PORT-AU-PRINCE, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – The police academy in Haiti’s capital came under attack by an armed gang Tuesday as the tiny Caribbean nation fell into deeper international isolation in the wake of an assault on the airport and a deadly prison breakout. The latest violence followed the evacuation of thousands of residents from the capital Port-au-Prince, with the United Nations and Washington reiterating their concerns over the crisis as armed groups announced a […]
International
Meta suffers global Facebook, Instagram outage
WASHINGTON, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – Meta suffered a highly unusual outage of all its social media platforms on Tuesday with users of Facebook, Instagram and Threads locked out of their accounts. At about 12:00 US east coast time (1700 GMT), the sites seemed to be returning to normal, about two hours after the outage reports first emerged. “Earlier today, a technical issue caused people to have difficulty accessing some of our services,” Meta spokesman […]
Yemen faces ‘environmental disaster’ as sunken ship threatens massive Red Sea spill`
By AFP correspondents with Amanda Mouawad in Dubai Agence France-Presse (AFP) — The sinking of a Belize-flagged bulker off Yemen after a Huthi missile attack poses grave environmental risks, as thousands of tonnes of fertiliser threaten to spill into the Red Sea, according to officials and experts. The Belize-flagged, Lebanese-operated Rubymar sank on Saturday with 21,000 metric tonnes of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertiliser on board, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM). It had been taking […]
Vietnam property tycoon on trial in $12.5 billion fraud case
HO CHI MINH CITY, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – A top Vietnamese property tycoon went on trial Tuesday along with dozens of others, accused of embezzling $12.5 billion in the country’s biggest ever fraud case. Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, is said to have swindled the cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over the course of a decade, leaving unsuspecting investors out of pocket. Eighty-five others are also on trial […]
Pyongyang warns of consequences over US-S. Korea drills
SEOUL, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – North Korea on Tuesday said Seoul and Washington would pay a “dear price” over large-scale military exercises that started this week, urging the allies to cease “frantic war drills”. So far this year, Pyongyang has declared South Korea its “principal enemy”, jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over “even 0.001 mm” of territorial infringement. Washington and Seoul started their annual spring military exercises Monday with […]
Ukraine says destroyed another Russian warship in Black Sea
By Victoria LUKOVENKO KYIV, Ukraine, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – Ukraine said on Tuesday its forces destroyed a Russian military patrol ship in the Black Sea near annexed Crimea, the latest naval attack on Moscow’s fleet in the key waterway. Kyiv also said it was behind a drone hit on an oil depot in a Russian border region, as Ukraine flexes its ability to strike Russia from the air and at sea with its troops […]
Above-normal temperatures for March-May due to El Nino: UN
By Robin MILLARD GENEVA, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – The warming El Nino weather phenomenon that peaked in December was one of the five strongest ever recorded, the United Nations said Tuesday, predicting that it would produce above-normal temperatures from now to May. Though El Nino is now gradually weakening, its impact will continue over the coming months by fuelling the heat trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse gases, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) […]
IAEA chief to hold talks with Putin about Ukraine nuclear plant
VIENNA, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi will head to Russia Tuesday for a fresh round of talks with President Vladimir Putin to discuss “the future operational status” of Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Europe’s largest nuclear plant has been at the centre of fighting since it was captured by Russian forces in March 2022, with both Moscow and Kyiv frequently accusing each other of compromising its safety. Grossi last […]
Planes collide mid-air killing two in Kenya
NAIROBI, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – A student pilot and instructor died on Tuesday when their aircraft collided with a passenger plane over the Kenyan capital Nairobi, police said. The mid-air incident between local carrier Safarilink and the 99 Flying training school occurred Tuesday morning, Kenyan authorities said. Nairobi police Adamson Bungei confirmed the deaths to AFP via text message without providing further details. An earlier police report seen by AFP said the passenger plane […]
S. Korea begins licence suspension process against striking doctors
SEOUL, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – South Korea said Tuesday it would start notifying striking trainee doctors that their medical licences would be suspended, as it moves to punish medics who have quit hospitals in protest at training reforms. Thousands of junior doctors handed in their resignation notice and stopped working two weeks ago to protest against an increase in medical school admissions from next year which the government says is meant to help combat […]
Trade, submarines feature at ASEAN talks in Australia
MELBOURNE, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – Australia unveiled plans to ramp up investment in Southeast Asia on Tuesday, setting aside US$1.3 billion to bolster trade in a region of rising economic might. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the funding as leaders from the 10-nation ASEAN forum met in Melbourne for a three-day summit. “The government I lead has made it clear. More than any other region, Southeast Asia is where Australia’s future lies,” Albanese told […]
Maldives signs China defense deal as India prepares exit
MALÉ, Maldives, March 5, 2024 (AFP) – The Maldives has signed a “military assistance” deal with China after ordering Indian troops deployed in the small but strategically-placed archipelago to leave, officials said Tuesday. Some 89 Indian military personnel in the country will be gone by May 10 after having been previously ordered out by pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu, who came to power last year on an anti-Indian platform. The Maldivian defence ministry said they signed […]





