NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — World oil prices soared Monday while equity markets mostly won modest increases after several top producers led by Saudi Arabia sprang surprise output cuts. Crude futures surged almost eight percent at one stage, a day after multiple members of the OPEC+ exporters’ alliance unexpectedly slashed production by a total of more than one million barrels per day. The shock reduction will start in May and last until the end […]
Other News
Russia blames Ukraine, opposition for death of top military blogger
Russia alleged on Monday the “terrorist attack” that killed a top military blogger the day before was orchestrated by Ukraine with the help of supporters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Russian investigators detained 26-year-old Darya Trepova, who was said to have links to Navalny, and posted a video in which she is heard saying she brought to the cafe a statuette rigged with an explosive device. Ukraine has blamed Russia’s domestic infighting for […]
Top Republican McCarthy to meet Taiwanese president in US
Washington, United States | AFP | Monday 4/3/2023 Republican US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday he would meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, a move China said would be a provocation. “On Wednesday, April 5, Speaker Kevin McCarthy will be hosting a bipartisan meeting with the President of Taiwan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library,” his office announced in a statement. China has warned the United States that it is “playing with fire” over […]
Philippine lawmaker accused of organizing governor’s murder
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Monday 4/3/2023 A Philippine lawmaker has been accused of organising the murder of a provincial governor last month, officials said Monday, after an investigation into one of the country’s deadliest political attacks in years. Gunmen wearing military-style uniforms shot and killed Roel Degamo, governor of the central province of Negros Oriental, and eight others in Degamo’s home. Police have arrested 11 people over the audacious attack in the sugarcane-growing […]
Malaysia ready to negotiate with China on South China Sea: PM
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Monday 4/3/2023 Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Monday that Malaysia was prepared to negotiate the South China Sea dispute with Beijing to safeguard the country’s energy exploration efforts. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea — a strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars in trade pass annually — despite an international court ruling that Beijing’s assertion has no legal basis. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and […]
Malaysian MPs vote to axe mandatory death penalty
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Monday 4/3/2023 Malaysia’s parliament passed a bill Monday to remove mandatory death sentences, with rights groups welcoming the vote as an “important step” that could have a knock-on effect elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Convictions for several offences, including murder and drug trafficking, previously came with automatic death penalties, giving judges no leeway. The bill does not scrap death sentences, but grants judges the option to instead impose lengthy prison […]
Philippines announces four more military bases US troops can use
by Cecil MORELLA The Philippines announced Monday the location of four additional military bases to be used by US troops, with one site near the hotly disputed South China Sea and another not far from Taiwan. The longtime treaty allies agreed in February to expand cooperation in “strategic areas” of the Philippines as they seek to counter China’s growing assertiveness over self-governed Taiwan and the building of Chinese bases in the South China Sea. The […]
Super Mario: Nintendo’s decades of star power
by Yassine Khiri and Mathias Cena Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Hollywood is having its second bash at sprinkling some movie magic on the “Super Mario Bros” video game franchise, three decades after the last attempt. The pint-sized plumber from Japanese game maker Nintendo has enjoyed 40 years of extraordinary popularity that has transformed the character into a truly global icon. – The saviour – Nintendo owes a lot to its moustachioed hero, created […]
Troubled investment bank China Renaissance suspends share trading
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Investment bank China Renaissance suspended trading in its Hong Kong-listed shares on Monday, saying the disappearance of its chairman meant it was unable to publish its annual results. Bao Fan, the group’s billionaire chairman and executive director, went missing in February and was later revealed to be “cooperating” in an official investigation — sparking fears of a renewed crackdown on China’s finance sector. The bank, which specializes in the Chinese tech […]
7.0-magnitude quake hits western Papua New Guinea: USGS
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake shook a remote region of northwestern Papua New Guinea before dawn Monday, toppling a few homes but with no immediate reports of casualties. The quake struck at a depth of 62 kilometres (38 miles) near the Chambri Lake system in the sparsely populated region of East Sepik Province, the US Geological Service said. “So far, we have lost a few houses, it is fortunate for us that […]
Trump heads into unknown as New York arraignment looms
by Gerard Martinez, with Michael Mathes in Washington Agence France-Presse WEST PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump is expected to fly Monday to New York for his historic arraignment on criminal charges, taking the United States and the office of the presidency into uncharted and potentially volatile territory. The 76-year-old billionaire was indicted last week by a grand jury on a series of counts related to a hush-money payment made to an adult […]
Finnish centre-right leader Orpo ousts Marin in election victory
by Elias HUUHTANEN Finland’s centre-right leader claimed victory in Sunday’s tight general election that saw the far-right post a record score to come in second, as Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Social Democrats finished third. “This was a great victory,” the 53-year-old head of the conservative National Coalition Party, Petteri Orpo, told his cheering supporters. “On the basis of this election result … we will start negotiating a government in Finland,” he said. Orpo could choose […]





