International

Guatemala prosecutors raid Save the Children over alleged abuse

GUATEMALA CITY, April 26, 2024 (AFP) – Guatemalan authorities on Thursday raided the offices of the international organization Save the Children in what the prosecutor’s office said was part of an investigation into alleged abuses against minors. A spokesperson for Save the Children confirmed that officials had entered its offices in Guatemala City, but declined to give more details. The operation was the result of “a transnational investigation of great significance, since it concerns actions […]

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At least six killed in India hotel fire: police

PATNA, India, April 25, 2024 (AFP) – At least six people were killed in a fire that ripped through a hotel in eastern India on Thursday, police said, with rescue teams still searching the wreckage for survivors. The fire broke out at the Pal Hotel in Patna, the capital of Bihar state, and soon spread to adjacent buildings before it was extinguished. “So far six people have been killed,” a police officer told AFP on […]

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155 killed in Tanzania as heavy rains lash East Africa

DAR ES SALAAM, April 25, 2024 (AFP) – At least 155 people have died in Tanzania as torrential rains linked to El Nino triggered flooding and landslides, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said Thursday. Tanzania and other countries in East Africa — a region highly vulnerable to climate change — have been pounded by heavier than usual rainfall during the current rainy season, with dozens of deaths also reported in Kenya. Majaliwa said more than 51,000 […]

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Leaders of 18 nations call on Hamas to release hostages

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2024 (AFP) – The leaders of the United States, Britain, France and more than a dozen other countries called in a joint statement Thursday for Hamas to release the scores of hostages it is holding. Hamas seized the hostages during a shock October 7 attack that sparked the deadliest ever war between it and Israel, which has vowed to eleminate the Palestinian militant group. “We call for the immediate release of all […]

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What next for TikTok in the US?

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2024 (AFP) – TikTok on Wednesday said it will fight a new US law that orders the popular video sharing app to break away from its Chinese owners or face an outright ban in the United States. Here is what could happen next for one of the world’s most downloaded apps. What does the law say? The bill signed by President Joe Biden gives TikTok 270 days (roughly nine months) to find […]

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Teenage girl arrested after stabbing at Welsh school

LONDON, April 24, 2024 (AFP) – A teenage girl was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after two teachers and a pupil were stabbed at a secondary school in Wales on Wednesday, police said. The attack occurred at the Amman Valley School about 60 miles (96 kilometres) northwest of Cardiff just before midday. Two air ambulances and a number of police vehicles were seen at the school. “Three people — two teachers and a teenage […]

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Masked men attack Swedish anti-fascism meeting

STOCKHOLM, April 24, 2024 (AFP) – Several masked men burst into a Stockholm theatre on Wednesday night and set off smoke bombs during an anti-fascism event, Swedish police and participants said. Around 50 people were taking part in the event at the Gubbangen theatre in a southern suburb of the Swedish capital, organised by the left-wing Vansterpartiet and Greens parties. “Three people were taken by ambulance to hospital,” the police said on its website, adding […]

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Use of alcohol and e-cigarettes among youth ‘alarming’: WHO

By Camille BAS-WOHLERT COPENHAGEN, April 24, 2024 (AFP) – The widespread use of alcohol and e-cigarettes among adolescents is “alarming”, according to a report released on Thursday by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) European branch, which recommended measures to limit access. Based on survey data from 280,000 young people aged 11, 13 and 15 in Europe, Central Asia and Canada, the WHO said it showed a “concerning picture” of substance use among young people. “The […]

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China to send fresh crew to Tiangong space station

By Michael ZHANG JIUQUAN, China, April 24, 2024 (AFP) – China will send a fresh crew to its Tiangong space station on Thursday, Beijing’s Manned Space Agency announced, the latest mission in a programme that aims to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030. The Shenzhou-18 mission — crewed by three astronauts — is scheduled to take off at 8:59 pm (1259 GMT) Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Beijing announced […]

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Biden pledges swift weapons delivery to Ukraine

By Camille CAMDESSUS WASHINGTON, April 24, 2024 (AFP) – US President Joe Biden vowed to send fresh weapons to Ukraine within days as he prepared to sign on Wednesday an aid package including $61 billion meant to help Kyiv’s forces push back against Russia. Congress approved on Tuesday the long-delayed legislation, which also contained a measure to ban TikTok in the United States if the popular social media app does not cut ties with its […]

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China warns US military support for Taiwan increases ‘risk of conflict’

BEIJING, April 24, 2024 (AFP) – China warned on Wednesday that US military support for Taiwan only increased the “risk of conflict” along the strait, after the US Congress allocated $8 billion in military support for the island. “I’d like to emphasise that the United States and Taiwan strengthening military ties will not bring about security for Taiwan,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “It will only increase tensions and the risk of conflict across […]

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‘So hot you can’t breathe’: Extreme heat hits the Philippines

By Cecil MORELLA Extreme heat scorched the Philippines on Wednesday, forcing schools in some areas to suspend in-person classes and prompting warnings for people to limit the amount of time spent outdoors. The months of March, April and May are typically the hottest and driest in the archipelago nation, but conditions this year have been exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon. “It’s so hot you can’t breathe,” said Erlin Tumaron, 60, who works at […]

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