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Japan plans to double a fund used for disaster relief and other contingencies to $6.8 billion after a devastating New Year’s Day earthquake, the government said Tuesday, as snow worsened conditions for survivors. The 7.5-magnitude quake and powerful aftershocks killed at least 222 people in central Japan, laying waste to houses and infrastructure. In the Ishikawa region on the Sea of Japan coast, about 16,700 people were still stuck in limbo in shelters, many without […]
BRUSSELS, Jan 12, 2024 (AFP) – EU countries will next week discuss a plan to set up a naval mission to help protect Red Sea shipping following attacks from Yemen’s Huthi rebels, diplomats said Friday. The proposal — in the pipeline in Brussels for several weeks — was mooted before US and British forces struck rebel-held Yemen. Any EU effort would seek to complement a US-led coalition, which includes numerous countries from the bloc, already […]
LONDON, Jan 12, 2024 (AFP) – Oil prices surged four percent on Friday after US and UK forces launched strikes against Iran-backed Huthi rebels following their attacks on ships in the Red Sea, fuelling worries about a wider conflict in the crude-rich region. Tokyo and European stock markets ended the week with strong gains as traders brushed off data showing US inflation rose more than expected in December. Wall Street had ended flat on Thursday, […]
By AFP correspondents in Yemen with Danny Kemp in Washington SANAA, Jan 12, 2024 (AFP) – Heavy US and British air strikes pounded targets in rebel-held Yemen early on Friday after weeks of disruptive attacks on Red Sea shipping by Iran-backed Huthi forces acting in solidarity with Hamas. The Huthis have carried out a growing number of attacks on what they deem to be Israel-linked shipping in the key international trade route since the eruption […]
DUBAI, Jan 11, 2024 (AFP) – Iran’s navy seized a ship off Oman to retaliate for the “theft” of its oil from the same tanker last year by the United States, state media said Thursday. The United States condemned what it called an “unlawful seizure” and demanded Iran “immediately release the ship and its crew”. The announcement came hours after a British navy maritime security agency said armed men boarded the Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged St […]
SYDNEY, Jan 10, 2024 (AFP) – Elon Musk’s X has shed more than 1,000 staff globally from teams responsible for stopping abusive content online, according to new figures released Thursday by Australia’s online watchdog. Australia’s eSafety Commission said these “deep cuts” and the reinstatement of thousands of banned accounts had created a “perfect storm” for the spread of harmful content. The regulator has in recent months zeroed in on X — formerly known as Twitter […]
LONDON, Jan 11, 2024 (AFP) – The UK government on Thursday announced plans for what it said was the country’s “biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years” to bolster its energy independence and meet carbon emission targets. The Civil Nuclear Roadmap includes exploring the construction of a major new power station, £300 million ($382 million) of investment to produce an advanced uranium fuel and “smarter regulation”. Taken together, the measures would quadruple UK nuclear […]
PARIS, Jan 11, 2024 (AFP) – The world added 50 percent more renewable energy capacity in 2023 over the year before, the International Energy Agency said Thursday, predicting booming growth in the next five years. The United Nations-led COP28 summit concluded in Dubai last month with nearly 200 nations agreeing to a first-ever call for the world to transition away from fossil fuels. “The amount of renewable energy capacity added to energy systems around the […]
By Elodie MAZEIN LAS VEGAS, Jan 11, 2024 (AFP) – To the believers, the oft-promised autonomous car revolution is “clearly happening” — they point to the myriad displays at the Consumers Electronics Show in Las Vegas that defy the industry’s bad headlines. “Companies are deploying robotaxis in larger scale than before and in more cities,” insisted Kersten Heineke, partner and codirector of the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility. Even “in times where money is scarce…we’re […]
NEW YORK, Jan 10, 2024 (AFP) – US securities regulators gave the green light Wednesday to a group of bitcoin exchange-traded funds, a keenly anticipated decision expected to boost the cryptocurrency. Regulators approved proposals for 11 ETFs to list on leading exchanges including the New York Stock Exchange “on an accelerated basis,” the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a 22-page order. ETFs are traded on public markets, granting investors exposure to price movements in […]
LAS VEGAS, Jan 10, 2024 (AFP) – CES, the annual high tech gadget extravaganza in Las Vegas, again delivers its wave of new inventions and cutting edge technology with artificial intelligence this year’s unavoidable buzzword. Here’s a look at some selected examples shown to the media, ahead of the official opening on Tuesday. – Mirror, mirror on the wall… – …who’s the healthiest of them all? Called “MagicMirror,” NuraLogix’s connected mirror scanned the face of […]
NEW YORK, Jan 10, 2024 (AFP) – An unauthorized message posted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s official X account briefly sent bitcoin prices soaring, forcing the market regulator to deny it had approved a new cryptocurrency product. Just after 4 pm local time (2100 GMT), the price of the world’s largest digital currency in terms of circulation surged towards its highest level for more than 22 months, before falling again a few minutes […]
