Pisa, Italy | AFP | “It’s still straightening,” said engineer Roberto Cela, gazing at the Leaning Tower of Pisa gleaming in the autumn sunshine of northern Italy. “And many years will have to pass before it stops.” The gravitationally-challenged landmark is leaning less after years of ambitious engineering work. Fortunately …
Read More »Nations pressed to tackle ‘urgent threats’ at UN climate talks
Katowice, Poland | AFP | With the direst environmental warnings yet still ringing in their ears, nations gathered in Poland Sunday for a UN summit aimed at heading off the “urgent threat” of runaway climate change. The UN talks come at a crucial juncture in mankind’s response to planetary warming. …
Read More »At-risk nations to make case at UN climate summit
Katowice, Poland | AFP | Nations most threatened by rising sea levels and devastating droughts will use a UN summit in Poland on Monday to urge richer countries to pay their fair share in the climate change fight. The presidents of at-risk states such as Honduras, Nigeria and Bangladesh are expected …
Read More »MOTORING: 2019 Range Rover Evoque revealed
Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | The Range Rover Evoque pretty much invented the idea of a style-led baby crossover, back in 2012. Plenty of critics said it seemed a bit frivolous, but three-quarters of a million buyers around the world prove they were wrong. It’s been a massive success, selling three-quarters …
Read More »Trump says hopes to meet N.Korea’s Kim in January or February
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump said Saturday he hoped to organize a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in early 2019, perhaps as soon as January or February. Trump told reporters traveling home to Washington with him aboard Air Force One from …
Read More »Qatar to quit OPEC in 2019: energy minister
Doha, Qatar | AFP | Qatar is to leave OPEC next month in order for the Gulf state to focus on gas production, Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi announced on Monday. “Qatar has decided to withdraw its membership from OPEC effective January 2019,” Kaabi said at a Doha press conference. He …
Read More »Michelle Obama shelves Paris, Berlin trips for Bush funeral
Washington, United States | AFP | Former US first lady Michelle Obama said Sunday she was canceling book tour visits to Paris and Berlin to attend the funeral of former president George H.W. Bush, who died Friday aged 94. “It’s important to me to join the Bush family in celebrating …
Read More »UEFA approves creation of third club competition from 2021
Dublin, Ireland | AFP | UEFA confirmed on Sunday the creation of a third European club competition from the 2021/22 season designed to offer more clubs and associations the chance to play European football. After approval from UEFA’s Executive Committee in Dublin, the Europa League will be cut from its …
Read More »Beyonce, Jay-Z dazzle South Africa at Mandela gig
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Beyonce was leading an all-star line-up including Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z and Usher in Johannesburg at a concert to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. The concert was the climax of a year of events celebrating the centennial of Mandela’s birth in 1918, …
Read More »Did 6kg of plastic ocean trash kill this whale?
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A dead sperm whale that washed ashore recently in a national park in Indonesia had nearly 6kg of plastic waste in its stomach, park officials say. Items found included 115 drinking cups, four plastic bottles, 25 plastic bags and two flip-flops. The discovery has caused …
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