- Wednesday, 20 August 2025
Reuters
Somalia president: at least 100 people killed in car bombs
At least 100 people were killed and 300 injured in two car bombs that exploded outside the education ministry in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Saturday, the country's president said in a statement early on Sunday.
As Elon Musk takes over Twitter, free speech limits tested
Mere hours after Elon Musk kicked off a new era at Twitter Inc, the billionaire owner was deluged with pleas and demands from banned account holders and world leaders.
COVID disrupted measles vaccinations in Africa, cases surge
The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted measles vaccine campaigns globally in 2020 and 2021, leaving millions of children unprotected against one of the world's most contagious diseases, whose complications include blindness, pneumonia, and death.
Sunak favourite to be UK PM after Johnson drops comeback bid
Rishi Sunak looked set to become Britain's next prime minister after Boris Johnson withdrew from the contest on Sunday, saying that although he had enough support to make the final ballot he realized the country and the Conservative Party needed unity.
WHO says COVID-19 is still a global health emergency
The World Health Organization has said that COVID-19 remains a global emergency, nearly three years after it was first declared as one.
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'Massive gaps' seen in countries' plans to tackle climate change -study
The latest pledges by countries to tackle global warming under the Paris Agreement are "woefully inadequate" to avert a rise in global temperatures that scientists say will worsen droughts, storms and floods, a report said on Wednesday.
Soaring food prices push UK inflation back to 40-year high
The biggest jump in food prices since 1980 pushed British inflation back into double digits last month, matching a 40-year high hit in July in a new blow for households grappling with a cost-of-living crisis.
Indonesia says 74 children have died from acute kidney injury this year
More than 70 children in Indonesia have died from acute kidney injury (AKI) since January this year, a health ministry official said on Wednesday, as a team of experts investigates the spike in cases. The development comes as health officials in the Gambia said nearly 70 children had died from AKI after taking a locally sold paracetamol syrup used to treat fever.
Helicopter carrying pilgrims crashes in India, killing six
A helicopter carrying pilgrims to Kedarnath in India's Himalayan region crashed on Tuesday, killing all six on board, a police official said. Two pilots and four pilgrims died in the crash in the northern state of Uttarakhand, its police chief, Ashok Kumar, told Reuters by telephone, adding that a rescue team had been sent to the site.
France begins nationwide strike amid soaring inflation
French trade unions began a nationwide strike on Tuesday, asking for higher salaries amid decades-high inflation and posing President Emmanuel Macron one of his stiffest challenges since his reelection in May.
Drought and floods leave Chad herders without food, milk
Nomadic herder Fatime Tchari fended off a hungry calf as she tried to squeeze the last drops of milk from an emaciated cow in an arid corner of southern Chad.
India festival spending booms despite inflation worries, global slowdown
Indian consumers are lapping up everything from cars, houses and television sets to travel and jewellery in the festive season that began last month, according to early data, giving a fillip to growth prospects despite economic gloom elsewhere in the world.
Long COVID at 12 months persists at 18 months, study shows
Most patients with COVID-19 who have lingering symptoms at 12 months are likely to still have symptoms at 18 months, new data suggest.
Bhutan holds high-altitude race to highlight climate dangers
Twenty-nine runners set off on a rare high-altitude race in Bhutan on Thursday to highlight the dangers of climate change to the Himalayan kingdom sandwiched between China and India, two of the world's biggest polluters.
Europe likely entering another COVID wave, says WHO and ECDC
Another wave of COVID-19 infections may have begun in Europe as cases begin to tick up across the region, the World Health Organization and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said.
