France’s iconic Eiffel Tower was closed for a fourth day on Thursday as employees extended a strike over the monument’s management, unions said. The stoppage at one of the world’s best-known tourist sites is the second within two months in protest of what unions say is insufficient investment. The tower’s operator, SETE, has advised ticket holders to check its website before showing up, or to postpone their visit. E-ticket holders were asked to check their […]
Other News
Celtics, Mavs stretch win streaks, triple-double milestone for Jokic
The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks picked up where they left off when the NBA resumed following the All-Star break on Thursday as both notched their seventh straight NBA victories. Luka Doncic scored 41 points with nine rebounds and 11 assists and Kyrie Irving added 29 points for the Mavs in a 123-113 home victory over the Phoenix Suns. Derrick White scored 28 points and Jayson Tatum scored 25 to lead the Celtics, who used […]
Australia battles ‘volatile’ bushfire
Australian firefighters were working to contain a “volatile” bushfire in the southern state of Victoria on Friday, urging thousands of people to evacuate rural areas threatened by the blaze. The out-of-control blaze, about two hours’ drive northwest of state capital Melbourne, has already burned through about 10,000 hectares (24,000 acres) of forest and farmland. Almost 1,000 firefighters have been deployed to battle the blaze. “They will be supported by water-bombing aircraft, including the large […]
Taliban authorities execute two convicted murderers in football stadium
GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Feb 22, 2024 (AFP) – Taliban authorities publicly executed two men convicted of murder in a football stadium in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, according to an AFP journalist at the scene. Both men were executed by multiple gunshots to the back in Ghazni city after Supreme Court official Atiqullah Darwish read aloud a death warrant signed by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. “These two people were convicted of the crime of murder,” Darwish […]
Policeman charged with murder of Australian TV presenter, boyfriend
SYDNEY, Feb 23, 2024 (AFP) – Australian police on Friday charged one of their own officers with the double murder of a TV presenter and his flight attendant boyfriend, whose bodies have yet to be found. Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said a 28-year-old serving police constable was charged with two counts of murder, after a high-profile three-day search across Sydney. Earlier this week, the chance discovery of bloodied clothes in a suburban rubbish bin […]
Shipping insurance rates soar on Red Sea missile attacks
By Emeline BURCKEL with Marie-Morgane Le Moel in Paris LONDON, Feb 23, 2024 (AFP) – Attacks by Yemen’s Huthi rebels on commercial ships in the Red Sea have sent insurance premiums surging, exacerbating costs already stretched by soaring freight rates and longer alternative trade routes. The Huthis have carried out relentless attacks since November on shipping transiting the Red Sea, a maritime hub through which 12 percent of global trade usually passes. Maritime container transport […]
Black teen in US loses court battle over hairstyle
HOUSTON, Feb 23, 2024 (AFP) – A Black teen who was punished at high school because of the way he wears his hair lost a court battle Thursday when a judge upheld the disciplinary action against him. Darryl George, 18, wears his hair in rope-like strands called locs, which are pinned to his head. Since last August he has been separated from his classmates and faced other punitive measures at Barbers Hill High School, outside […]
US to level more sanctions as Russia claims fresh gains in Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine, Feb 23, 2024 (AFP) – The United States plans to impose sanctions Friday on more than 500 targets involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine, as Moscow claims fresh battlefield advances two years after its invasion. Ukraine, grappling with hold-ups to much-needed Western military aid, has been pushed back from the front line in recent months. Already outgunned, Kyiv is rationing ammunition as political wrangling in Washington, Ukraine’s biggest ally, stalls a critically needed […]
CAAP to create master plan for advancement of PHL aviation sector
(Eagle News)–The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines revealed plans to develop a master plan for the advancement of the Philippine aviation sector. According to the CAAP, for the initiative, it would conduct a review of the current state of civil aviation in the country, including its infrastructure, regulatory framework, operations, and national and regional policy. The CAAP said a benchmarking analysis will then be conducted in a bid to see how the Philippines fares […]
Four charged in US navy seizure of Iranian weapons bound for Yemen rebels; two SEALs killed in intercepting the ship
WASHINGTON, Feb 22, 2024 (AFP) – Four men were charged on Thursday in connection with the seizure by the US Navy of a vessel carrying Iranian weapons bound for Yemen’s Huthi rebels, an operation which left two Navy SEALs dead. The four crew members were taken into custody during a January 11 operation in which elite US special operations personnel boarded a dhow off the coast of Somalia and seized missile components made in Iran, […]
Digital media upstart Vice laying off ‘several hundred’ staff: CEO
WASHINGTON, Feb 23, 2024 (AFP) – Vice, the dynamic, fast-growing digital media company that gained a wide following with young readers, said Thursday it will no longer publish on its flagship website and is eliminating hundreds of jobs. Millennial-focused and known for its edgy news and lifestyle content, Vice had been among the rising stars of a new breed of digital media firms but struggled as advertising revenues shrank. The move is the latest dose […]
UK police seize record 5.7 tonnes of cocaine hidden in bananas
British police said Friday that they had made what is believed to be its biggest ever seizure of serious drugs. The National Crime Agency said that 5.7 tonnes (5,700 kg) of cocaine were found in a container at the port of Southampton on England’s south coast on 8 February. The drug haul was discovered hidden in a cargo of bananas which had been transported from South America, the agency said in a statement. It had […]





