International

Islamic State group announces death of leader

Beirut, Lebanon (AFP) The Islamic State jihadist group said Wednesday that its leader Abu Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi has been killed in battle and announced a replacement to head up its remaining sleeper cells. A spokesman for IS said Hashimi, an Iraqi, was killed “in combat with enemies of God”, without elaborating on the date or circumstances of his death. The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said Hashimi had been killed in an operation carried out by […]

New York, Singapore top ‘world’s costliest city’ survey

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – New York and Singapore are jointly the world’s most expensive cities after inflation soared this year, an annual survey showed Thursday. The pair displaced last year’s number one Tel Aviv, which fell to third place this time round in the Worldwide Cost of Living index from London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The survey revealed “the soaring cost of living in the world’s biggest cities as the war in Ukraine and continuing […]

Jaguar reveals new Formula E car set to shape road models

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Jaguar Land Rover on Wednesday unveiled its “most advanced and efficient” electric racing car to compete in next season’s Formula E championship, which the firm said will support its broader “all-electric” transition. The new third generation car — dubbed the I-TYPE 6 — is “lighter, more powerful and faster” than its predecessors, boasting a top speed of 200 miles per hour (320 km/h), Jaguar said. Britain’s biggest carmaker, owned by India’s […]

Venezuela’s Maduro calls for ‘complete lifting’ of oil sanctions

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday said the easing of an oil embargo on his country by the United States was not enough, and called for the total lifting of sanctions. The United States over the weekend granted energy giant Chevron a license to resume some oil operations in Venezuela — a step in the “right direction,” Maduro told a press conference. But the move was “not enough for what Venezuela demands, […]

Bill Clinton tests positive for Covid, says symptoms ‘mild’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Former US president Bill Clinton said Wednesday he has tested positive for Covid-19 but that his symptoms were mild and he encouraged people to get vaccinated. It is the latest health scare for the 76-year-old, who was briefly hospitalized last year and has undergone several operations since 2004. “I’m doing fine overall and keeping myself busy at home. I’m grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, which has kept my case mild, […]

White House announces int’l ‘Summit for Democracy’ in March

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – The White House on Tuesday announced an international “Summit for Democracy” to be held next March, co-hosted with Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia. The summit, which follows on from a first one held in 2021, will showcase the ability of democracies to handle “the world’s most pressing challenges,” the White House said. President Joe Biden has made the contest between democracies and autocracies, such as China and Russia, […]

Elon Musk’s Twitter lifts rule against Covid misinformation

San Francisco, United States (AFP) – Twitter said it has stopped enforcing a policy intended to prevent the spread of Covid misinformation, as new owner Elon Musk — who has clashed previously with US officials over pandemic safety rules — continues to remake its content moderation policies. The move comes after the mercurial billionaire reinstated a slew of accounts on the social media network that had previously been banned for violating its content rules, such as […]

William and Kate head to the US for first time in eight years

  London, United Kingdom (AFP) by Brigitte DUSSEAU Prince William and his wife Kate head to the United States this week for their first visit in eight years, and the popular couple’s inaugural trip as prince and princess of Wales. The three-day visit to the northeastern city of Boston culminates on Friday evening with a star-studded ceremony for William’s Earthshot Prize initiative to tackle climate change. The awards ceremony — described by royal insiders as […]

Severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, lash southern US

Washington, United States (AFP) Heavy thunderstorms lashed the southern region of the United States on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said, warning of dangerous tornados in their wake. “Severe thunderstorms are bringing strong tornadoes, very large hail, and severe wind gusts across parts of the lower to mid Mississippi Valley, Mid-South and parts of the Southeast,” it said in a statement. “Tornado Watches and Warnings are in effect. A few long-track strong tornadoes are possible,” […]

Australia scraps 33,000 Covid fines

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – Australia’s most populous state scrapped 33,000 fines issued for breaking Covid-19 rules Tuesday, after a top court ruled they were invalid. New South Wales authorities were forced to retract more than half their pandemic-era fines, which were found to be too vague in describing the offence. Revenue NSW said that because of the “technical” breach it would withdraw “fail to comply” penalties believed to be worth tens of millions of dollars. “Fail […]

China Covid lockdowns shut delivery workers out of their homes

BEIJING, China (AFP) – Overworked, underpaid and thoroughly fed up, Wang’s troubles deepened even further when authorities abruptly locked down the delivery driver’s Beijing apartment block earlier this month. Officials in the Chinese capital have doubled down on the country’s hallmark zero-Covid policy in recent weeks, one of an array of cities to impose sweeping shutdowns, mass testing and teleworking mandates as caseloads have hit all-time highs. Wang is not alone in feeling frustrated. The ruling […]

Bad abbot: Thai temple left empty after monks fail drug tests

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — A Buddhist temple in central Thailand has been left without monks after all its holy men failed drug tests and were defrocked, a local official said Tuesday. Four monks including an abbot at a temple in Phetchabun province’s Bung Sam Phan district tested positive for methamphetamine on Monday, district official Boonlert Thintapthai told AFP. The monks have been sent to a health clinic to undergo drug rehabilitation, the official said. “The […]