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ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden congratulated new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday, vowing “strong ties.” Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden wanted to thank Angela Merkel, who has stepped down after “her many years of leadership in Germany.” Biden extends “congratulations” to Scholz and “is looking forward to building on the strong ties between our two nations,” she said. The former finance minister […]
COONOOR, India (AFP) — Indian defense chief General Bipin Rawat was among 13 people killed in a helicopter crash on Wednesday, raising questions over the future of military reforms he was leading. Rawat was India’s first chief of defense staff, a position that the government established in 2019, and was seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 63-year-old was traveling with his wife and other senior officers in the Russian-made Mi-17 chopper, which […]
by Jalees Andrabi Agence France Presse NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — A helicopter carrying India’s defence chief General Bipin Rawat crashed on Wednesday, the air force said, with a government minister at the scene saying at least seven people were dead. Rawat is India’s first chief of defence staff, a position that the government established in 2019, and is seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 63-year-old was travelling with his wife […]
by Anastasia CLARK Agence France-Presse BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AFP) – A Russian rocket lifted off on Wednesday carrying a Japanese billionaire to the International Space Station, marking the country’s return to space tourism after a decade-long pause that saw the rise of competition from privately held US companies. Online fashion tycoon Yusaku Maezawa and his production assistant Yozo Hirano blasted off from the Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 0738 GMT, an AFP correspondent at the […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia will not send officials to the upcoming winter Olympics in Beijing, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday, joining a US diplomatic boycott of the event. Canberra’s decision comes amid “disagreement” with China over a slew of issues, from Australia’s foreign interference laws to a recent decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, Morrison said. He also cited human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region and Beijing’s ongoing freeze on ministerial contact with […]
BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil on Tuesday ruled out requiring a Covid-19 vaccination certificate for foreign travelers arriving in the country, despite a recommendation from the national health regulator. The move came after far-right President Jair Bolsonaro compared such a mandate to a “leash” for animals. Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga told reporters after a meeting at the presidency that “people cannot be discriminated between vaccinated and unvaccinated to impose restrictions.” However, Queiroga said that with […]
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was exposed to the coronavirus Tuesday by a UN official who already had Covid-19 and is isolating for the next few days, diplomatic sources said. Guterres, 72, has canceled his upcoming in-person engagements, sources told AFP. The UN chief was due to be the guest of honor of the UN Press Association at its annual gala in Manhattan on Wednesday. On Thursday, he was to […]
by Sebastian Smith with Anna Smolchenko in Moscow WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden warned President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday of “strong” Western economic blowback against any Russian attack on Ukraine, while the Kremlin leader demanded guarantees that the NATO alliance keep clear of Russia. The two leaders met by video link in a two-hour summit seen as a vital chance to defuse tension on the Russian-Ukrainian frontier, where Russia has deployed […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Veteran American Airlines Chief Executive Doug Parker plans to step down in March and will be succeeded by his deputy, Robert Isom, the carrier announced Tuesday. A longtime fixture atop US carriers, Parker led US Airways prior to its merger with American Airlines in 2013 when he took over the combined company. He will step down March 31 but remain chairman of the board. American’s leadership transition was delayed […]
NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — A massive fire tore through an overcrowded prison in Burundi before dawn on Tuesday, killing dozens of inmates and seriously injuring many more, the country’s vice president said. Many prisoners were still asleep when the blaze took hold in a penitentiary in Burundi’s political capital Gitega, witnesses said/ Some survived only by clambering out — completely naked — to safety through the roof. Much of the facility was destroyed, with images […]
by Haeril Halim Agence France Presse CURAH KOBOKAN, Indonesia (AFP) — The death toll from the eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Semeru volcano rose to 34 on Tuesday, the national disaster agency said, as aid was rushed to the affected region. The mountain on the island of Java had thundered to life on Saturday, ejecting volcanic ash high into the sky and raining hot mud on villages as thousands of panicked people fled their homes. […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — China has an important part to play in the global economy as it recovers from Covid-19, but its growth is slowing, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Monday. The head of the Washington-based crisis lender held a virtual meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and discussed topics ranging from inflation to the recovery from the pandemic, according to a statement released by the IMF. “China achieved a truly remarkable recovery, […]
