The legislators and member countries of the European Union fixed an agreement to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars and vans by 2035. The pact EU negotiators sealed Thursday night is the first deal of the bloc's “Fit for 55" package, which the alliance’s executive committee set up to achieve the goal of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 55% over this decade. Under the deal, car manufacturers will be required to reduce the emissions of new cars sold by 55% in 2030, compared to 2021, before reaching a 100% cut five years later. The European Parliament and member states
Increasing numbers of jobless Kenyans are migrating to Saudi Arabia in search of work, which has overtaken the United Kingdom as the second largest source of diaspora remittances. In September, Kenyans sent nearly $27.12 million (Sh3.28 billion) to the Arab world's largest economy, a 63 per cent increase from last September's $16.61 million (Sh2.01 billion). After flying past the UK's $25.58 million (Sh3.1 billion) inflows, inflows came in second to the dominant US at $186.43 million (Sh22.55 billion) - or 58.62 per cent of the total $317.98 million (Sh38.48 billion) for last month.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres launched Mission LiFE, a global plan of action aimed at saving the planet from the disastrous consequences of climate change, at the Statue of Unity, Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, Gujarat. On the occasion of the launch of the Mission LiFE movement (Lifestyle for the Environment), France, the UK, Argentina, Georgia, Guyana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Estonia, Nepal, and the Maldives sent congratulatory messages to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to the Prime Minister's Office, Mission LiFe will be an India-led global movement
The Booker Prize for 2022 will be awarded to Shehan Karunatilaka. The Sri Lankan novelist Maali Almeida received the award from Queen Consort Camilla at the Roundhouse in London on Monday night for his work, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. "The English Patient" was Michael Ondaatje's first novel, and "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida" was his second. The current novel examines life after death in a civil war-torn Sri Lanka following the murder of a war photographer in the 1990s. During his speech, Karunatilaka said it was an honour and privilege to be included on the shortlist. Also,
India and France get re-elected as President and Co-President of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the fifth general assembly of the body. Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh will be the President of ISA while Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, France's Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships, will be co-president of the International Solar Alliance, ISA Director General Ajay Mathur told reporters on Tuesday. Mathur said there was an application for the post of President and Co-President from India and France, respectively.
MacKenzie Scott, a billionaire philanthropist, and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has donated $15 million to the social organization VisionSpring. According to reports, her donation to the enterprise is the highest single private donation, which will help provide glasses to millions of farmers and artisans in developing countries like Bangladesh, India, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda to solve their uncorrected vision problems. Reportedly, VisionSpring works to provide eyeglasses to low-income tea, coffee, and cocoa farmers and artisan workers in the above-mentioned list of countries. "The
In Saudi Arabia, women pilgrims are no longer required to have a male guardian or mahram during the Hajj or Umrah. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, the Saudi Arabian Minister for Hajj and Umrah, announced the change. Saudi Arabian news outlet Arab News reported that women can now make pilgrimages to the Gulf nation without a mahram. The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. Having a mahram with a woman going on pilgrimage ends the contention surrounding the requirement. Furthermore, the minister said there was no ceilin
Hong Kong said on Wednesday it had approved a form of the BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for babies and children under five years old, in a bid to expand measures to increase vaccination uptake in the financial hub. The government said talks were being held with the vaccine manufacturer on the timeframe for when it would be available in the Chinese special administrative region. The government announced that each shot contains one-tenth of the adult dosage, lowering the chance of side effects. The government agreed to the use of China's Sinovac shots for children 6 months and older in August
Thousands of Benin Bronzes are found in several museums worldwide after being robbed by Britain in the late 19th century. A bronze sculpture of a king belonging to West Africa called the Head of a King, or Oba that was kept in a Rhode Island museum for more than 70 years is among 31 culturally valuable objects that have been returned to the Nigerian government during a ceremony at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC on Tuesday. The Benin Bronzes were stolen in 1897 when British colonial forces plundered and looted the kingdom of Benin, which is now in present-day Nigeria. �
After two-and-a-half years of stringent Covid-19 restrictions, Japan reopened its doors to tourists on Tuesday, with officials hoping a large inflow of travelers lured by a weak yen will boost the economy. By mid-morning, tourists from Israel, France, and Britain were already arriving in the country. Japan shut its borders in the early stage of the pandemic, at one point even blocking foreign residents from returning, and has only lately begun reopening in a guarded manner. In June, it started allowing tourists to visit in groups accompanied by guides. From Tuesday, it resumed vis