NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s parliament began voting Monday for a new president, with a female politician from the country’s marginalised tribal community the favourite for the post. Droupadi Murmu, from the Santhal tribe, has been nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for the largely ceremonial position. If elected, she would be India’s first tribal president and second female president. The incumbent, Ram Nath Kovind, is the country’s second […]
International
Four dead after two small planes collide in Vegas airport
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Four people were killed Sunday after two small planes collided in midair at an airport in Las Vegas, officials and local media reports said. A single-engine Piper PA-46 plane was preparing to land at North Las Vegas Airport in the US state of Nevada around noon local time, when it collided with a single-engine Cessna 172, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement to AFP. “The Piper crashed… in […]
Oil dispute sharpens Baghdad-Kurd tensions amid deadlock
by Tony Gamal-Gabriel Agence France-Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Iraq’s oil wealth is rekindling tensions between federal authorities and the autonomous Kurdish region, in a row that could compromise the lifeline industry and keep investors away, analysts say. The long-simmering dispute came to a head in February — at a time of political deadlock in Baghdad — when the federal supreme court ordered Kurdistan to hand over oil extracted from its territories to the federal […]
Inflation in New Zealand hits 32-year high
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Inflation in New Zealand rose to a 32-year high of 7.3 percent on-year in the second quarter, according to official figures released Monday. The main drivers were rising fuel, food and housing costs, said Stats NZ, putting inflation at a level last seen in 1990. “Supply chain issues, labor costs, and higher demand have continued to push up the cost of building a new house,” said Jason Attewell of Stats […]
China banks vow to repay more customers after protests
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese regulators have promised to repay more victims of one of the country’s biggest-ever banking scandals, after hundreds of thousands of customers were left without access to funds, triggering rare mass protests. China’s rural banking sector has been hit hard by Beijing’s efforts to rein in a property bubble and spiralling debt, in a financial crackdown that rattled the world’s second-largest economy. Four banks in Henan province froze cash withdrawals in […]
Iran, Russia, Turkey presidents to talk Syria war in Tehran
by Karim Abou Merhi with AFP bureaus Agence France-Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — With the war in Ukraine still raging, Russian President Vladimir Putin travels Tuesday to Tehran for talks with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts on the Syria conflict. Russia, Turkey and Iran have in recent years met to discuss Syria as part of the so-called “Astana peace process” to end more than 11 years of conflict in the Arab country. All three are […]
US struggles to meet monkeypox vaccine demand
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States, which is forecasting an increase in monkeypox cases in the coming weeks, does not currently have enough vaccines to meet demand, a top health official said Friday. Concern has grown especially in New York, the epicenter of the US outbreak of the virus, with nearly 390 cases counted as of July 14. The United States has seen a total of 1,470 cases. The illness is characterized […]
Ivana Trump died of accidental ‘blunt impact’ to torso: official
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Ivana Trump, the first wife of the former US president, died of “blunt impact injuries” to the torso in an accident, New York’s chief medical examiner said on Friday. The statement did not specify the circumstances, but US media reported that police had been investigating whether the 73-year-old died falling down the stairs at her Manhattan home. A spokesperson for the New York Police Department told AFP in […]
China Covid outbreak grows with millions under lockdown
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Saturday reported its highest number of coronavirus cases since May, with millions in lockdown this weekend as authorities persist with their zero-Covid policy. Using snap lockdowns, long quarantines and mass testing, China is the last major economy still pursuing the goal of eliminating outbreaks, even as the strategy takes a heavy toll on the economy. China reported 450 local infections on Saturday, up from 432 a day earlier. […]
Donald Trump’s first wife Ivana dies aged 73
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Ivana Trump — Donald Trump’s first wife and mother of his three eldest children — died on Thursday at the age of 73, the former president announced. Ivana Trump “passed away at her home in New York City,” Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. He did not provide a cause of death but the New York Times reported that law enforcement officials were investigating […]
India reports first case of monkeypox
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India has reported its first confirmed case of monkeypox after a 35-year-old man with a history of travel to the Middle East showed symptoms, officials said. The federal government rushed a multi-disciplinary team to the southern state of Kerala in view of the confirmed case of monkeypox there, according to an official statement. The man, who travelled from the United Arab Emirates to Kerala on Tuesday, was in stable condition […]
Himars precision rockets shift the balance in Ukraine: experts
by Paul Handley Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US-made precision rockets have given Ukraine forces a major battlefield boost since they were introduced in June, tilting the balance against the Russians and possibly forcing Moscow to pause its offensive, experts said. Since mid-June, using the Himars missile systems, Ukraine has destroyed more than 20 major Russian ammunition depots and command posts that were previously too far behind the front lines to be reached […]





