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LONDON, Jan 3, 2024 (AFP) – Hospital doctors in England on Wednesday began their longest consecutive strike in the seven-decade history of Britain’s National Service (NHS). Junior doctors — those below consultant level — started a six-day walkout at 0700 GMT, in a major escalation of their long-running pay dispute with the UK government. The industrial action, which ends next Tuesday, comes at one of the busiest times of the year for the state-funded NHS, […]
By Matthew WALSH, Oliver HOTHAM BEIJING, Dec 31, 2023 (AFP)– President Xi Jinping said Sunday the Chinese economy had grown “more resilient and dynamic” in 2023, despite financial figures continuing to disappoint as the post-Covid recovery stalls. He also promised in a bullish New Year’s address to the nation that China would “surely be reunified” — a reference to the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has pledged to seize. […]
By Grégory PLESSE SYDNEY, Dec 30, 2023 (AFP) – Three years after steep Chinese tariffs halted imports of Australian barley as tensions between the two countries ratcheted higher, the grain is once again flowing freely. Barley is not only used to brew beer but to feed pigs, and China was Australia’s leading market, taking 50 percent of its barley exports. China has imported 314,000 tonnes of Australian barley worth 139 million Australian dollars (around $94 […]
NEW YORK, Dec 30, 2023 (AFP) – A federal prosecutor in New York has decided against pursuing a second trial, this one over corruption and illegal political donations, against former crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried. The founder and CEO of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange platform, Bankman-Fried had been charged earlier with misappropriating billions of dollars of his clients’ funds without their consent. He was found guilty in early November of seven counts including fraud, conspiracy and […]
TOKYO, Dec 29, 2023 (AFP) – Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 28.2 percent in 2023, its best yearly performance in a decade. The Nikkei closed down 0.22 percent, or 75.45 points, at 33,464.17 on Friday, the final trading day of the year ahead of a lengthy New Year’s holiday break. “Warren Buffett’s comments triggered a reappraisal of Japanese equities” in 2023, senior market analyst Masayuki Doshida of Rakuten Securities said, referring to the US […]
WASHINGTON, Dec 27, 2023 (AFP) – A federal court handed Apple a victory on Wednesday by suspending a ban on the US sale of its latest watch models in a feud over patents with health company Masimo. “We are thrilled to return the full Apple Watch lineup to customers in time for the new year,” an Apple spokesperson said in an email to AFP. “Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, including the […]
By Nina LARSON GENEVA, Dec 24, 2023 (AFP) – A number of flights from Geneva airport were delayed and some were cancelled during the holiday rush Sunday, as dozens of ground staff went on strike over a wage dispute. The workers began their strike at 4:00 am (0300 GMT) to protest conditions provided by their employer, the Dubai National Air Travel Agency (Dnata). Dnata personnel, who handle about a fifth of the traffic through Cointrin […]
WASHINGTON, Dec 23, 2023 (AFP) – A proposed deal that would see US Steel Corp bought by Japan’s Nippon Steel should be closely investigated by American authorities, the White House said Thursday, warning it could have national security implications. Unveiling the planned transaction this week, the two companies depicted the deal as a marriage of the holders of top technologies that would boost steel output and accelerate efforts toward decarbonization. But US Steel’s possible sale […]
By Paula RAMON YUMA, United States, Dec 23, 2023 (AFP) – As the world pivots from planet-warming fossil fuels to renewable energy, a new pollution problem is rearing its head: What to do with old or worn-out solar panels? Thousands of photovoltaic slabs are being installed across the United States every day, particularly in the sunny west and south of the country, as states like California race to towards greener energy production. But with an […]
TOKYO, Dec 23, 2023 (AFP) – Japan approved Friday a record defence budget worth $56 billion for the next fiscal year, as tensions rise with China and North Korea. The 7.95 trillion yen ($56 billion) draft budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year was approved by the cabinet, in line with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s pledge to raise defence spending over the next few years. Japan has a pacifist post-war constitution, which limits its military capacity […]
By Shaun TANDON WASHINGTON, Dec 22, 2023 (AFP) – The United States said Friday it will impose sanctions on foreign banks that support Russia’s war in Ukraine, in a new bid to exert pressure on Moscow as it diversifies from the West to China. Under an executive order signed by President Joe Biden, the United States will slap so-called secondary sanctions against financial institutions that back companies already targeted for supporting Russia’s defense industry. “We […]
LONDON, Dec 21, 2023 (AFP) – Crude prices slumped on Thursday after Angola quit the OPEC oil cartel, while Wall Street stocks rebounded after a streak of records was snapped. The price of the main international and US crude contracts dropped more than 1.5 percent after Angola said it was leaving as it did not want to go along with further production cuts that OPEC and 10 Russian-led allies agreed last month. They later pared […]
