International

Russia captured east Ukraine village near Bakhmut: separatists

Moscow, Russia (AFP) Russian-backed separatist forces in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine said Monday they had seized a village near the key city of Bakhmut that Moscow has been trying to capture for months. The village of Bakhmutske in “the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic was liberated by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” on Monday, read a statement from separatist authorities on Telegram. AFP could not independently verify these claims. The […]

90% of people in China province infected with Covid: official

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Almost 90 percent of people in China’s third most populous province have now been infected with Covid-19, a top official said Monday, as the country battles an unprecedented surge in cases. Kan Quancheng, director of the health commission for central Henan province, told a press conference that “as of January 6, 2023, the province’s Covid infection rate is 89.0 percent.” With a population of 99.4 million, the figures suggest about 88.5 […]

Brazil patrols government buildings retaken from rioting Bolsonaro supporters

BRASÍLIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazilian security forces locked down the area around Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court Monday, a day after supporters of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the seat of power in riots that triggered an international outcry. In stunning scenes reminiscent of the January 6, 2021 invasion of the US Capitol building by supporters of then-president Donald Trump, backers of Bolsonaro broke through police cordons and overran the seats of power […]

Goldman Sachs to cut 3,200 jobs: source

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – Goldman Sachs plans to cut 3,200 jobs and could announce this as early as this week, a source close to the issue said Sunday, confirming press reports. The American investment bank did not respond to an AFP query seeking comment. A source close to the issue said there would be a maximum of 3,200 jobs eliminated — less than the figure of 4,000 cited in the press last month — […]

Biden visits US-Mexico border for first time as president

EL PASO, United States (AFP) – President Joe Biden went to the US-Mexico border on Sunday for the first time since taking office, visiting an El Paso, Texas entry point at the center of debates over illegal immigration and smuggling. He met with uniformed customs and immigration staff at the Bridge of the Americas checkpoint, a complex of inspection buildings and fencing that separates the two countries. Officers, including sniffer dog specialists, demonstrated techniques for searching […]

Six-year-old boy held after shooting teacher in US

  Washington, United States (AFP) A six-year-old boy opened fire in an elementary school classroom in the eastern US state of Virginia on Friday, seriously injuring a teacher, police said. No students were hurt in the incident at Richneck Elementary School in the coastal city of Newport News. “The individual is a six-year-old student. He is right now in police custody,” local police chief Steve Drew told a news conference, adding that “this was not […]

7.0-magnitude quake strikes Pacific nation of Vanuatu

#Earthquake (#séisme) confirmed by seismic data.⚠Preliminary info: M7.0 || 25 km NW of #Port-Olry (#Vanuatu) || 10 min ago (local time 23:32:43). Follow the thread for the updates👇 pic.twitter.com/ZtMmoXG2GW — EMSC (@LastQuake) January 8, 2023 Sydney, Australia  (AFP) Frightened villagers fled to higher ground fearing a tsunami when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck late Sunday just off the coast of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. The violent quake’s epicentre was in the sea just off […]

Why Indonesia is moving its capital to the rainforests of Borneo

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia is relocating its capital city from Jakarta to a site more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away in the rainforests of Borneo Island. The project is set to launch at the end of President Joko Widodo’s term in 2024. Here’s why Southeast Asia’s largest economy is moving its administrative center to Nusantara, a lush, biodiverse region home to the world’s oldest rainforests. – Sinking city – Jakarta is sinking at […]

Mexico arrests son of notorious drug kingpin ‘El Chapo’

CULIACÁN, Mexico (AFP) — Mexican security forces on Thursday captured a son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, scoring a high-profile win in the fight against powerful cartels days before US President Joe Biden visits. Ovidio Guzman, nicknamed “El Raton” (The Mouse), was caught in the northwestern city of Culiacan and flown to Mexico City on a military plane, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval told reporters. He said the arrest was the result […]

‘More the merrier’: Asia tourist hubs ready for China influx

by Sara HUSSEIN / Tomohiro OSAKI Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — In Tokyo’s Asakusa tourist district, caricaturist Masashi Higashitani is dusting off his Chinese as he prepares for an influx of travelers after Beijing ends inbound quarantine rules. “We used to say ‘ni hao’ all the time,” he said with a laugh as he whipped up a portrait in minutes. Nearly 9.6 million Chinese visited Japan in 2019, the biggest group of foreign tourists […]

US in crisis amid once-in-a-century political standoff

by Frankie TAGGART Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US House of Representatives plunged deeper into crisis Thursday as Republican favorite Kevin McCarthy failed again to win the speakership — entrenching a three-day standoff that has paralyzed the lower chamber of Congress. McCarthy, a favorite of his party’s establishment but a bete noire of the far right, has made sweeping concessions to quell a rebellion of around 20 hardliners blocking his bid to […]

‘Sacred goal’: Russia paints Ukraine assault in spiritual terms

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a powerful ally of President Vladimir Putin, is embracing the rhetoric of the mediaeval crusades in urging support for Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine. When Pope Urban ordered the first crusade to the Middle East in 1095, he told Christians to rise up and defend fellow believers, promising that their sins would be wiped away. Nearly 10 centuries later, Kirill has called on believers to support pro-Russian […]