International

31 Thai sailors missing after vessel sinks: Navy

  Bangkok, Thailand (AFP) At least 31 Thai Navy sailors were missing on Monday after their vessel sank off the southeastern coast of Thailand, a naval spokesperson said. The HTMS Sukhothai was patrolling the Gulf of Thailand, roughly 20 nautical miles from Bang Saphan pier in southern Prachuap Khiri Khan, when it ran into strong tides and took on water late Sunday night. A rescue mission was launched after the vessel’s electronic system was damaged, […]

China megacity says people with symptomatic Covid can work ‘as normal’

  Beijing, China (AFP) People with Covid-19 symptoms in one of China’s largest cities can now go to work “as normal”, state media reported Monday, a dramatic reversal in a country where a single case could previously send thousands into lockdown. The world’s most populous nation is unwinding years of hardline coronavirus policy, with Covid spreading rapidly in the wake of the official end of mass lockdowns, testing and quarantines. And with authorities admitting the […]

Musk ‘temporarily’ suspends another journalist’s Twitter account

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Elon Musk temporarily suspended the Twitter account of another journalist, the latest in a series of suspensions after owner Elon Musk complained that personal information endangering his family was being divulged. “Elon Musk suspended my Twitter account,” Taylor Lorenz, a Washington Post reporter, said on her Substack page. Lorenz, who covers technology, said the suspension by Musk came after she and a colleague “attempted to reach him several times” for comment […]

Draft UN biodiversity deal calls to protect 30% of planet by 2030

  Montreal, Canada (AFP) by Issam Ahmed and Roland Lloyd Parry Countries gathered at a UN meeting on biodiversity in Montreal were inching closer Sunday to a deal to protect 30 percent of the planet by 2030 and to stump up $30 billion in yearly aid for the developing world to save their ecosystems. Fraught talks to seal a “peace pact for nature” came to a head as summit chair China presented a long-awaited compromise […]

North Korea fires two ballistic missiles: Seoul’s military

Seoul, South Korea (AFP) North Korea fired two medium-range ballistic missiles Sunday, Seoul’s military said, days after Pyongyang announced a successful test of a solid-fuel motor for a new weapons system. Military tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen sharply this year as Pyongyang has carried out an unprecedented blitz of weapons tests, including the launch of its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile ever last month. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected […]

Temperature rising on Soyuz, crew not in danger

  Moscow, Russia (AFP) The temperature on the Soyuz capsule docked at the International Space Station has risen but the crew are not in danger, the Russian space agency said Friday as it assesses a leak. Roscosmos said a number of tests had been conducted following the discovery of a coolant leak on the Soyuz MS-22, and the temperature in the capsule had increased to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). On Wednesday, the leak […]

Indonesia quake death toll jumps to 602 after new count

  Jakarta, Indonesia (AFP) by Marchio GORBIANO The death toll from an earthquake that hit Indonesia’s main island Java last month has jumped by hundreds to 602, a local administration official said Friday, after authorities verified unreported casualties across the worst-hit town. The shallow 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit the town of Cianjur in Indonesia’s most populous province West Java on November 21, with most of the victims killed as buildings collapsed or landslides were triggered. Cianjur […]

Moderate earthquake hits US oil region in west Texas

Washington, United States (AFP) A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck an oil-producing region of west Texas on Friday, rattling structures but causing no apparent damage, US authorities said. Preliminary data from the USGS reports the earthquake was a magnitude 5.3 centered 12 miles to the NNW of Midland with a depth of 3 miles. This would be the 4th strongest earthquake in Texas state history! #txwx #earthquake — NWS Midland (@NWSMidland) December 16, 2022   The […]

Russia fires ‘massive’ missile barrage at Ukraine grid

  Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) by Dmytro GORSHKOV A fresh barrage of fatal Russian strikes hit cities across Ukraine early Friday, cutting water and electricity in major urban hubs and piling pressure on the grid in sub-zero temperatures. AFP journalists in Kyiv reported several loud explosions and the mayor said the metro had stopped running to allow residents to take shelter in underground stations. The strikes killed two people and injured several others — including children […]

Beijing crematoriums strain under China Covid wave

  Beijing, China (AFP) by Laurie CHEN Workers at Beijing crematoriums said Friday they are overwhelmed as China faces a surge in Covid cases that authorities warn could hit its underdeveloped rural hinterland during upcoming public holidays. Covid-19 is spreading rapidly across China after three years of strict containment measures ended last week, with health authorities now admitting the true scale of the outbreak is “impossible” to track. China’s top Covid response body on Friday […]

Macron to call on Putin over Ukraine strikes, nuclear plant safety

Brussels, Belgium (AFP) French President Emmanuel Macron said he will call on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to stop bombing civilians in Ukraine and to finalise a safety plan for Europe’s largest nuclear reactor. “The most urgent issue today is to continue to call for a truce on the bombings and drone attacks,” Macron said at a press conference after a summit in Brussels on Thursday. “I intend to discuss this issue with Putin, because […]

Four people ‘critical’ after crush at London concert venue

London, United Kingdom (AFP) Four people were critically injured and four others were hospitalised following a crush at a concert venue in south London, police said Friday. Police and other emergency services were called to the O2 Academy in Brixton at 21:35 pm (2135 GMT) on Thursday following reports “that a large number of people were attempting to force entry to the venue”. They arrived to find a number of people with injuries believed to […]