Washington, United States | AFP | President Joe Biden will announce Wednesday he’s putting the final 15 million barrels on the market from a record release of US strategic oil reserves, with more releases possible if energy prices spike, a senior US official said. The new tranche of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve will be “completing the 180 million barrel release authorized in the spring,” in response to price hikes linked to Russia’s […]
Tag: politics
New Zealand to beef up police powers to prevent attacks
Wellington, New Zealand | AFP | New Zealand’s government proposed on Wednesday a string of amendments to the country’s counter-terrorism laws, in a bid to stop people planning new attacks after the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings. Under the amendments, which parliament has yet to approve, New Zealand’s police would have expanded powers to place so-called “control orders” on people and groups suspected of posing a threat, Justice Minister Kiri Allan said. Control orders impose restrictions […]
China lodges formal complaint with Britain over consulate clash
Beijing, China | AFP | China said Wednesday it has lodged a formal complaint with Britain over an altercation between its diplomats and a Hong Kong protester on the grounds of its Manchester consulate. British police have said a group of men came out of the consulate during a weekend demonstration, dragging one of the protesters inside the grounds and assaulting him. The incident has drawn widespread condemnation in Britain and triggered an international row […]
Hong Kong to ‘trawl world for talent’ in reboot attempt
Hong Kong, China | AFP | by Holmes Chan and Su Xinqi Hong Kong’s leader unveiled plans to resuscitate the business hub’s fortunes on Wednesday, hoping to lure back international expertise after an exodus of talent — but he vowed no let-up in a political crackdown that has transformed the city. John Lee, a Beijing-anointed former security chief, gave a debut policy speech that prioritised the revival of an economy mired in recession and […]
US officials not invited to Saudi investment forum: organiser
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | US government officials have not been invited to a Saudi investment conference planned for later this month, its organiser told AFP Monday, saying he did not want the gathering “to become a political platform”. The decision not to invite American officials, a departure from previous years, comes as tensions rise between longtime partners Washington and Riyadh over the Saudi-led OPEC+ cartel’s recent vote to cut oil production by […]
Trump aides blocked accurate Covid information: US probe
Washington, United States | AFP | Former US president Donald Trump’s administration prevented health officials from providing accurate information about Covid-19 in a bid to back up his overly optimistic view of the outbreak, according to a congressional report released Monday. Senior staff at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told investigators Trump aides bullied staff and tried to rewrite their reports in a bid to align guidance with the president’s public […]
U.S. President Biden pays extra for tacos at LA food stop
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | US President Joe Biden shelled out nearly four times the asking price when he stopped for tacos and quesadillas during a visit to Los Angeles on Thursday. The 79-year-old grinned widely as he picked up an order, telling the server the extra money should be used to pay for the next customer. Biden, who entered the restaurant alongside California Representative Karen Bass and LA County supervisor Hilda Solis, […]
Google allows Donald Trump’s Truth Social in Play Store
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Google on Wednesday said it has allowed Donald Trump’s Truth Social app in its Play Store for Android devices — after receiving assurances it would meet the platform’s standards for moderating harmful content. The app — which Trump launched after being barred from Twitter over the 2021 Capitol riot — had been kept out of Google’s store over its lack of moderation tools, including for violent threats. […]
Malaysia PM calls snap elections
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | by M JEGATHESAN Malaysia’s prime minister dissolved parliament Monday to clear the way for snap elections in a bid to restore political stability as the country emerges from the ravages of Covid-19 and a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal. Elections could be held within weeks, mostly likely in November, following Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s announcement, analysts said. Polls were not due until September next year but Ismail faced […]
Taiwan leader vows ‘no compromise’ on freedom, democracy
by Amber WANG Agence France-Presse TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan’s leader warned Beijing on Monday that the island would never give up its democratic way of life in a national day speech in which she drew parallels with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The self-ruled democracy’s 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by China’s Communist Party, and Moscow’s war in Ukraine has deepened fears that Beijing might attempt something similar with the […]
More than 1 million displaced since Myanmar coup: UN
Yangon, Myanmar (AFP) More than one million people have been displaced in Myanmar since the military coup last year, the United Nations children’s agency has said. The Southeast Asian nation has been in turmoil since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government last year, sparking widespread armed resistance. The junta has responded with a crackdown that rights groups say includes razing villages, mass extrajudicial killings and airstrikes on civilians. Since the coup and as […]
Nuclear ‘Armageddon’ threat back for first time since Cold War: Biden
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden said Thursday the world risks nuclear “Armageddon” for the first time since the Cold War and that he is trying to find Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “off-ramp” in the Ukraine conflict. “We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis” in 1962, Biden said at a Democratic party fundraising event in New York. Putin is “not joking” when he […]





