Ex-factory worker and engineer to make history as one of China’s first space passengers
SCMP

Ex-factory worker and engineer to make history as one of China’s first space passengers

A 73-year-old Chinese female entrepreneur has recently become the 22nd passenger of the domestically developed spacecraft CYZ1. On August 8, Huang Xiaochi was officially designated as passenger No 022 for CYZ1, a project by the commercial space start-up InterstellOr. Huang is scheduled to embark on a suborbital mission aboard the spaceship in 2028, reaching the Kármán line, the widely recognised b...

Poland forces Starlink U-turn over roaming price hike

Euronews

SpaceX has reversed a decision to exclude Poland from Starlink's European roaming zone, days before new rules would have doubled prices for Polish users and reignited questions over the company's reliability as Ukraine's wartime lifeline.

American missionary kidnapped in Niger freed after nine months

American missionary kidnapped in Niger freed after nine months

The Guardian

Kevin Rideout, who was abducted by unknown assailants in Niamey, said to be in good health and in care of US officialsAn American missionary who was kidnapped in Niger in October has been released, his organisation has said.Kevin Rideout “is in good health in the care of US officials” and would soon be reunited with his extended family, SIM International said in a statement. Continue reading...

American missionary kidnapped in Niger freed after 9 months in captivity

American missionary kidnapped in Niger freed after 9 months in captivity

The Guardian

Kevin Rideout, who was abducted by unknown assailants in Niamey, said to be in good health and in care of US officialsAn American missionary who was kidnapped in Niger in October has been released, his organisation has said.Kevin Rideout “is in good health in the care of US officials,” SIM International said in a statement. He will soon be reunited with his extended family, it added. Continue read...

Will disbarment of Singapore’s Pritam Singh further dent his political standing?

Will disbarment of Singapore’s Pritam Singh further dent his political standing?

SCMP

The disbarment of Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh in Singapore is a professional blow for the leading opposition figure, but is not expected to further damage his political standing. Singh, 50, was struck off the roll of advocates and solicitors in a disciplinary hearing on Thursday, a decision that political analysts say reflects the hardline stance of the country’s legal system against dishone...

Colombia: Hundreds still missing as earthquake resue effort continues

Colombia: Hundreds still missing as earthquake resue effort continues

France 24

In Colombia hopes are fading of finding survivors after Monday’s powerful earthquake. Rescue teams are now turning their focus to recovering bodies, but families are still holding out hope of finding their loved ones alive beneath the rubble. Many have taken matters into their own hands, as our reporters found when they visited Cali, a city near the quake’s epicentre. A report by R. Sedano, M. Plu...

Colorado’s 2024 restoration efforts for Preble’s mouse gain momentum with new habitat project

Colorado’s 2024 restoration efforts for Preble’s mouse gain momentum with new habitat project

Times of India

Colorado is taking significant steps to ensure the survival of the endangered Preble's meadow jumping mouse. Efforts focus on restoring essential streamside ecosystems and linking them to floodplains. Landowners are invited to join this initiative through voluntary conservation measures and financial support. A conservation bank was established in 2024 to facilitate these vital restoration project...

Iran claims 'trillion-dollar' pollution damage as Gulf oil spills spread

Euronews

Oil residues from a struck bulk carrier reached Iran's Qeshm Island and its protected mangrove forests, while a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tanker grounded off Oman has leaked a slick that has grown to more than 2,000 square kilometres, fouling 40 kilometres of Omani coastline.

Albanian ambassador attacks UK right wing for ‘unhinged’ fixation with 2022 migrant surge

Albanian ambassador attacks UK right wing for ‘unhinged’ fixation with 2022 migrant surge

The Guardian

Exclusive: Uran Ferizi says arrivals fell sharply after short-lived influx, but country continues to be stigmatisedThe number of Albanians who travelled to Britain in small boats four years ago remains the focus of “unhinged” and “hysterical” criticisms from rightwing politicians and the media, according to the country’s UK ambassador.Uran Ferizi said the influx of more than 12,000 people from the...

Israeli settlers seize Palestinian water source in occupied West Bank to create recreational pool

Israeli settlers seize Palestinian water source in occupied West Bank to create recreational pool

France 24

Israeli settlers have taken control of a freshwater spring that Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank have relied on for generations, diverting its water to create a pool advertised as a tourist attraction and leaving crops to wither. It is estimated that Israeli settlers have now seized control of 95 percent of the northern Jordan Valley's springs, pushing Palestinian communities off thei...

Chinese museums left red-faced after caption errors mar Communist Party-themed displays

Chinese museums left red-faced after caption errors mar Communist Party-themed displays

SCMP

Chinese museums have been criticised for spelling errors in their information boards, including one in Zhejiang province where one of the captions for an exhibition about the Long March turned the Red Army into a “red car”. Such mistakes are especially embarrassing given the high importance the authorities attach to Communist Party history and come amid an ongoing push to promote “red tourism” or ...

Ukraine: Civilian casualties hit highest level since May 2022

Ukraine: Civilian casualties hit highest level since May 2022

France 24

Russian strikes have killed at least one person and wounded 15 in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, according to regional authorities, while a separate attack on Zaporizhzhia in the southeast injured two. The latest strikes come as Moscow steps up its long-range attacks, with the United Nations reporting that civilian deaths in Ukraine last month reached their highest level since shortly after Russia’s...