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Ukraine war fuels food crisis in distant Africa

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Reuters

By Nelson Banya HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwean security guard Edwin Dapi was already struggling to provide for his wife and four children before a conflict 11,000 km (6,800 miles) away in Ukraine sent global prices for grains, cooking oils, fuel and fertilizer soaring. Now his monthly pay of 18,000 Zimbabwe dollars, worth roughly $55 at the black market rate used at many informal markets, is stretched to breaking point. At a supermarket in Mabvuku, one of the poorest neighbourhoods of the capital Harare, the 46-year-old was fretting over his family’s next meal. He reached for a 2-litre (0.5 gal… Continue reading “Ukraine war fuels food crisis in distant Africa”

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Pope’s trip to Lebanon postponed for health reasons

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Al-Araby

Pope Francis’s planned trip to Lebanon next month has been postponed because the 85-year-old pontiff experienced difficulty walking recently, sources said on Monday. In recent weeks, the pope suffered a flare-up of pain in the right knee in addition to a long-time case of sciatica, which also causes pain in the legs. The June 12-13 trip had been announced by the Lebanese government. The Vatican never officially announced the trip but the pope referred to plans relating to it in recent interviews. The two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss s… Continue reading “Pope’s trip to Lebanon postponed for health reasons”

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Sudan’s electric rickshaws cut costs, help environment

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Relaxnews

Sudanese entrepreneur Mohamed Samir watches proudly as workers assemble garishly coloured rickshaws, unique in the North African nation because they run on electricity in a bid to tackle soaring costs. In Sudan, three-wheeler vehicles — tuk-tuk rickshaws for passengers, and motorbike tricycles with a trailer attached for carrying goods — have long been a popular and affordable transport. Tens of thousands ply the streets of the capital Khartoum alone. But with Sudan gripped by a dire economic crisis made worse by political unrest following a military coup last October, the cost of running pe… Continue reading “Sudan’s electric rickshaws cut costs, help environment”

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Sudan’s intensifying crackdown on pro-democracy protests

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Al-Araby

After staging a coup on 25 October 2021, Sudan’s junta has intensified violence against the country’s sprawling pro-democracy movement. Protesters have been killed, abducted, and raped, while international attempts to restore the country’s democratic transition remain woefully ineffective. Still, hundreds of thousands of Sudanese people continue to reaffirm their demand for full civilian rule. Leading the charge are the resistance committees – neighbourhood groups with their own locally elected representatives – who have coordinated nationwide demonstrations on a nearly weekly basis since the … Continue reading “Sudan’s intensifying crackdown on pro-democracy protests”

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Protester killed by armoured vehicle at Sudan anti-coup demo

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Al-Araby

Sudanese security forces on Thursday killed a protester when an armoured vehicle ran over him during the latest rally against last year’s military coup, medics said. The unidentified protester was killed by the “vehicle belonging to the coup forces during rallies in Khartoum” headed towards the presidential palace, said the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, a pro-democracy group of medics. Anti-coup demonstrators routinely target the palace, where the ruling Sovereign Council is based along the Nile River. The demonstrator’s death brings to 95 the toll from the crackdown on anti-coup protest… Continue reading “Protester killed by armoured vehicle at Sudan anti-coup demo”

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Pope uses wheelchair in public for first time since knee pain flare-up

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Reuters UK

By Philip Pullella and Guglielmo Mangiapane VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis used a wheelchair in public on Thursday for the first time since a flare-up of pain in his knee that has limited his ability to walk. At an audience with a group of nuns in the Vatican’s general audience hall, Francis was wheeled to his seat on the stage. An aide then helped him out of the wheelchair and onto his seat. The 85-year-old pope has had to cancel or curtail activities several times over the past month because of the pain in his right knee. Before Thursday, he had managed to walk the 10 metres (yards) or… Continue reading “Pope uses wheelchair in public for first time since knee pain flare-up”