NAIROBI, Kenya — When farmers see rain clouds, they happily prepare their lands for planting. However, these days the clouds have become a source of worry to Charity Wanjiru 45, a smallholder farmer in Molo, 180 kilometers (112 miles) west of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. Not long ago, Wanjiru’s one-acre plot produced 80 sacks of potatoes in three months, but that number has decreased to 60. She blames the changing weather patterns for the decline in the productivity of her farm. “Too much rain experienced in her area lately rots the potatoes,” she told Zenger News. “We are counting losses.” “I hope…
Author: zenger.news
A young Chinese girl is lucky to be alive. She ran out into the road by herself at a marked crosswalk, and a van driver slammed on the brakes and skidded to a halt just a few feet from her in Chongqing, China. In the video, a white van is seen speeding toward the crossing as the girl runs across the road. She takes several steps to the side to avoid being hit by the rear of the van. A police officer fined the van driver $30 and deducted three points for failing to yield at a pedestrian crossing,…
A judge refused to marry a Spanish couple because the groom turned up at the registry office dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, while the bride was wearing a traditional Northern Spanish costume, rather than a white wedding dress. Juan Alberto and Maria Salinas had arranged a third attempt at getting married after COVID-19 foiled their first two plans. They were set to get married at a registry office in Vigo, Spain on April 24. The couple planned to fulfill a lifelong dream of getting married in costumes. They hoped the nontraditional wedding would…
LAUNCESTON, Australia — Tasmania-government-owned company TasPorts has escaped a formal penalty after being found to have breached consumer and competition laws. The Federal Court declared the business, which owns and operates the majority of the island state’s ports, engaged in conduct that likely had the effect of substantially lessening competition. TasPorts is a corporation wholly owned by the State of Tasmania. It owns and operates the majority of ports in Tasmania and performs a range of port and marine operations at ports around Tasmania. Before Engage Marine entered the market, TasPorts was the sole supplier of pilotage and towage services at…
SYDNEY — Consumers should be encouraged to buy electric cars with cheaper car parks and special access to transit lanes before being slapped with a tax, the Australian state’s New South Wales transport minister claims. Governments across Australia are worried about losing out on fuel excise revenue as more consumers turn to electric vehicles, but they also don’t want to discourage broader take-up of the more environmentally friendly option. Transport Minister Andrew Constance claimed on May 05 that incentives such as subsidized car parks, access to transit lanes usually reserved for buses and taxis, and a waiver of stamp duty should…
SYDNEY — A father-of-two is claiming millions in damages after his on-the-spot jailing during divorce proceedings was described by a higher court as a “gross miscarriage of justice”. Known by a court pseudonym, Stradford spent six nights in custody after a Brisbane-based federal judge jailed him for contempt of court, regarding the service of financial documents. “I hope you brought your toothbrush,” Judge Salvatore Vasta said in the December 2018 hearing. Stradford is now suing the judge personally, arguing judicial immunity does not apply to his “outrageous” conduct. By having its court and prison officers carrying out the judge’s orders, Queensland…
ROCKHAMPTON, Australia — Northeastern Australian state of Queensland has outlined its wish list for the upcoming federal budget as politicians of all stripes make a flying visit to the state’s agricultural heartland. Health and infrastructure are top of the list for Treasurer Cameron Dick, who says the May 11 budget will be “an important test” for the Morrison government. “We’ve got 600 aged care residents who shouldn’t be in public hospitals, they should be in aged care facilities,” he said in Rockhampton on May 5. “There are some parts of Queensland where you can’t get in to see a General Practitioner…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The most anticipated wedding in New Zealand’s history will take place this summer when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her fiancé Clarke Gayford tie the knot. On the morning of May 5, Ardern, 40, revealed on Coast Radio she and Gayford, 44, would wed after two and a half years of engagement. “We have finally got a date. Finally,” she said, declining to reveal the precise date but adding it would be “this coming summer.” “When I say we’ve got a date, that doesn’t mean we’ve told anyone yet. I feel like we should probably put some…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s parliament has passed a motion condemning China’s treatment of Uighur people but has fallen short of labeling it genocide. The motion followed similar debates driven by conservative detractors of China in the United Kingdom and Canada’s parliaments, two countries that are intelligence-sharing allies of New Zealand. In New Zealand, a motion declaring the atrocities as genocide was brought by the right-wing opposition party Act. It gained support from left-wing minority parties the Greens and the Maori Party, but was watered down by the governing Labor Party in a closed-doors meeting. Instead of labeling China as…
WAGGA WAGGA, Australia — A regional grants program is set to receive an AUD 250 million ($193 million) extension in the federal budget to fund projects designed to boost economies outside major capitals. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack will, on May 5, announce a sixth round of the Building Better Regions Fund for shovel-ready infrastructure projects. Events, strategic regional plans, and leadership projects are also eligible for grants, ranging from AUD 5,000 ($3,862) and AUD 1 million ($0.77 million) to cover at least 50 percent of costs. McCormack will announce the money during a pre-budget address to the Regional Australia Institute. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese says…