JOS, Nigeria, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – Nigeria has imposed a 24-hour curfew in a north-central region after more tit-for-tat attacks killed at least another nine people. The move, introduced Sunday in Mangu district in Plateau State, followed two months of clashes between nomadic herders and pastoral farmers that community leaders say have left more than 200 dead. Intercommunal violence often flares in Plateau, which straddles the dividing line between Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north and […]
Other News
Xi says Russia and China should ‘lead global governance reform’
BEIJING, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – China and Russia need to “lead the correct direction of global governance reform”, according to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who hailed the two countries’ partnership at a meeting with a top Russian politician in Beijing on Monday, state media reported. Beijing and Moscow have ramped up economic cooperation and diplomatic contacts in recent years, with exchanges only growing closer since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. On Monday, Xi […]
China, Solomon Islands ink police cooperation deal
BEIJING, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – China and Solomon Islands signed a new deal on police cooperation Monday, deepening their bilateral partnership four years after the Pacific island nation cut ties with Taiwan and formally established relations with Beijing. The “implementation plan” on policing — effective through 2025 — was one of nine documents signed on Monday following talks between visiting Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Chinese Premier Li Qiang at Beijing’s Great Hall of […]
Two dead in southwestern Japan after ‘heaviest rain ever’
KURUME, Japan, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – At least two people were killed in torrential rain in southwest Japan on Monday, with fears the toll could rise, as tens of thousands of residents were told to evacuate their homes. Downpours after a week of steady rain have caused rivers to burst their banks and sodden earth to collapse in deadly landslides, including one that killed a 77-year-old woman. The woman’s home was engulfed overnight in […]
Heavy rains and flooding pummel US northeast, one dead
NEW YORK, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – The northeastern United States was inundated Monday with heavy rain and flooding across several states a day after storms and flash floods washed out highways and killed one person in New York state. Parts of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Vermont were under flood warnings as of 6:00 am (1000 GMT) Monday, with states in the region recording rapid rainfall and “life threatening” flash floods, […]
K-pop megastars BTS release memoir
SEOUL (AFP) – K-pop megastars BTS released their hotly anticipated memoir in South Korea on Sunday, marking their 10th anniversary as a group. “Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS” is the septet’s first official book, and contains a chronological summary of their musical career as well as hints at their future endeavours, according to their agency BIGHIT MUSIC. Crowds were kept away by heavy rain on Sunday morning, but some diehard fans braved the […]
Pakistani mountaineer races rivals, hunts funds to chase summit record
By Deva LEE Pictures by Amna Yaseen, Video by Faisal Satti LAHORE, Pakistan, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – Pakistani mountaineer Shehroze Kashif faces sub-zero temperatures and biting winds in his race to scale the world’s highest peaks, but his biggest challenge is finding the money. Kashif, 21, aims this year to become the youngest person to climb every peak above 8,000 metres (26,247 feet), all of which are in Asia, with five in Pakistan. Summiting […]
Twitter rival Threads signs up 100 million users in five days
PARIS (AFP) – The Threads app launched by Instagram as a rival to Twitter has signed up more than 100 million users in less than five days, data tracking websites said on Monday, smashing the record of AI tool ChatGPT for fastest-growing consumer app. While ChatGPT took two months to hit the 100 million user mark and video-sharing app TikTok took nine months, Instagram itself took two and a half years to reach that mark […]
‘Like a mirror’: Astronomers identify most reflective exoplanet
By Daniel Lawler Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — A scorching hot world where metal clouds rain drops of titanium is the most reflective planet ever observed outside of our Solar System, astronomers said on Monday. This strange world, which is more than 260 light years from Earth, reflects 80 percent of the light from its host star, according to new observations from Europe’s exoplanet-probing Cheops space telescope. That makes it the first exoplanet comparably […]
Six killed in China kindergarten attack
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Six people were killed and one wounded in an attack at a kindergarten in southern China’s Guangdong province on Monday, a spokeswoman for the city government said. “The victims include one teacher, two parents and three students,” she said. She did not offer details about the identities or ages of the victims, nor the weapon used in the attack, which took place in the city of Lianjiang. “One suspect has been […]
NBA top pick Wembanyama has 27 points, 12 rebounds in loss
LAS VEGAS, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – Victor Wembanyama, the NBA’s top draft pick, showed improvement Sunday in his second game with San Antonio, scoring 27 points in an 85-80 NBA Summer League loss to Portland. The 19-year-old French center, who stands 7-foot-4 (2.24m), has been hyped as the NBA’s best prospect since LeBron James 20 years ago, but had received a wake-up call in his first game against NBA talent. This time though, Wembanyama […]
Signs of the human era, from nuclear fallout to microplastics
By Daniel Lawler PARIS, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – As scientists make the case that humans have fundamentally transformed the planet enough to warrant our own geological epoch, another question arises: is there anything left untouched by humanity’s presence? Soaring greenhouse gases, ubiquitous microplastics, pervasive “forever chemicals”, the global upheaval of animals, even old mobile phones and chicken bones — all have been put forward as evidence that the world entered the Anthropocene, or era […]
