they are appointed to prove they are fit for office after a string of hiring scandals rocked the ruling Socialists. The new vetting system, a set of 34 questions, would allow the …
Portugal approves new vetting system after string of hiring scandals Read More »
WARSAW (Reuters) – The support offered to Ukraine by Poland and Lithuania may mean that other countries will follow their example, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday, after Poland’s president said Warsaw would give Kyiv Leopard tanks. “Poland and Lithuania can strategically start steps concerning obtaining (Leopard) tanks for Ukraine,” Zelenskiy told Polish state-run broadcaster …
Other countries may follow Poland’s example on tanks, says Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Read More »
By Bernard Orr and Eduardo Baptista BEIJING (Reuters) – People in China worried on Thursday about spreading COVID-19 to aged relatives as they planned returns to their home towns for holidays that the World Health Organization warns could inflame a raging outbreak. The Lunar New Year holiday, which officially starts on Jan. 21, comes after …
Chinese fret over elderly as WHO warns of holiday COVID surge Read More »
By Seun Sanni and Temilade Adelaja AKWA IBOM, Nigeria (Reuters) – For years, Emem Thomas’ body drew snarky remarks from slimmer classmates in southern Nigeria that shattered her confidence and natural affability. As teasing and taunts marred her teenage years, she gave up on dreams like competing in a local beauty pageant. Then she found …
Nigeria’s female bouncers show their strength fighting stereotypes Read More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Nearly 50,000 large dams worldwide could lose more than a quarter of their storage capacity by 2050 as a result of sedimentation build-ups, eroding global water and energy security, according to United Nations research on Wednesday. Dam capacity is expected to drop from 6 trillion cubic metres (cu m) to 4.655 trillion …
World’s dams to lose a quarter of storage capacity by 2050 – UN research Read More »
