By Bhuvan BAGGA NEW DELHI, Feb 15, 2024 (AFP) – Thousands of Indian farmers on tractors are riding towards New Delhi in a revival of past protests that saw highways into the capital blockaded by agricultural machinery for more than a year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was pressed into a rare retreat in 2021 after a successful campaign by farmers demanding it repeal new laws deregulating agricultural markets. Farm union leaders say the […]
International
Ukraine sends more troops to ‘extremely critical’ Avdiivka
KYIV, Ukraine, Feb 15, 2024 (AFP) – Ukraine has sent more soldiers to the embattled eastern town of Avdiivka, an army unit said Thursday, describing the situation there as “extremely critical”. Russian forces have been storming the city in the eastern Donetsk region since last year and have it surrounded by three sides. “The Third Separate Assault Brigade confirms that it was urgently redeployed to strengthen Ukrainian troops in the Avdiivka area,” the brigade said […]
Hungry Nigerians dig up anthills as food crisis grips the nation
By Aminu ABUBAKAR KANO, Nigeria, Feb 15, 2024 (AFP) Desperate Nigerians have been protesting against soaring food prices as an economic crisis forces people to skip meals and eat poor-grade rice used as fish food. To feed their children, women in northern Nigeria have even resorted to digging up anthills in search of grain stored by the insects, according to videos shown on social media. Since coming to office last year President Bola Ahmed Tinubu […]
Russia delivers cargo to ISS amidst geopolitical discord
MOSCOW, Feb 15, 2024 (AFP) – Russia on Thursday launched a supply rocket to the International Space Station, one of the rare Russia-US projects kept alive since Russia’s offensive against Ukraine. A Soyuz-2 rocket carrying the Progress MS-26 cargo ship was launched at the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan, Russia’s space agency said on its Telegram channel, showing a video of the lift-off. The rocket was due to arrive at the ISS on Saturday, the […]
SpaceX rocket blasts off with ambitious private moon landing
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, United States, Feb 15, 2024 (AFP) – A US spaceship attempting a lunar landing lifted off early Thursday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the second such private-led effort this year after the first ended in failure. Intuitive Machines, the Houston company leading mission “IM-1,” hopes to become the first non-government entity to achieve a soft touchdown on the Moon, and to land the first US robot on the surface since […]
Global food crisis: A ‘hellscape of hunger’ fueled by climate and conflict
New York, NY (February 13, 2024): A dire warning rang out at the UN Security Council today as world leaders grappled with the intertwined threats of climate change, food insecurity, and conflict. Secretary-General António Guterres painted a grim picture, describing “a hellscape of hunger and heartache” for millions due to a global food crisis, fueled by both climate chaos and ongoing conflicts. “Empty bellies fuel unrest,” Guterres stressed, highlighting the close connection between food […]
Ukraine drone attack leaves Russia oil depot in flames
MOSCOW, Feb 15, 2024 (AFP) – A night-time Ukrainian drone attack set ablaze a Russian oil depot in the Kursk region near the frontier between the two countries, Russian authorities said Thursday. Regional governor Roman Starovoit said on social media that there were no casualties, appealing to the local population to remain “calm”. “Following a Ukrainian drone attack in the Kursk region, fire has broken out in an oil depot,” Starovoit said on Telegram. Ukraine […]
Papua New Guinea PM wins snap confidence vote
PORT MORESBY, Feb 15, 2024 (AFP) – Papua New Guinea’s James Marape faced down attempts to oust him as prime minister Thursday, surprising rivals by calling, and winning, a snap vote of confidence amid raucous scenes in parliament. Lawmakers shouted, screamed and shook their fists as Marape pre-empted a vote of no confidence, scheduled for next week, with a vote of his own which he won 84-0 amid an opposition walkout. Marape’s tenure has been […]
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi to visit Germany, France, Spain in coming days
BEIJING, Feb 15, 2024 (AFP) – China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will visit Germany for the Munich Security Conference then travel to Spain and France in the coming days, Beijing’s foreign ministry said Thursday. “From February 16 to 21… Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will attend the 60th Munich Security Conference where he will deliver a speech,” a spokesperson said in a statement. He will then visit Spain and France, where he will “hold […]
Australia says China’s suspended death sentence for writer will ‘impact’ ties
SYDNEY, Feb 15, 2024 (AFP) – Australia on Thursday warned that China’s handing of a suspended death sentence to writer Yang Jun will hinder ties that had been on the mend and fuel public mistrust of Beijing. “Decisions of this nature will have an impact on the relationship,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong told lawmakers, addressing the sentence imposed on Chinese-Australian dissident Yang for alleged espionage. “This decision will inevitably reverberate for Australians who feel deeply […]
Indonesia’s Prabowo set for sweeping presidential win
JAKARTA, Feb 15, 2024 (AFP) – Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto on Thursday looked set to become the new president of the world’s third-largest democracy, likely avoiding a runoff vote against election rivals who have yet to concede. The ex-general declared victory Wednesday evening after preliminary counts from government-approved pollsters — previously shown to be reliable — indicated he would win high office with a majority in his third attempt. The slower, official count by […]
Bangkok says work from home as pollution blankets city
BANGKOK, Feb 15, 2024 (AFP) – Bangkok city employees have been told to work from home to avoid harmful air pollution, as a layer of noxious haze blanketed the Thai capital on Thursday. City authorities asked for cooperation from employers to help workers in the city of some 11 million people avoid the pollution, which is expected to last into Friday. The air monitoring website IQAir ranked Bangkok among the 10 most polluted cities in […]





