Posts by Riah Stelmack
One dead and many injured following Russian attack on Zaporizhzhya
Overnight missile and drone strikes on the front-line city of Zaporizhzhya in south-eastern Ukraine have resulted in at least one fatality, with 25 people injured, local authorities said on Thursday morning. “Among them is a 2-month-old boy,” Governor Ivan Fedorov wrote on Telegram. He published images of damaged residential buildings. He also reported that an…
Read MoreTaken captive as a baby, Israelis brace to learn the fate of Hamas’ youngest hostage
TEL AVIV — On lampposts, in shop windows and on smartphone screens across Israel, the posters show a smiling, red-headed baby boy clutching a pink elephant. And now the country is bracing to learn Kfir Bibas’ fate. The youngest hostage still in captivity in Gaza, Kfir was just shy of 9 months old when he…
Read MoreFears that the world’s biggest iceberg could hit island in the South Atlantic
The world’s largest iceberg is still on the move and there are fears that it could be headed north from Antarctica towards the island of South Georgia. The iceberg, called A23a, was previously “trapped” spinning around an undersea mountain for several months, according to Andrew Meijers, a physical oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey. Now,…
Read MoreSouth Africa’s wine export revenues rise in 2024 amid flat volumes
South Africa has reported a rise in wine export revenues in 2024 amid improved “packaged” wine volumes. When measured in rands, the value of South Africa’s wine exports grew 3% to R10.3bn, trade body Wines of South Africa (WoSA) said. In US dollars, export sales stood at $562m, up 4.3% against 2023. According to WoSA,…
Read MoreFormer Namibian first lady warns of fraudsters using her face
Namibia’s former First Lady Monica Geingos has released a video message warning people that fraudsters are using her name and likeness to target unsuspecting citizens. Manipulated clips circulating for some time on social media appear to show her asking people to invest in a foreign exchange (forex) scheme. There have been many victims, including one…
Read MoreGerman air defence to protect Polish airport key to Ukraine supplies
Two Bundeswehr Patriot systems are set to protect a strategically important airport near Rzeszow in south-east Poland that is key to supplying war-torn Ukraine for the next six months. “These two units will protect NATO alliance territory and at the same time – and this is very important – the logistical supply of Ukraine,” said…
Read MoreGerman interior minister criticizes Bavaria over Aschaffenburg attack
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Thursday criticized authorities in the southern state of Bavaria following the fatal stabbings in Aschaffenburg. The minister said Bavarian officials must explain why the Afghan suspect in the attack had still been at large at the time of the stabbings, despite having earlier committed several violent offences. “Obviously some…
Read MoreBaker Tilly in Canada appoints Terri Holowath as new chair
Baker Tilly in Canada, part of Baker Tilly International, has appointed Terri Holowath as chair of its board of directors. With More than 30 years in professional services, Holowath will focus on driving growth across the Baker Tilly in the Canada network. Her experience includes a decade as managing partner in Calgary, where she promoted…
Read MoreSpain says over 550 migrants reached its Canary Islands in 2 days
MADRID (AP) — More than 550 migrants have arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands in boats over the past two days, Spain’s maritime rescue service said Thursday. At least one body was found in one of the boats. The Spanish archipelago off northwest Africa is continuing to experience large numbers of migrant arrivals as more people…
Read MoreMayotte’s students are returning to school amid cyclone devastation
MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — Students in the French territory of Mayotte are preparing to return to school on Monday, just over six weeks after the worst cyclone to hit the islands off Africa in nearly a century laid waste to entire neighborhoods and villages and left widespread devastation in its wake. Teachers called back into…
Read MoreGerman housing policy for patients with mental illness under scrutiny
The interior minister of Germany’s southern state of Bavaria is to review policies on housing for patients with serious mental illnesses after two people, including a 2-year-old child, were killed in the city of Aschaffenburg. “It is not easy, under our understanding of freedom, to decide that someone must come to a closed facility and…
Read MorePrisoners print election papers in Germany’s ‘living democracy’
Printing machines clatter and spit out official papers in the depths of Diez prison in south-western Germany. Inmates here are rushing to produce documents for the early parliamentary elections on February 23. “Not the ballot papers, because we don’t have the necessary machines,” says Volker Fleck, the head of the detention facility in the state…
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