International

‘Law and order returned’ Hong Kong’s US-sanctioned leader says at banking summit

by Jerome Taylor and Holmes Chan Agence France-Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP)  — Hong Kong’s US-sanctioned leader insisted Wednesday that political stability and business confidence in the city has been restored following the crushing of democracy protests, as he opened a financial summit attended by global bankers including leading Wall Street executives. Hong Kong is hosting a week of high-profile events after years of political unrest and pandemic travel curbs tarnished the city’s business-friendly reputation, […]

Continue Reading →

In Texas, some women see guns as the answer

by Paula RAMON Agence France-Presse GALVESTON, United States (AFP) — Cindy Scott teaches women to shoot using multi-colored targets and weapon bags decorated with unicorns, convinced that guns are not only safe but symbols of female empowerment. “I get calls from women that are going through divorce, that just filed restraining orders or who are widowed,” she says. “The second amendment is for everybody, but it’s for law abiding citizens.” The right to bear arms […]

Continue Reading →

Netanyahu in lead after Israel vote

by Ben Simon Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu inched towards reclaiming power Wednesday after projected election results showed a majority government was within reach for the veteran right-winger, though the outlook could shift as ballots are counted. If the exit polls hold, it would mark a dramatic comeback for Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving premier, whose Likud party could be poised to form a coalition with its ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies and a rising […]

Continue Reading →

Ecuador declares emergency after 5 police gunned down

QUITO, Ecuador (AFP) — Five police officers were killed, several more wounded and prison guards taken hostage Tuesday in the latest wave of attacks in a deadly gang war consuming Ecuador, authorities said. President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of exception and nightly curfew in two coastal provinces, Guayas and Esmeraldas. The move allows the government to limit freedom of assembly and movement. Officials said organized crime groups launched nine attacks with explosives and firearms […]

Continue Reading →

Ukraine hit by water, power cuts after Russian missile strikes

by Emmanuel PEUCHOT Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine suffered sweeping blackouts and water supplies were cut to large parts of Kyiv on Monday after another wave of Russian missile strikes on key infrastructure. The Ukrainian army’s commander in chief, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said on Telegram that Russia had launched 55 cruise missiles and dozens of other munitions at “civilian targets” across the country, days after Russia blamed Ukraine for drone attacks on its fleet […]

Continue Reading →

Pacific nuclear legacy overshadows US talks in Marshall Islands

MAJURO, Marshall Islands (AFP) — Marshall Islands officials say they are ready to resume talks with the United States this week on renewing a long-standing economic and security deal, provided Washington addresses grievances stemming from the testing of nuclear weapons on the Pacific archipelago more than 70 years ago. The United States detonated 67 nuclear bombs in the Marshall Islands between 1946-58, and the health and environmental impacts are still felt on the islands and […]

Continue Reading →

Germany’s Scholz set for high-stakes China visit

by Sam Reeves Agence France-Presse FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz makes a high-stakes trip to China this week, walking a tightrope between shoring up a key economic relationship and facing heightened concerns about over-reliance on authoritarian Beijing. Scholz, accompanied by a delegation of business executives, will be the first European Union leader to visit the world’s second-biggest economy since 2019. During the one-day trip on Friday, he will hold talks with President […]

Continue Reading →

New potentially hazardous asteroid discovered

  Washington, United States | AFP | An international team of astronomers on Monday announced the discovery of a large asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Earth, creating a small chance far in the future of a catastrophic collision. The 1.5 kilometer- (0.9 mile-) wide asteroid, named 2022 AP7, was discovered in area notoriously difficult to spot objects due to the glare from the Sun. It was found along with two other near-Earth asteroids using […]

Continue Reading →

Moscow protests Western bid to ‘recruit’ Russian diplomats

By AFP – Agence France Presse Moscow on Monday summoned the Dutch ambassador to “protest strongly” against Western efforts to “recruit” Russian diplomats in the Netherlands, the foreign ministry said. Ambassador Gilles Beschoor Plug was called in to hear Moscow “protest strongly against an attempt to recruit the military attache of Russia’s embassy in The Hague on October 20 by a representative of the British intelligence services,” the ministry said. “Such provocative actions are unacceptable… […]

Continue Reading →

England orders all poultry and captive birds to be kept indoors

London, United Kingdom | AFP | All poultry and captive birds in England must be kept indoors from November 7, the UK government said Monday in a bid to contain a devastating outbreak of avian influenza. “We are now facing, this year, the largest ever outbreak of bird flu and are seeing rapid escalation in the number of cases on commercial farms and in backyard birds across England,” Britain’s chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said […]

Continue Reading →

Lula win offers hope for climate change fight: Spain

  Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday hailed Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s victory in Brazil’s presidential election, urging the two nations to work together to fight climate change. “Congratulations Lula on your victory… Let’s work together for social justice, equality and against climate change,” Sanchez tweeted. “Your success will be the success of the Brazilian people.” Ahead of the vote, in which former leftist leader Lula defeated Jair Bolsonaro, […]

Continue Reading →

China launches third and final module for Tiangong space station: state TV

  Beijing, China | AFP | China launched the final module of its Tiangong space station on Monday, state media said, the latest step in Beijing’s ambitious space programme. The module named Mengtian, or “dreaming of heavens,” was “launched on a Long March 5B rocket from the Wenchang launch centre” on China’s tropical island Hainan, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Amateur photographers and space enthusiasts watched the launch — which took place at 3:27 pm (0727 […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 441 442 443 444 445 … 2,486