GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The head of the World Health Organization headed to China on Sunday to discuss how to contain a virus outbreak that has killed 56 people and infected over 2,000 worldwide. “I am on my way to Beijing, to meet with the government and health experts supporting the #coronavirus response,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Twitter. “My WHO colleagues and I would like to understand the latest developments and strengthen […]
Europe
Three coronavirus cases confirmed in France, first in Europe
PARIS, France (AFP) — Three cases of the coronavirus have been “confirmed” in France, the first in Europe, officials said Friday. The first case involved a patient in hospital in the southwestern city of Bordeaux while the other was in Paris, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn told reporters. A third person, who is a close relative of one of the other two, has also been confirmed to have the virus, the health ministry said […]
Former prostitutes among ex-nuns at Vatican shelter: cardinal
ROME, Italy (AFP) — Former nuns “abandoned” by the Catholic Church, including some who became prostitutes to survive, have been sheltered at a Vatican residence for more than a year, a Brazilian cardinal said. Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz confirmed the house’s existence at an undisclosed location in Vatican City during an interview for the February issue of the Vatican’s magazine Women Church World. In the wide-ranging interview about women’s roles in the church, […]
UPDATED: Seven dead in Spain as winter storms lash coast
by Daniel BOSQUE BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) –The death toll from a storm that has lashed Spain with strong winds and heavy snow has risen to seven, while four people were missing, officials said. Gale-force winds and huge waves have smashed into seafront towns, damaging many shops and restaurants, wrecking beach facilities and flooding some streets in the east of the country since Sunday. The latest victim was a man who fell into the sea in […]
Prince Harry leaves UK to rejoin Meghan and Archie in Canada: reports
LONDRES, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prince Harry left the UK to rejoin his wife Meghan and son Archie in Canada Monday, British media reported, as the couple start a new life after their shock exit from the royal fold. “The Duke of Sussex is understood to have left the UK for Canada on Monday evening following one of his final official engagements as a working royal,” Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported. Harry boarded a 5.30 […]
“OBB Nightjet” takes its maiden voyage
VIENNA, Austria (AFP) – The first night train to set off for Belgium in 16 years departed from Vienna Sunday, carrying Austrian and European politicians who hope the new route can set an example as the continent tries to meet its climate targets. The carriages of the “OBB Nightjet” pulled out of Vienna’s main station punctually at 8:38 pm to the strains of a live band playing the EU anthem “Ode to Joy”, the slogan #loveyourplanet […]
UK looks to offshore wind for green energy transition
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Benoît PELEGRIN Britain, a global leader in offshore wind energy, plans to make the sector one of the pillars of its transition to carbon neutrality in the coming decades. The country aims to quadruple its offshore electricity production capacity by 2030 by utilizing the windswept North Sea and a favorable policy environment. “It’s more conducive to build offshore in the UK than anywhere else in Europe,” said James Brabben, of […]
Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan to give up royal titles
by Dmitry ZAKS Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will give up their royal titles and public funding as part of a settlement with the Queen to start a new life away from the British monarchy. The historic announcement from Buckingham Palace on Saturday follows more than a week of intense private talks aimed at managing the fallout of the globetrotting couple’s shock resignation from […]
Global decision-makers gather in Davos
PARIS, France (AFP) – Stuart WILLIAMS Global decision-makers gather in Davos starting Tuesday for their annual meeting, with challenges facing the planet — from climate change to conflict in the Middle East — as imposing as the Alps that surround the Swiss resort. Observers fear the annual World Economic Forum will serve only to again expose the differences between East and West, the US and the EU, and business and activists in combating the most […]
Heating woes fuel Balkan smog crisis
SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZGOVINA (AFP) – Rusmir SMAJILHODZIC and Emmy VARLEY in Belgrade As winter grips the Balkans, the poor are caught in a cruel bind, being forced to light fires at home for heating while fuelling a pollution crisis smothering the region. In recent weeks, Balkan capitals from Belgrade Sarajevo to Skopje and Pristina have been ranked among the world’s top 10 most polluted major cities, according to the monitoring application AirVisual. While […]
Russia’s President Putin picks little-known tax chief for prime minister
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday proposed the little-known head of Russia’s tax service Mikhail Mishustin for the post of prime minister, the Kremlin said. The proposal to appoint 53-year-old Mishustin, a relatively obscure figure who has run the service since 2010, came after the surprise resignation of Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev following the president’s unveiling of a package of constitutional reforms. The two met in the Kremlin where Putin “suggested […]
New UK deep coal mine ‘unnecessary’: Green Alliance
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Plans for new deep coal mining projects in Britain are “unnecessary” and incompatible with the country’s 2050 carbon-neutral target, a report by environmental think-tank Green Alliance said Wednesday. The report focused on Woodhouse Colliery in the county of Cumbria, in northwest England, which is the first deep coal mine project to be launched in Britain in 40 years. The mine was “unnecessary” for the local steel industry and would instead […]





