GENEVA, Sept 17, 2023 (AFP) – The head of the World Health Organization told the Financial Times he was ready to send a new mission of experts to China to investigate the origins of Covid-19. “We’re pressing China to give full access, and we are asking countries to raise it during their bilateral meetings — (to urge Beijing) to co-operate,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the FT. He said the WHO had already written to China […]
International
Chinese FM Wang Yi to visit Russia Sept 18-21: foreign ministry
BEIJING, Sept 18, 2023 (AFP) – China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will begin a four-day visit to Russia for security talks on Monday, his foreign ministry said, the latest in a series of high-level visits and phone calls between the two sides. China and Russia are strategic allies, with both countries frequently touting their “no limits” partnership and economic and military cooperation. Their ties became even closer after Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, […]
UN meet looks to salvage promises on helping world’s poorest
By Amélie BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS World leaders meet Monday at the United Nations in a bid to salvage ambitious promises to lift the planet’s poorest, at a time when vulnerable nations are facing a volley of crises. But the development summit, on the eve of the annual UN General Assembly that opens Tuesday, threatens to be eclipsed by growing geopolitical tensions — which will be symbolized by the presence at the meeting in New York of Ukrainian […]
Climate protesters throng New York, demand end to fossil fuels
NEW YORK, Sept 17, 2023 (AFP) – Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of New York on Sunday, calling for increased action against climate change ahead of the opening of the UN General Assembly. Taking up multiple city blocks, protesters from some 700 organizations and activist groups carried signs reading “Biden, end fossil fuels,” “Fossil fuels are killing us” and “I didn’t vote for fires and floods” in a demonstration that came […]
Taiwan detects 28 Chinese warplanes around island
TAIPEI, Sept 17, 2023 (AFP) – China flew 28 warplanes around Taiwan on Sunday, with most crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait for unspecified “long range” missions, Taipei authorities said. Taiwan’s defence ministry said 20 of the aircraft detected since Sunday morning crossed the median line of the waterway separating Taiwan and mainland China, and entered the self-ruled island’s southeast and southwest air defence identification zone. China was conducting “missions such as long […]
Investigators probe Brazil plane crash that killed 14
MANAUS, Brazil, Sept 17, 2023 (AFP) – Investigators traveled Sunday to a remote town in the Brazilian Amazon to probe a plane crash that killed 14 people and left no survivors, as authorities brought the bodies to be identified. The small turboprop plane was flying a group of Brazilian sport fishermen into the northern town of Barcelos Saturday when it crashed in stormy weather, apparently after starting its descent too late and skidding off the […]
EU chief vows new migrant help for Italy after Lampedusa surge
(AFP) – The European Union presented Sunday an emergency plan for Italy to help it handle migrant arrivals after a record number of people landed on its island of Lampedusa over the past week. The surge in asylum seekers on the Italian island of Lampedusa has rekindled a fierce debate in Europe on how to share responsibility for the tens of thousands reaching the Continent each year. “Irregular migration is a European challenge and it […]
North Korea’s leader wraps up Russia trip with drones gift
MOSCOW, Sept 17, 2023 (AFP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Russia on Sunday after a rare six-day visit that appeared to solidify his country’s ties with President Vladimir Putin, fanning Western fears that Pyongyang could provide Moscow with weapons for its assault on Ukraine. Kim’s tour of Russia’s Far East, which began on Tuesday, has focused intensely on military cooperation, including a symbolic exchange of rifles with Putin and an inspection of […]
California sues oil giants, alleging climate risks deception: NYT
LOS ANGELES, Sept 16, 2023 (AFP) – The US state of California sued five of the world’s largest oil companies on Friday, alleging the firms caused billions of dollars in damages and misled the public by minimizing the risks from fossil fuels, The New York Times reported. It follows numerous other cases brought by US cities, counties and states against fossil fuel interests over the impact of climate change as well as alleged disinformation campaigns […]
Kim inspects key weapons with Russian defence chief
MOSCOW, Sept 16, 2023 (AFP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Saturday with the Russian defence minister in Vladivostok, where he inspected state-of-the-art weapons including a hypersonic missile system on the latest leg of a rare visit outside his country. Upon arriving in Vladivostok, a Pacific port city near the Chinese and North Korean borders, Kim was greeted by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and an honour guard. Shoigu and Kim were seen smiling […]
Hawaii revises down wildfire death toll
LOS ANGELES, Sept 16, 2023 (AFP) – The number of people thought to have died in the fast-moving wildfire that tore through part of Hawaii last month dropped Friday, as authorities revised their figures. The state’s governor, Josh Green, said scientists sorting through remains now believed that 97 people had perished in Lahaina, down from a previous official toll of 115. “That number dropped a little bit because the Department of Defense and all of […]
US authorities seize artworks allegedly stolen by Nazis
NEW YORK, Sept 15, 2023 (AFP) – US authorities seized three artworks allegedly looted by the Nazis and which are being sought by the heirs of a Jewish art collector who died in the Holocaust, officials said Thursday. They confirmed a report in The New York Times that said New York investigators had taken these works by the 1900s Austrian expressionist Egon Schiele from three US-based museums. In warrants issued Tuesday and seen by AFP, […]
