Uncategorized

Israel starts calling up reservists after deadly attacks

  by Claire Gounon Israel began calling up police and army reservists Saturday after separate attacks killed three people, including an Italian tourist, in Tel Aviv and the occupied West Bank. Despite appeals for restraint, violence has surged since Israeli police clashed with Palestinians inside Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque on Wednesday, with Israel bombarding both Gaza and Lebanon in response to rocket fire by Palestinian militants. The Italian was killed and seven other tourists wounded when an […]

Continue Reading →

Iran orders arrest of women allegedly attacked for not wearing hijab

  Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iranian authorities ordered the arrest of two women, the judiciary said Saturday, after a viral video appeared to show them being attacked by a man for not wearing the hijab. Video footage widely shared on social media in Iran appeared to show the two female customers, who were not wearing the mandatory hijab or headscarf, in a shop being assaulted by a man after a verbal altercation. The footage […]

Continue Reading →

Centino formally assumes AFP chief post

(Eagle News)–General Andres Centino formally assumed the post of Armed Forces of the Philippines chief. The change of command ceremony came a day after the Palace announced that President Bongbong Marcos made the appointment. In his message, Centino paid tribute to outgoing Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, calling him a “living hero.” “Sir, I wish you all the best and my best wishes to you and your family and your future endeavors,” […]

Continue Reading →

Which countries have imposed fresh Covid rules on travellers from China?

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Around a dozen countries have slapped fresh travel regulations on travellers from China, as the world’s most populous nation faces a surge in Covid cases following its decision to relax strict virus restrictions. Here is a run-down of the countries that have imposed mandatory Covid tests and other rules on arrivals from China: – United States – As of January 5, the United States will require negative Covid tests taken within […]

Continue Reading →

Afghan women stopped from entering universities after Taliban ban

  Kabul, Afghanistan (AFP) by Aysha Safi and Estelle Emonet Hundreds of young women were stopped by armed guards on Wednesday from entering Afghan university campuses, a day after the nation’s Taliban rulers banned them from higher education in another assault on human rights. Despite promising a softer rule when they seized power last year, the hardline Islamists have ratcheted up restrictions on all aspects of women’s lives, ignoring international outrage. A team of AFP […]

Continue Reading →

FTX founder Bankman-Fried back in jail after hearing

NASSAU, Bahamas (AFP) — Sam Bankman-Fried, wanted in the United States for fraud after the collapse of his FTX cryptocurrency group, remained in a Bahamas prison Monday after an abortive court hearing that was to consider his possible extradition. One week after the former billionaire was arrested in Nassau, US and local media had reported that the 30-year-old onetime cryptocurrency wunderkind was preparing to accept extradition to stand trial in New York. Bankman-Fried was seen […]

Continue Reading →

Japan to radically overhaul defence policy on China threats

    Tokyo, Japan (AFP) by Sara HUSSEIN Japan is expected to announce its biggest defence overhaul in decades this week, hiking spending, reshaping its military command and acquiring new missiles to tackle the threat from China. The policies, to be outlined in three defence and security documents as soon as Friday, will reshape the defence landscape in a country whose post-war constitution does not even officially recognise the military. “Fundamentally strengthening our defence capabilities […]

Continue Reading →

With eye on Washington, Saudi courts closer China ties

  Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (AFP) by Robbie COREY-BOULET Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Saudi Arabia this week made clear just how quickly ties are intensifying during a period of geopolitical realignment, despite warnings from the White House. The agenda included talks with Saudi royals and summits with the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council and broader Arab League, yielding agreements on everything from infrastructure to space. Yet the lack of public bilateral breakthroughs on sensitive portfolios […]

Continue Reading →

Pres. Putin: “Not crazy, won’t deploy nukes first”

Moscow, Russia (AFP) Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that nuclear tensions were rising, though he insisted “we have not gone crazy” and Moscow would not be the first to deploy atomic weapons in the Ukraine conflict. Speaking more than nine months after his forces launched their military operation, Putin warned the conflict could be “lengthy”. Russian forces have missed most of their key military goals since February, raising fears that the battlefield stalemate could […]

Continue Reading →

Poland to receive Patriot missiles from Germany

Warsaw, Poland (AFP) — Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak on Tuesday said the EU member would accept Patriot missiles from Germany after earlier calling on Berlin to send them to Ukraine instead. “After talking to the German defense minister, it is with disappointment that I have accepted the decision to refuse support for Ukraine,” Blaszczak said on Twitter. “Deploying the Patriots in western Ukraine would have increased Polish and Ukrainian security. We thus proceed to […]

Continue Reading →

Xi signals China could loosen zero-Covid policy, EU officials say

  Beijing, China (AFP) President Xi Jinping suggested the spread of the less lethal Omicron strain might allow China to loosen its zero-Covid policy, senior EU officials reported Friday, as cities across the country made further moves towards unwinding some restrictions. Discontent with China’s hardline pandemic response spilled onto the streets last weekend and expanded into calls for more political freedom, in widespread demonstrations not seen in decades. China’s vast security apparatus has moved swiftly to […]

Continue Reading →

Twitter aims to diversify beyond advertising, but can it be done?

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) – Is it a pipe dream or possibility? Elon Musk wants to diversify Twitter’s revenue stream beyond advertising, a feat none of the biggest social networks have yet pulled off. Something of a gold standard, social media ads can be fine-tuned and tailored to individual users on a mass scale, and have been particularly lucrative for Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, as well as Google. “Facebook pretty much set the standard for […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 8 9 10 11 12 … 73