by Sebastian Smith Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden will tell Americans Tuesday that US democracy is “bruised” but “unbroken” in a State of the Union speech appealing to Republican opponents to unite in building a blue-collar economy, according to excerpts from the White House. Biden, who is expected soon to announce a bid for a second term, despite being already 80 years old, will use the address before the full […]
International
Peru reports hundreds of sea lion deaths due to bird flu
LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru said Tuesday that 585 sea lions and 55,000 wild birds have died of the H5N1 bird flu virus in recent weeks, the latest report on the disease’s impacts. Following the discovery of 55,000 dead birds in eight protected coastal areas, rangers found the bird flu that killed them had also claimed 585 sea lions in seven protected marine areas, the Sernanp natural areas protection agency said. The dead birds included […]
No new variants in weeks after China ended zero-Covid: study
PARIS, France (AFP) — No new variants of Covid-19 emerged in Beijing in the weeks after China ended its zero-Covid policy late last year, a new study said on Wednesday. China saw an explosion of infections after starting to lift its strict pandemic measures from early December, sparking fears the world’s most populous country could become a fertile breeding ground for new, more transmissible or severe strains. More than a dozen countries promptly imposed fresh […]
DEVELOPING STORY: Death toll rises above 7,100 in Turkey, Syria quake
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | The death toll from a massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria rose above 7,100 on Tuesday, official data showed, with rescue workers still searching for trapped survivors. Officials and medics said 5,434 people have died in Turkey and 1,712 in Syria, bringing the total to 7,146. © Agence France-Presse
Ghanaian footballer Atsu rescued from Turkish quake, says association
Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu has been rescued from the rubble of the earthquake that killed and injured thousands in Turkey and neighbouring Syria, Ghana’s Football Association confirmed on Tuesday. Former Newcastle midfielder Atsu, 31, joined Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor in September, based in the southern province of Hatay near the epicentre of Monday’s massive quake. “Good news! We’ve received some positive news that Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued from the rubble of the […]
Why was the Turkey-Syria earthquake so deadly?
by Daniel Lawler Agence France- Presse Paris, France (AFP) — A combination of factors made the powerful earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria early Monday particularly deadly, including its timing, location, relatively quiet fault line and the weak construction of the collapsed buildings, experts said. More than 2,300 people have been killed by the 7.8-magnitude quake near Turkey’s Syrian border, with the toll expected to grow as aftershocks reverberate throughout the day. The earthquake caused […]
Jobs, not doctrine, the lure for Africa’s jihadists: UN
by Nina LARSON Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Poverty and the prospect of better-paid work, rather than ideology, are what fuel recruitment to jihadist and other violent groups in Africa, the United Nations said Tuesday. The conclusion casts doubt on conventional wisdom that religious doctrine is the main lure for joining groups like Boko Haram, al-Shabaab and the Al-Qaeda-linked Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM). The UN Development Programme (UNDP) in 2021 interviewed […]
North Korea pledges ‘expanded, intensified’ military drills
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea’s top army officials have said they will expand and intensify military drills to ensure their readiness for war, state media reported Tuesday, ahead of a massive parade. The pledge came at a Monday meeting overseen by leader Kim Jong Un and follows last week’s staging of joint air drills by South Korea and the United States. The agenda was topped by “the issue of constantly expanding and intensifying […]
Japanese ‘Luffy’ criminal ringleaders deported from Philippines
MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — Two of the four suspects believed to be behind a spate of robberies and telephone fraud cases across Japan were deported from the Philippines on Tuesday. Japanese news outlets and social media have been captivated by the crimes that allegedly involved ringleaders based in the Southeast Asian country. Low-level criminals arrested in Japan told police they received instructions from a person or several people who used the name “Luffy” via the […]
IN PICTURES: Earthquake kills more than 4,300 in Turkey, Syria
Rescuers in Turkey and Syria dug with their bare hands through the freezing night Tuesday hunting for survivors among the rubble of thousands of buildings felled in a series of violent earthquakes. The confirmed death toll across the two countries has soared above 4,300 after a swarm of strong tremors near the Turkey-Syria border — the largest of which measured at a massive 7.8-magnitude. Multi-storey apartment buildings full of residents were among the 5,606 structures […]
At least 20 escape Syria prison holding IS inmates after quake
Azaz, Syria | AFP | Monday 2/7/2023 Prisoners mutinied in a northwestern Syria prison Monday following a deadly earthquake, with at least 20 escaping the jail holding mostly Islamic State group members, a source at the facility told AFP. The military police prison in the town of Rajo near the Turkish border holds about 2,000 inmates, with about 1,300 of them suspected to be IS fighters, said the source. The prison also holds fighters from […]
Earthquake kills more than 3,600 in Turkey, Syria
SANLIURFA, Turkey (AFP) — A major earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on Monday, killing more than 3,600 people and flattening thousands of buildings as rescuers dug with bare hands for survivors. Dozens of nations pledged aid after the 7.8-magnitude quake, which hit as people were still sleeping and amid freezing weather that has hampered emergency efforts. Multi-storey apartment buildings full of residents were among the 5,606 structures reduced to rubble in Turkey, while Syria […]





