Tue, 21-Oct-2025

California storm brings flooding and leaves power outages

California

California is experiencing widespread power outages. Flooding, and road and beach closures due to an unusual winter storm. One of the strongest storms to ever hit the state is expected to weaken. California is experiencing widespread power outages, flooding, and road and beach closures as an unusual winter storm hits the US state. After days … Read more

New Zealand reports 16 new community cases of COVID-19

new zealand

WELLINGTON, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) — New Zealand reported 16 new cases of COVID-19 in the community on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country’s current community outbreak to 11,322. Among the new infections, seven were recorded in the largest city of Auckland, six in the Lakes district, one in Hawke’s Bay, … Read more

US grocery shortages deepen as pandemic dries supplies

grocery

WASHINGTON: High demand for groceries combined with soaring freight costs and Omicron-related labour shortages are creating a new round of backlogs at processed food and fresh produce companies, leading to empty supermarket shelves at major retailers across the United States, Reuters reported. Growers of perishable produce across the West Coast are paying nearly triple pre-pandemic trucking rates … Read more

On Africa’s ‘chocolate islands’, cocoa producers target luxury market

chocolate

SÃO TOMÉ: A morsel of chocolate sits on the tongue, and a strong yet subtle flavour starts to blossom. “When the chocolate starts to soften, you bite into it,” orders chocolatier, Claudio Corallo. The chocolate tasting then expands into different flavours, ginger, coffee, pepper, sea salt, but underpinning each of these delights is an earthiness, a … Read more