The UN General Assembly has voted to replace the traditional world map with one that more accurately reflects the size of Africa.&nbsp;The "Correct the Map" resolution, sponsored by Togo and backed by African Union (AU) members, passed with the support of 164 nations, including France and the UK. The United States was the only nation to vote against it - and there were six abstentions.&nbsp;The UN vote is non-binding but will see changes to the maps used by institutions around the world.&nbsp;The Mercator map, which has been in common use since the 16th Century, has come in for criticism as it shows Africa as similar in size to Greenland, even though it is 14 times larger.&nbsp;Critics say this leads to the development needs and potential for countries near the equator to be minimised.&nbsp;The Mercator map was designed in 1569 by the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator to help European explorers navigate across the world.&nbsp;The distortion of his map is a result of the fact that it is impossible to accurately represent the surface of a globe on a two-dimensional chart.&nbsp;Whenever a map of the world is drawn, compromises need to be made.&nbsp;The Mercator map shows the curvature of the Earth by making countries near the equator seem smaller than they are, with countries nearer the poles appearing bigger.&nbsp;In an effort to correct this, a team of cartographers in 2018 created an equal area map they called the Equal Earth projection.&nbsp;In February, the AU's 54 member states adopted it, and said it "more accurately represents the sizes of all continents, particularly Africa".&nbsp;Online campaign group #CorrectTheMap said: "You could fit the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico and much of Europe into Africa and still have land to spare."&nbsp;Ahead of Friday's vote, Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey told the Reuters news agency: "A fair world begins with a fair map."&nbsp;Earlier he had told a UN briefing: "A map is never neutral. It shapes perceptions, influences how the place of peoples and continents in the world is understood."&nbsp;He had the backing of the French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who said his ministry was going to stop using the Mercator map.&nbsp;"Changing the map obviously doesn't change the world. But correcting a representation that distorts it is already an act of truth," he said.&nbsp;But Yaryna Ferencevych, a US representative at the UN, said the resolution mocked the work and purpose of the UN General Assembly.&nbsp;"Instead of focusing on genuine problems of international peace, prosperity, or good relations, this body is debating map projects from the 16th Century, and their role in promoting reparations and 'cognitive justice'," she said.&nbsp;In March, the US was also critical when a resolution was adopted declaring the transatlantic slave trade "the gravest crime against humanity".&nbsp;&nbsp;"Africa's misrepresentation on world maps is not just a cartographic error - it's a narrative issue," Lerato Mogoatlhe from Africa No Filter, one of the groups behind the campaign to ditch the Mercator map, told the BBC.&nbsp;It was part of efforts to stop the "world's longest misinformation and disinformation" about Africa, she said.&nbsp;For Kenyan geographer Kioko Muendo, the Mercator map has implicitly downplayed the African continent's vast resources, population and investment opportunities.&nbsp;"Maps are more than just guides for travellers - they shape how regions are perceived politically and economically," he told the BBC.&nbsp;Source: BBC

UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size

Five European nations aim to sign deals this year to send migrants without legal residency to countries outside the European Union, they said at a meeting hosted by Denmark on Friday.&nbsp;Germany, Austria, Greece, Denmark and the Netherlands said they had ​agreed on concrete steps towards a deal with a non-European Union country on return facilities, the ​latest effort by European nations to reduce immigration.&nbsp;The countries, known as the Group of ⁠Five, did not name the nations they expect to host return centres.&nbsp;"We want to reach an agreement with ​third countries this year that will enable the establishment of return hubs," German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told ​reporters at a press conference in Copenhagen.&nbsp;The group, which has held a series of meetings this year, plans to reconvene in Munich, Germany, at the end of September.&nbsp;The European Parliament in June approved an overhaul of migration policy aimed at speeding up deportations ​and allowing member states to set up centres abroad, in what critics say could weaken safeguards for asylum seekers.&nbsp;HUMAN ​RIGHTS CONCERNS&nbsp;The Council of Europe, a non-EU body that promotes human rights, democracy and the rule of law across the ‌continent, in July ⁠said return hubs posed "considerable human rights risks", and several other groups have also criticised the plan.&nbsp;Danish Refugee Council Secretary General Charlotte Slente said it would be better to implement the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which focuses on stricter border screening, faster asylum and return procedures, and expanded digital systems for managing asylum ​claims.&nbsp;"Return hubs focus on a ​small number of returns, ⁠they will not stop people from taking even more dangerous routes, and they could violate basic human rights," Slente said.&nbsp;Denmark expects to be ready to send migrants ​to the return hub by the end of 2027, Immigration and Integration Minister Morten ​Bodskov said.&nbsp;"It's ⁠a new chance to have a life in a partner country," he said, adding that the five nations would be in dialogue with the UN body, the International Organization for Migration, and the UN Refugee Agency for their ⁠next steps.&nbsp;A ​UNHCR spokesperson said the agency had not been approached with details ​of a proposal and could not comment on the arrangements being discussed.&nbsp;Source: Reuters

Five European nations seek deals to send migrants out of the EU

The prices of Litro domestic LP gas cylinders have been reduced with effect from today (5), Litro Gas Lanka Chairman Channa Gunawardana announced. Accordingly, the price of a 12.5 kg cylinder has been reduced by Rs. 100 to Rs. 4,365, while the price of a 5 kg cylinder has been reduced by Rs. 42 to Rs. 1,750. The price of the 2.3 kg cylinder has also been reduced by Rs. 20 to Rs. 815. Litro Gas Lanka stated that the price reductions were introduced for September 2026 despite rising international gas prices and challenging exchange rate conditions.

 Litro Gas prices reduced

Minister of Energy Anura Karunathilaka has assured that there are no obstacles to maintaining an uninterrupted electricity supply in the country. Speaking during an inspection visit to the Lakvijaya Power Plant in Norochcholai, the Minister stated that arrangements are already underway to import coal for 2026 and 2027. He dismissed reports that power cuts could be imposed due to a shortage of coal, stating that such claims are false.

 Minister dismisses reports of imminent power cuts

Showers or thundershowers may occur in several areas of the Uva, Central and Eastern provinces and Polonnaruwa and Mullaitivu districts after 2.00 p.m. today (5), according to the Department of Meteorology. Fairly heavy rainfall exceeding 75 mm is possible in some areas. Several spells of showers are also expected in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and Galle and Matara districts. The public has been advised to take precautions against temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thunderstorms.

Fairly heavy rainfall expected in some parts of the island

Gloria Steinem, who became a face of the women's liberation movement in the US, has died, aged 92, her foundation says.&nbsp;In a post on Instagram, it said she "passed away peacefully" at her home in New York City, "surrounded by many who loved her".&nbsp;Steinem, who was a writer and magazine editor, co-founded the Women's Action Alliance, a group dedicated to fighting sexism, more than 50 years ago.&nbsp;She started her career as a journalist in New York in the 1970s and went on to co-found Ms. magazine, one of the first publications to focus on other women's issues than the perils of housekeeping and the mandates of the beauty industry.&nbsp;During the 1970s, Steinem was one of the main voices campaigning for women's reproductive rights.&nbsp;She celebrated the US Supreme Court's 1973 ruling in the case of Roe v Wade, which granted women the constitutional right to abortion. Nearly half a century later she witnessed the reversal of this decision.&nbsp;Source: BBC

Feminist activist and journalist Gloria Steinem dies at 92

Two people were pulled out alive on Friday from a ‌tunnel linked to a hydropower station on the Trishuli River in Nepal, nine days after an ice, rock and mud slide swept through its valley, killing more than 1,200 people and displacing tens of thousands.&nbsp;Officials and rescue workers believe the August 26 collapse of a glacier on the upper reaches of the Trishuli River trapped at least 900 people in tunnels related to six hydropower projects along the river.&nbsp;At least 1,252 people ​were killed in Nepal as houses, streets and schools in towns and villages near the border with China's Tibet were swept away. More than 4,200 people are ​still missing and thousands more displaced.&nbsp;China has put the death toll in Tibet at 21, with 541 others listed as missing.&nbsp;The two workers ⁠pulled from the tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station are the first to be rescued from the hydropower projects and have been taken to an army hospital in ​the capital Kathmandu. A small group had managed to escape from another tunnel hours after the disaster struck.&nbsp;The workers rescued on Friday were Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a ​mechanical supervisor, Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha’s office said in a statement.&nbsp;Videos and photos released by Nepali authorities showed Maharjan being pulled out of a hole in the ground amid cheering bystanders and put on a stretcher.&nbsp;The other man, Sah, was carried out on the back of a worker to a rescue tent, his face covered in mud.&nbsp;In one of the videos, a team of army doctors attended to Sah at ​a tent near the tunnel before he was taken to hospital, fitting what appeared to be an oxygen mask around his mouth and checking his vitals.&nbsp;"His name is Sanjay Sah ​and he was working in mechanical control room. The vital parameters look normal," an army official said.&nbsp;Sah told rescuers he spent time reciting mantras (verses from a prayer) while he was trapped, according to the ‌Kathmandu Post. ⁠He said three or four more people could be alive in the tunnel, and possibly more deeper in its reaches.&nbsp;Maharjan cannot move his hands and legs but Sah's injuries are not critical, an aide to the energy minister told Reuters.&nbsp;Amir Maharjan, Kabir's brother, said he has not received any news officially but has been told to go to the hospital.&nbsp;"I have been hearing from the news that my brother has been found. The entire family is very happy," Amir said.&nbsp;Both survivors are in the intensive care unit, a source from the army hospital ​where they were taken told Reuters, with their ​vital signs stable.&nbsp;A team of experts in ⁠a WhatsApp group was guiding rescue workers in the search at the hydropower projects in what has become a valuable tool alongside helicopters and heavy machinery in the race to find survivors.&nbsp;More search and rescue operations were underway around the Upper Trishuli 3A project, the Nepali Army ​said. Rescue efforts were being led by the army and police, with assistance from experts from India, South Korea and China.&nbsp;Dhan Bahadur ​Tamang, who earlier escaped ⁠from a tunnel linked to the Upper Trishuli 1 hydropower project, upriver from where the two men were pulled out on Friday, said their rescue was a miracle and raised the hope of finding more survivors.&nbsp;FLOOD LOSSES ESTIMATED AT $2.56 BILLION&nbsp;Property, housing and infrastructure worth at least 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees ($2.56 billion) was lost in last week's catastrophe, Dharma Raj Upreti, chief of the National Disaster Risk ⁠Reduction and Management ​Authority, said on Friday.&nbsp;Nepal will need to rebuild around 20,000 houses in flood-ravaged areas, Upreti said on Thursday, ​with at least 7,500 of those homes destroyed.&nbsp;At least 583 foreign nationals were missing in the floods, Nepal said on Thursday, many of them pilgrims and trekkers.&nbsp;Australian disaster response specialists left for Nepal on Friday to join the ​search for survivors, as the government there expressed "serious concerns" for the welfare of its 36 missing citizens.&nbsp;Source: Reuters

Nine days after disaster, two pulled alive from Nepal hydropower tunnel

Property, housing and infrastructure worth at least 387.5 billion ​Nepalese rupees ($2.56 billion) was lost in Nepal's catastrophic floods last ‌week, the country's disaster authority chief told Reuters on Friday.&nbsp;In the first four months of early recovery, ​the estimated cost to build roads ​and temporary shelters, provide drinking water and ⁠restore power would be around $52.6 million, ​Dharma Raj Upreti, chief of the National Disaster ​Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said.&nbsp;"These are estimated amounts. We have calculated this in coordination with different ​concerned agencies and departments," Upreti said, adding ​that a detailed assessment would be done soon.&nbsp;Nepal will ‌need ⁠to rebuild around 20,000 houses in flood-ravaged areas, Upreti said on Thursday, with at least 7,500 of those homes destroyed.&nbsp;The collapse of ​a glacier sent ​a ⁠flood of ice, rock and mud down the Trishuli River in ​Nepal's border region with China on ​August ⁠26, wiping out towns and villages and killing more than 1,250 people, with more than ⁠4,200 ​still missing and thousands displaced.&nbsp;Source: Reuters

Nepal flood losses estimated at $2.56 billion, official says

U.S. ​Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said the fighting between the United States and Iran was ‌not a war and declined to provide a timeline for when the conflict would be over, underscoring the challenge the Trump administration faces as the hostilities enter their seventh month and midterm elections loom.&nbsp;His comments come as Washington and Tehran exchanged back-and-forth attacks this ​week after a period of relative calm, with no diplomatic talks with the Iranians underway to ​end the conflict.&nbsp;The war has dragged down President Donald Trump's approval ratings and driven ⁠up gas prices, raising the stakes for Republican candidates fighting to preserve their party's narrow congressional majorities ​in November.&nbsp;In a briefing at the White House, Vance touted U.S. efforts to facilitate oil shipping through the Strait ​of Hormuz, where Iranians have disrupted maritime traffic since the war started, crediting Washington's actions with helping to avert a broader global energy crisis.&nbsp;He pushed back on describing the conflict as a "war," saying the U.S. has ended major combat operations with ​Iran, despite renewed fighting this week. He said Washington's focus now was to ensure Tehran cannot keep disrupting ​commercial oil shipping.&nbsp;"I wouldn't call it a war," Vance said. "Right now there's no active shooting. I recognize there's been places ‌where this ⁠has flared up."&nbsp;The U.S. maintains more than 50,000 troops in the Middle East. The Trump administration has surged assets into the region, including nearly 20 warships focused on a blockade. In some instances, troops have been deployed for longer than expected and have been pulled from Europe and the Indo-Pacific.&nbsp;Asked repeatedly about the timeline ​on the war, Vance said ​an end would require ⁠a halt in Iranians shooting at commercial shipping.&nbsp;"When will the Iranians stop shooting at ships? I think the reality is I don't know the answer to that ​question," he said.&nbsp;He also ruled out any negotiations as long as Tehran continued ​to target commercial ⁠shipping.&nbsp;While the most intense fighting has subsided, the recurring exchange of fire and the lack of a definitive end to the war have kept global oil prices elevated.&nbsp;On Tuesday, the United States launched airstrikes on Iran, hitting ⁠what it ​said were military targets along the coast in retaliation for Iranian ​attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The sudden escalation of the war has caused a surge in oil prices to ​levels unseen since July.&nbsp;Source: Reuters

UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true siz ...

Five European nations seek deals to send migrants out of the EU

Five European nations seek dea ...

Litro Gas prices reduced

Litro Gas prices reduced

Minister dismisses reports of imminent power cuts

Minister dismisses reports of ...

Fairly heavy rainfall expected in some parts of the island

Fairly heavy rainfall expected ...

Feminist activist and journalist Gloria Steinem dies at 92

Feminist activist and journali ...

Nine days after disaster, two pulled alive from Nepal hydropower tunne ...

Nine days after disaster, two ...

Nepal flood losses estimated at $2.56 billion, official says

Nepal flood losses estimated a ...

Vance says Iran conflict is not a war, declines to offer timeline for ...

Vance says Iran conflict is no ...

Five European nations seek deals to send migrants out of the EU

Five European nations seek dea ...

Litro Gas prices reduced

Litro Gas prices reduced

Minister dismisses reports of imminent power cuts

Minister dismisses reports of ...

Fairly heavy rainfall expected in some parts of the island

Fairly heavy rainfall expected ...

Feminist activist and journalist Gloria Steinem dies at 92

Feminist activist and journali ...

Nine days after disaster, two pulled alive from Nepal hydropower tunne ...

Nine days after disaster, two ...

Nepal flood losses estimated at $2.56 billion, official says

Nepal flood losses estimated a ...

Vance says Iran conflict is not a war, declines to offer timeline for ...

Vance says Iran conflict is no ...

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Five European nations seek deals to send migrants out of the EU

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Litro Gas prices reduced

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Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

Minister dismisses reports of imminent power cuts

Minister dismisses reports of ...

Fairly heavy rainfall expected in some parts of the island

Fairly heavy rainfall expected ...

Feminist activist and journalist Gloria Steinem dies at 92

Feminist activist and journali ...

Nine days after disaster, two pulled alive from Nepal hydropower tunne ...

Nine days after disaster, two ...