Latest news with #Ansa
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Two ladies take on the Ironman for a cause
Two ladies take on the Ironman for a cause WIT their busy schedules as medical interns at Ngwelezana Hospital, Ansa van der Merwe and Sarah Camp are set to put their bodies to the test when they compete in the Durban Ironman 70.3 this June, all in the name of charity for Ikhaya LikaBaba Children's Home. Excited to tackle the triathlon, the gruelling event consists of a 1.9 km swim, a 90 km bike ride, and a 21.1 km run to be completed in 8 hours and 30 minutes. To ensure they stand out from other competitors, the ladies will don bright orange, signifying warmth, energy, enthusiasm, and optimism. Why Ikhaya LikaBaba? As medical students, Ansa and Sarah have observed how hospitals can often be confusing and daunting places for children. Driven to make a difference, they agreed that together they could do more to help. Originally founded as a centre for babies with nowhere else to go, Ikhaya LikaBaba – nestled in the rolling green farmland of the R102 – has evolved into a children's home with a vision to see all children grow to maturity physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The 'Shap Baby' fundraiser The fundraiser's name derives from the 'shap baby' high-five routine initiated by Ansa to help her patients feel more at ease. The orphanage is home to 25 children, and here is how you can get involved: Donations are welcome via their GivenGain platform Beaded bracelets are also available for sale at FOMO coffee shop. Sarah and Ansa encourage you to give what you can, when you can: time, money, or a skill. Children need food, clothes, toiletries, and books. Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Italian PM urges ceasefire and peace in Istanbul talks
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni underlined the importance of a ceasefire and security assurances for Kyiv in order to achieve long-term peace in Ukraine. Source: Ansa, as reported by European Pravda Details: Meloni told reporters at the European Political Community Summit in Albania on Friday that, over the past hours, "it has become clear who is really ready to take important steps towards peace, and who, on the contrary, is clearly not ready for this." Quote: "It is necessary to insist on an unconditional ceasefire and a serious peace agreement that will guarantee security to Kyiv. We should not give up," Meloni said. "We must push hard for an unconditional ceasefire and peace; the war must end," Meloni said, stressing that yesterday "the world saw who was at the negotiating table and who was not." Background: On 16 May, for the first time in over three years, direct talks were held in Istanbul between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations. Following the meeting, Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umierov said the discussions addressed a ceasefire, humanitarian issues and a possible meeting at the leaders' level. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, commenting on the negotiations in Istanbul, criticised Russia's position as unacceptable. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Daily Mirror
11-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Killer on day release stabs colleague then throws himself off iconic cathedral
Emanuele De Maria allegedly stabbed a colleague before scaling Milan's famous Duomo cathedral and hurling himself 'dozens of metres' from the Gothic landmark in front of horrified tourists A convicted murderer on day release stabbed a colleague before plunging to his death from Milan 's iconic Duomo cathedral in front of stunned tourists. The man, believed to be 35-year-old Emanuele De Maria, allegedly attacked the coworker - then scaled the cathedral's terraces and hurled himself from the Gothic landmark on Sunday afternoon. Local reports say De Maria fell 'dozens of metres' from the north walkway of the Duomo di Milano, landing in the busy square below just after 2pm. Tourists looked on in horror as the man 'leapt without hesitation', according to Italian newspapers Il Mattino and Ansa. He died instantly. Authorities identified the body using an ID card found in his pocket and distinctive tattoos, reports Corriere della Sera. Officers then swiftly cordoned off the area, closed the cathedral terraces, and ushered shocked visitors away as forensic teams examined the scene. De Maria, originally from Naples, had been serving a 14-year sentence for the 2016 murder of a 23-year-old woman in Castel Volturno. But for nearly two years, he'd been working part-time at a four-star hotel near Milan's central train station under a prison work-release scheme from Bollate prison in Milan. The city's icnoic Duomo catherdral is one of Europe's most visited landmarks, drawing over five million visitors each year with its awe-inspiring Gothic architecture and panoramic city views. Towering above the city with more than 130 spires and 3,400 statues, the landmark is the largest in Italy and took nearly six centuries to complete. At its heart lies the golden Madonnina statue - a symbol of Milan standing proudly above the highest spire. De Maria's dramatic death came less than 48 hours after he allegedly stabbed coworker Hani Fouad Abdelghaffar Nasr five times outside the hotel early Saturday morning. The attack sparked a manhunt involving both State Police and Carabinieri. Police were meanwhile also searching for 50-year-old Chamila Wijesuriya, another hotel worker who vanished on Friday. She told her husband she was heading to the gym - but CCTV later showed her entering the metro with De Maria. Her phone was later discovered dumped in a bin at a subway station. On Sunday, her body was found in a pond in Parco Nord, a large park in northern Milan. Investigators are now piecing together De Maria's final hours and working to establish the full sequence of events.
Scottish Sun
11-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Killer on prison release stabs colleague before jumping to his death off Milan Cathedral in front of horrified tourists
Tourists were ushered away and the cathedral terraces were immediately shut down DEATH PLUNGE Killer on prison release stabs colleague before jumping to his death off Milan Cathedral in front of horrified tourists A CONVICTED killer allegedly stabbed a hotel co-worker before jumping to his death from the top of Milan Cathedral as horrified tourists watched on. The man, believed to be Emanuele De Maria, was under a release programme from prison when he launched a frenzied knife attack in the early hours of Saturday. 5 A convicted killer allegedly stabbed his co-worker before plunging to his death from the Duomo di Milano Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 Forensics teams were called to the scene on Sunday afternoon Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 The man reportedly fell just after 2pm as horrified onlookers watched in shock in the busy square Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 The man is believed to be Emanuele De Maria, who was under a release programme from prison And just hours later, on Sunday afternoon, he reportedly climbed the terraces of the iconic Duomo di Milano and plunged 40 metres to his death, according to Italian media. He reportedly fell just after 2pm as horrified onlookers watched in shock. According to Il Mattino and Ansa, De Maria leapt 'without hesitation' from the cathedral's north walkway and died instantly. Police identified him by his distinctive tattoos and a photocopy of his ID found in his pocket. Officers cordoned off the scene as forensic teams examined the body. Tourists were ushered away and the cathedral terraces were immediately shut down. De Maria, originally from Naples, had been working at a four-star Hotel Berna in Milan under a work-release programme from Bollate prison. He had been serving time for murdering a 23-year-old woman in Castel Volturno in 2016. His shocking death came just a day after he allegedly stabbed coworker Hani Fouad Abdelghaffar Nasr five times outside the hotel around 6.20am on Saturday. Mafia boss 'Chubby Jos' tracked down after pics gave away location but shock twist means cops can't touch him…for now De Maria had been on the run for less than 48 hours after the hotel stabbing, sparking a manhunt involving State Police and Carabinieri. Meanwhile, officers were also searching for another missing hotel worker, 50-year-old Chamila Wijesuriya, who hadn't been seen since Friday. She told her husband she was heading to the gym — but was later captured on CCTV entering the metro with De Maria. Her phone was found dumped in a bin at a subway stop. On Sunday, her body was found in a pond in Parco Nord, located in the northern part of the Italian city. Investigators are working to retrace his final movements and determine the full timeline of events. More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Times
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Times
Cardinals to convene for decision on start of conclave
Thousands of mourners queued to visit Pope Francis's tomb on Sunday as attention among cardinals shifted to preparations for the conclave, the secretive process that will choose the new head of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, aged 88, after suffering a stroke and subsequent coma and cardiac arrest, less than a month after his discharge from a 38-day stay in hospital in which he battled double pneumonia. An estimated 250,000 people attended Francis's funeral in St Peter's Square on Saturday, among them a line-up of world leaders including President Trump, President Zelensky and Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister. The coffin was driven through Rome's streets on a converted 'popemobile', flanked by crowds estimated at 150,000, to the Basilica of St Mary Major, where it was interred in a private ceremony on Saturday afternoon. Photographs released by the Vatican showed a simple marble slab engraved with the Latin name Franciscus. A reproduction of the plain cross he once wore hangs above the burial niche. A single white rose was placed on the tomb. Francis is the eighth pope to be buried at Saint Mary Major, one of Rome's four major papal basilicas. He would frequently go there, bearing roses, before and after trips he made abroad. He would pray before the Salus Populi Romani, a Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mary painted on cedarwood and believed to have been taken to the basilica by Pope Gregory I in AD590. Hundreds of mourners were queueing before dawn and there were several thousand people in the line shortly before noon, the Ansa news agency reported. RICCARDO DE LUCA/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES RICCARDO DE LUCA/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES Maria Brzezinska, a Polish pilgrim, said after paying her respects: 'I feel like it's exactly in the way of the Pope. He was simple, and so is his place now.' A police spokesperson said that 60,000 people had visited the tomb by Sunday afternoon. Many queued for two hours before entering, according to Italian media. Cardinals were expected to reconvene at 9am on Monday in their daily general congregations, meetings in the Synod Hall that manage urgent Vatican business during the vacancy of the papal seat. The gatherings ran from Tuesday to Friday last week before pausing for the funeral. They have so far focused on immediate governance, including setting the funeral date, scheduling nine days of mourning and suspending planned beatifications. Their focus will now shift towards selecting Francis's successor. • The road to the next Pope: a visual timeline High up on their agenda will be to decide whether Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who was stripped of his rights as a cardinal by Francis after a conviction in 2023 for financial crimes, should be permitted to vote. La Repubblica reported that cardinals could select the conclave date in Monday's general congregation. Asked if a date would be set on Monday, Matteo Bruni, the Vatican's spokesman, told The Times: 'We have given no information concerning that decision whatsoever.' Vatican rules stipulate that a conclave must begin between 15 and 20 days after a pope's death or resignation. Of the 252 serving cardinals, 135 are under the age of 80 and thus eligible to vote. Most of them were appointed by Francis. Opinions among senior figures vary over how the conclave will unfold. Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the Archbishop of Munich and Freising and a member of the 'C9' Council of Cardinals appointed by Francis, told reporters shortly after the funeral that he believed the process would be swift, lasting 'just a few days'. He added: 'Everything is open. It is not a question of language, country or culture. It's about the person. It's not even a question of whether he is conservative or progressive. It is a question of credibility and dialogue.' His comments contrasted with those of Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, the Archbishop of Cologne, who told the German agency DPA last week that he expected a 'longer, more complex conclave' because of the 'heterogeneous' character of the electors. Francis was elected in 2013 in about 24 hours, but papal elections can be much slower. The longest conclave in history, that of Pope Gregory X in the 13th century, took two years and nine months to conclude after fierce divisions between French and Italian cardinals. On Sunday afternoon, more than 110 cardinals wearing black robes and red sashes filed into Saint Mary Major to pay their respects to Francis's tomb and pray before the Salus Populi Romani icon. A Vespers service was then held in the basilica.
