Tag: politics

‘Denial and delay’: Big Oil rebuked in US Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – US climate scientists accused four of the world’s largest oil companies Tuesday of lying about the harms linked to their industry and trying to delay the switch to cleaner fuel. American multinationals ExxonMobil and Chevron, as well as Britain’s BP and Shell, are being investigated by the US Congress for their role in spreading misinformation about climate change. Michael Mann, an academic, told the House oversight committee the companies […]

US vice president’s husband evacuated in bomb threat

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris was evacuated Tuesday after a reported bomb threat at the Washington high school he was visiting to celebrate African American history, officials said. Douglas Emhoff, whose official title is second gentleman, was pulled away by his security detail during commemorations of Black History Month at Dunbar High School in Washington, DC. Pupils were also told to leave. “It was a bomb threat,” […]

US Congress to vote on averting government shutdown

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Democrats introduced a short-term bill on Monday to fund the US government ahead of a potential shutdown next week, when federal agencies run out of previously allocated money. Shutdowns typically lead to hundreds of thousands of government workers being sent home, while parks, museums and other federal properties and services are closed. With funding running out on February 18, President Joe Biden’s Democrats and opposition Republicans had been unable […]

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi back in court after health no-show

Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi returned to a junta court on Friday after skipping a previous hearing because she felt unwell, a source with knowledge of the case said. Suu Kyi has been detained since her civilian government was ousted in a coup last year that triggered mass protests and a bloody military crackdown, with more than 1,500 civilians killed, according to a local monitoring group. Cut off from the world except for […]

Czechs, Poland sign deal on coal mine that caused EU rift

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AFP) – The Czech Republic and Poland on Thursday signed a deal on a giant coal mine near the Czech and German borders to end a dispute that has caused a stand-off between Warsaw and Brussels. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki “signed an agreement” in Prague on the Turow lignite mine, the Polish prime minister’s office said on Twitter. “We managed to push away a stone […]

ASEAN urges ‘immediate’ end to Myanmar violence

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AFP) — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations urged an “immediate” end to violence in Myanmar on Wednesday and for the junta to allow a special envoy tasked with facilitating talks to visit as soon as possible. The 10-nation regional bloc has led diplomatic efforts to end the chaos unleashed in Myanmar by coup last year, which triggered mass protests and a deadly crackdown on dissent. But violence has continued, with anti-junta […]

Myanmar shadow govt nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

  OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Myanmar’s self-proclaimed shadow government has been nominated for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian lawmaker behind the proposal said on Tuesday, the anniversary of the military coup that deposed Aung San Suu Kyi. “I have nominated Myanmar’s ‘National Unity Government’ for the Nobel Peace Prize. It’s the only legitimate government in Myanmar”, Ola Elvestuen, a member of parliament for the small Liberal Party, told AFP. The National Unity Government […]

UK PM Johnson safe for now, but future in jeopardy over ‘partygate’

  by James PHEBY Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is “probably safe” for now despite a scathing report into government lockdown parties, but his long-term future is “very much out of his hands” as police probe the claims, analysts said on Tuesday. Johnson on Monday apologised after his government was criticised for “failures of leadership and judgment” in allowing parties at his offices during lockdown. His position […]

Japan proposes controversial mine in World Heritage bid

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) – Japan will seek UNESCO World Heritage recognition for a centuries-old network of mines on Tuesday, the government said, risking renewed diplomatic tensions with South Korea over forced wartime labour. The controversial gold and silver mine complex on central Japan’s Sado Island dates back 400 years and was once one of the largest of its kind in the world, according to authorities in the coastal region where it is located. But more […]

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi: Prisoner of generals

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s latest democracy struggle enters its second year with its best-known figurehead, Aung San Suu Kyi, isolated from the fight, a prisoner of the generals behind the coup and facing the rest of her life in prison. The Nobel laureate has been held since the putsch that ousted her government in the early hours of February 1 last year, ending a brief democratic interlude for the country and sparking huge protests. […]

Blinken to speak with Russian counterpart Lavrov Tuesday

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia said Monday that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would hold a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a time of heightened tensions between their countries over Ukraine. “Lavrov and Blinken will have a telephone conversation on Tuesday,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters, adding there were no plans for a face-to-face meeting. The upcoming call is the latest in a flurry of diplomatic meetings between […]

Russia doesn’t want war but will defend its interests: official

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Moscow doesn’t want war but will not allow its interests to be ignored, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday as tensions continue to simmer over Ukraine. The West has accused Russia of massing 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine and has threatened unprecedented sanctions if Moscow invades. “If it depends on Russia, there will be no war. We do not want wars,” Lavrov said in an interview with the […]