Archive / In Focus - 2022
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Deadly blizzard rages in US, Canada on ChristmasA relentless winter storm brought Christmas Day danger and misery to millions of Americans as intense snow and frigid cold gripped parts of the eastern...UK ambulance staff follow nurses in strike over payThousands of ambulance workers in Britain began a one-day strike on Wednesday, a day after nurses walked out, with unions and the government swapping accusations...World Cup finals boost National Day celebrations in QatarThis year’s Qatar National Day has been especially festive as World Cup fans gear up for the finals match between France and Argentina at Lusail...Hungry and besieged in Burkina FasoEvery day in Djibo – a dry and dusty town in northern Burkina Faso – residents walk around hoping to spot a distribution of food...Peru’s new president urges calm amid early election talkPeru’s first female president is trying to cement her hold on power, saying she expects to complete the term of her ousted predecessor and quench...Indonesia’s Mount Semeru unleashes ash and rivers of lavaIndonesia’s highest volcano, Mount Semeru, has erupted, releasing searing gas clouds and rivers of lava and prompting authorities to raise their volcano alert to its...Storms cause major tornadoes, flooding around US southResidents across several southern US states have been assessing damage and picking up the pieces after tornadoes and strong winds caused widespread damage and killed...Indonesia quake kills scores, reduces homes to rubbleA 5.6-magnitude earthquake killed more than 160 people, according to local authorities, and injured hundreds in Indonesia’s West Java province on Monday, with rescuers trying...Senegal’s ‘Plastic Man’ on a mission against trashYarakh Beach in the Senegalese capital Dakar is littered with trash and plastics, as government efforts seem to have fallen short in addressing the issue.Environmental...Drought kills hundreds of animals in Kenyan wildlife preservesHundreds of animals, including elephants and endangered Grevy’s zebras, have died in Kenyan wildlife preserves during East Africa’s worst drought in decades, according to a...Plane crashes into Lake Victoria in TanzaniaA plane carrying 43 people made a crash landing into Lake Victoria on Sunday while attempting to reach a nearby airport in Tanzania.At least 19...Hundreds of Syrian refugees leave Lebanon amid concernsLugging suitcases, power generators, fridges and chickens, more than 700 Syrian refugees who were living in Lebanon gathered from early morning in a desolate northeastern...Hurricane Roslyn dumps heavy rain in MexicoHurricane Roslyn slammed into a sparsely populated stretch of Mexico’s Pacific coast between the resorts of Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan on Sunday morning, then weakened...Hurricane Ian aftermath search-and-rescue efforts ongoingPeople kayaking down streets that were passable just a day or two earlier. Hundreds of thousands without power. National Guard helicopters flying rescue missions to...Typhoon Noru kills at least five in northern PhilippinesTyphoon Noru has blown out of the northern Philippines, leaving five rescuers dead, causing floods and power outages, and forcing officials to suspend classes and...War-ravaged Sri Lankan Tamils suffer amid economic crisisUnder a blazing sun, a 44-year-old Tamil man tends his rented patch of peanut field in Sri Lanka, only able to move around on his...UK mourns Queen Elizabeth II at state funeralThe United Kingdom and the world said a final goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II at a state funeral on Monday that drew presidents and kings,...Thousands wait in line to pay respects to Queen ElizabethThousands of mourners took their places in a queue snaking around the centre of London on Wednesday, recognising without complaint that they might have to...Bolsonaro makes Brazil bicentennial celebrations his ownPresident Jair Bolsonaro called Brazil’s bicentennial Wednesday a chance to celebrate the nation’s history, but critics say he has transformed what should be a day...Tractors to the rescue as floods hit India’s BengaluruAuthorities in the Indian city of Bengaluru have used tractors to rescue residents of posh housing estates marooned by floods, which killed at least one...Flood-hit Pakistan now fights waterborne diseasesPakistani health officials have reported an outbreak of waterborne diseases in areas hit by recent record-breaking floods, as authorities step up efforts to ensure the...Spain’s La Tomatina festival returns after pandemic pausePeople from around the world have pasted each other with tomatoes as part of Spain’s famous La Tomatina event in the eastern town of Buñol,...Fighting between rival Iraqi forces erupts in BaghdadFighting between rival Iraqi forces is raging for a second day, with rocket fire echoing from Baghdad’s Green Zone – where 30 people have been...Algeria reels from deadly wildfiresFirefighters in Algeria have extinguished all but one of more than 50 wildfires that ravaged the country this week, killing at least 37 people and...Mauritanians dig deeper wells to cope with climate changeGrowing up in this arid corner of southeast Mauritania, on the edge of the Sahara desert, Ahmed Brahim remembers how seasonal rains would transform the...Displaced people learn DIY skills in DR Congo campIn March 2019, Pirache Torashi, a widowed mother of seven, fled the village of Banyali-kilo, 38km (23 miles) from the town of Bunia, the provincial...Destructive fire rages near California’s Yosemite ParkA wildfire burning out of control through tinder-dry forests near California’s Yosemite National Park has forced thousands of residents to flee remote mountain communities.Some 2,000...Tensions high as far-right Israelis march in East JerusalemUltra-nationalist Jewish crowds have marched through Jerusalem’s Old City to celebrate Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem, chanting slogans such as “Death to Arabsâ€.Thousands of...Why don’t Turkey’s people want their government to back Ukraine?In the wee hours of Thursday morning, two of Ukraine’s Neptune missiles reportedly struck Russia’s flagship naval vessel, the Moskva, some 65 nautical miles south...Toxic positivity harms the disabled communityHow often have we read on social media or heard “positive thinkers†say that “disability is in the mindâ€, or that there are no obstacles...With Afghan schools closed to girls, what does Islam really say about empowering women?After six months of connecting minds, ideas and people from around the world, Expo 2020 Dubai closed its gates in triumph last week. With the...UAE's FoodTech Challenge returns with a $2m prize potA competition introduced by the UAE to deliver high-tech solutions to pressing food security challenges facing the world is doubling its prize fund this year....Gazans prepare to welcome Ramadan after pandemic and warPalestinians in Gaza are looking forward to Ramadan festivities after last year’s celebrations were blighted by the pandemic and the outbreak of war. “The people...Ukraine’s war: Photos of lives upturned, destruction and defianceIn the southern city of Odesa, a woman and her young child, both struggling not to break down, look out the window of a departing...Child protection is the responsibility for all in a communityEarlier this week, some friends and I were in a philosophical discussion about how, when and why it might be justified to interfere in the...Egyptians struggle to fill Ramadan pantries as food prices riseLike Muslims across the world, Egyptians see the holy month of Ramadan as a special time of prayers, family and good food. This time round,...'Maladaptation': how not to cope with climate changeA crescendo of deadly extreme weather is outpacing preparations for a climate-addled world, according to a landmark U.N. assessment of climate impacts released last week....Photos: Russian bombing destroys hospital in Ukraine’s MariupolA Russian air strike has devastated a children’s hospital with a maternity ward in the besieged port city of Mariupol and wounded at least 17...Protests worldwide against Russia’s invasion of UkraineProtests against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are continuing across the world. More than 100,000 people gathered in central Berlin, carrying signs reading: “Stop the Warâ€,...How we can nourish people and nurture the environmentThe future of food seems more and more uncertain in the Near East and North Africa (NENA), as it faces growing food insecurity and malnutrition....Even in Beijing's isolation bubble, the excitement of the Winter Olympics is clearChina's borders have been virtually closed off for the past two years. Now, in a way, it's opening on a massive scale for the Winter...Can you turn seawater into fresh water without electricity? The start-up that says yesIn waterways at Zayed Port and on Reem Island, a device is generating fresh water from the ocean without electricity, a breakthrough that could change...When is Lunar New Year 2022 and which countries observe it?February may be the shortest month of the year, but it also feels like the busiest. This year, the month will start in grand fashion...Turkey has quietly sent Armenia a friend requestOn the home front, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is upping his rhetoric, threatening after last week’s Friday prayers to “rip out the tongues†of...Masdar will be Abu Dhabi’s clean energy powerhouseAbu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), the climate platform hosted by Masdar, opens next week for its 14th edition. ADSW will be the first in a...Enigma: rare 555-carat black diamond unveiled in Dubai thought to be billions of years oldThe world’s largest Fancy Black Natural Colour diamond is currently on show at the Sotheby’s premises in the Dubai International Financial Centre. The rare Enigma...The global energy transition will change Middle East geopolitics foreverFundamental changes are taking place in the global energy system that will have significant geopolitical implications. These changes will affect almost all countries, and will...This year is your chance to get into audiobooks - here's whyLast month, in the week after her death, extracts from the life and works of the writer Joan Didion re-surfaced, and circulated among fans. Passages...The UK needs a bold 21st-century Brunel to pave the way for net zeroIn the UK, on the Bristol side of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, there is a plaque marking the design of this incredible structure by 25-year-old...West Bay Abu Dhabi now home to new adventure destination with wave pool and zip lineIt looks like 2022 is off to a good start for residents in the capital, with some impressive new openings in the pipeline.West Bay Abu...
