Other News

Key aid route to rebel-held Syria closes as UN fails to extend authorization

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — A UN-brokered agreement that allows for the delivery of aid overland from Turkey into rebel-held areas of Syria expired on Monday after the Security Council failed to hold a vote to reauthorize it. The 15 members of the council had been trying for days to find a compromise to extend the deal, which since 2014 has allowed for food, water and medicine to be trucked to northwestern Syria without […]

Turkey unblocks Sweden NATO bid, setting stage for summit

By Dave CLARK Agence France-Presse VILNIUS, Lithuania (AFP) — Turkey agreed Monday to allow Sweden to join NATO, setting the stage for the allies to showcase their unity at a summit focused on supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s block on Sweden’s membership bid had cast a cloud over preparations for Tuesday’s meeting, but the countries ironed out their differences in eleventh-hour talks in Vilnius. “Completing Sweden’s accession to NATO is […]

Critical negotiations on deep sea mining kick off in Jamaica

By Amélie BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Critical negotiations concerning the future of deep sea mining and mineral extraction kicked off Monday in Jamaica, as conservationists aim to rein in a nascent industry that so far lacks meaningful guardrails. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) — a little known intergovernmental body based in Kingston — and its member states have spent the last decade trying to hash out a mining code for […]

UK broadcaster under pressure after presenter accused over ‘explicit’ pictures

LONDON, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – The BBC was on Monday facing questions after a high-profile presenter was accused by a newspaper of paying a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for “sexually explicit” photos. The allegations follow sex scandals that have rocked the broadcaster in recent years involving some of its biggest names including Jimmy Savile and Rolf Harris. The claims have also prompted several household names employed by the BBC to publicly rule […]

EU tries again with new framework for data flows to US

BRUSSELS, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – The European Commission said Monday it has adopted a new legal framework to protect Europeans’ personal data in exchanges with the United States — its third attempt to get past legal challenges. “Today we take an important step to provide trust to (EU) citizens that their data is safe, to deepen our economic ties between the EU and the US, and at the same time to reaffirm our shared […]

Ukraine in NATO ‘very negative’ for European security: Kremlin

MOSCOW, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – The Kremlin said Monday that Ukraine’s NATO membership would have “very negative” consequences for European security, ahead of the alliance’s summit in Lithuania this week. “Ukraine’s membership in NATO would have very, very negative consequences for the entire security architecture in Europe, which is already half destroyed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He added that Kyiv’s membership in the Western military bloc would represent “an absolute danger and a […]

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Wagner chief in Moscow after failed mutiny: Kremlin

MOSCOW, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – The Kremlin said Monday that President Vladimir Putin had met with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on June 29 in the Kremlin, days after the mercenary group attempted to topple Russia’s military leadership. “The president gave his assessment of the events of June 24,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, referring to the failed insurrection, adding that Putin also “listened to accounts given by (Wagner) commanders”. Just over two weeks after […]

At least 29 killed in India monsoon floods: officials

NEW DELHI, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – Days of intense monsoon rains across northern India have left at least 29 people dead, rendering many areas inaccessible with bridges smashed and roads blocked, officials said Monday. Television footage showed flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain, washing away vehicles, demolishing buildings and ripping down bridges in the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh, the worst affected area. “In the last two days, the death toll due […]

At least one dead after under-construction Bangkok highway collapses

BANGKOK, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – At least one person has died after a huge construction girder over a busy road collapsed in the Thai capital Bangkok, police said Monday, with videos of the terrifying incident rapidly shared online. The massive metal girder on the Lat Krabang Tollway construction project to the east of the city crumpled to the ground late Monday afternoon, catching pedestrians and drivers unaware. It is part of a project to […]

Heat wave in US turns Texas prisons into ‘ovens’

HOUSTON, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – On the afternoon of July 4, as Americans were celebrating the country’s independence with elaborate fireworks displays, a prisoner named Joseph Martire passed out in his cell in Texas, amid the excessive heat that has been swamping much of the southern United States in recent days. In concrete, brick and metal penitentiaries, industrial fans churn warm vapor without really cooling the air. And with no air conditioning in most […]

Swiss sweltered in 2022 with hottest year on record

GENEVA, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – Switzerland said Monday it experienced its hottest year on record in 2022, with its cherished Alpine glaciers melting at three times the rate previously considered extreme. The record heat had a negative effect on the landlocked European nation’s lakes, rivers, forests and agriculture, the environment ministry said in its climate overview for the year. “For Switzerland, 2022 was the hottest year in history,” it said in a statement. “The […]

Spain sweats as temperatures soar in new summer heatwave

MADRID, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – Temperatures were soaring across Spain on Monday with the mercury set to touch 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) in the south as the country braced for its second heatwave in a fortnight. The AEMET weather agency said the heat was caused by a mass of hot air arriving from North Africa, indicating it would last until at least Wednesday, with the southern Andalusia region expected to be worst hit. […]