BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Six rockets were fired at the Iraqi capital’s airport at dawn on Friday, causing damage but no casualties, two security sources said. The rockets landed on Baghdad airport’s runways or parking areas, one of the sources said. “One civilian plane has been hit and damaged,” the source said. © Agence France-Presse
Tag: politics
Judge cancels major US oil and gas exploration sale
WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – A judge on Thursday canceled the sale of oil and gas exploration leases of some 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico, after environmental groups sued the Biden administration citing major concerns. Federal District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras declared existing contracts invalid, saying the Department of the Interior did not adequately consider the leases’ impact on climate change when issuing them. According to the ruling, officials had used […]
Castro to be sworn in as first woman president of Honduras
by Moises AVILA TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AFP) — Honduras president-elect Xiomara Castro is due to be sworn in as the country’s first woman president on Thursday, as confusion reigns over who will be head of congress during her four-year term. Two rival factions in Castro’s left-wing Libre party have voted in their own president of congress and negotiations to reach a solution stalled overnight on Wednesday. Luis Redondo, who has the support of Castro and much […]
China warns US over Ukraine, ‘interfering’ in Winter Olympics
BEIJING, China (AFP) – China’s top diplomat spoke with his US counterpart on Thursday, warning Washington to “stop interfering” in the Winter Olympics and stressing that Russia’s security concerns in Europe should be “taken seriously”. Beijing hopes to turn next week’s Games into a soft power triumph. But the lead-up has been clouded by a US-led diplomatic boycott over China’s human rights record, particularly towards its Uyghur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region. “The most […]
Biden admin withdraws Covid vaccination mandate for businesses
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday formally withdrew the Covid vaccination-or-testing mandate for large businesses that was struck down by the Supreme Court. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said that although it was withdrawing the mandate it “strongly encourages vaccination of workers against the continuing dangers posed by Covid-19 in the workplace.” The conservative-dominated Supreme Court delivered a blow to Biden this month when it blocked his vaccination-or-testing […]
Russia warns against ‘destructive’ sanctions on Putin
by Jonathan BROWN MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia hit back Wednesday at US threats of direct sanctions against President Vladimir Putin, saying moves against the Russian leader would be ineffective and hurt efforts to lower tensions over Ukraine. Officials from France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine were set for talks in Paris on Wednesday in the latest bid to ease a crisis sparked by fears that Moscow is preparing an invasion of its pro-Western neighbour. The […]
93 potential graves found at Canada school site
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — An Indigenous community in Canada has identified nearly 100 “potential” graves at a residential school site, months after the discovery of hundreds of children’s remains at former boarding schools rocked the country. The Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) community said on Tuesday that a geophysical survey revealed “93 reflections” with characteristics “indicative of potential human burials” at the former St. Joseph’s Mission residential school in British Columbia. Investigators “surveyed approximately […]
Climate change: Biden’s next big political gamble?
by Camille CAMDESSUS Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – After a string of setbacks on getting his priorities through the deeply divided US Congress, President Joe Biden may set his sights on climate change in a bid to save the planet — and his imperiled legacy. Last week, the president announced that efforts were underway to revive the environmental component of his $1.8 trillion social spending plan, after it was all but killed […]
UK accuses Moscow of trying to install pro-Russia leader in Ukraine
by James PHEBY Britain on Saturday alleged that it had information that Moscow was “looking to install a pro-Russian leader in Kyiv” as fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine grow. Tensions have soared in recent weeks as tens of thousands of Russian troops mass on Ukraine’s border, along with an arsenal of tanks, fighting vehicles, artillery and missiles. London said it had seen evidence that several former Ukrainian politicians had maintained links with Russian […]
Malaysian ex-PM Mahathir stable after latest hospital admission
KULA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad is in a stable condition after being admitted to a specialist heart hospital for the third time in just weeks, his daughter said Saturday. The 96-year-old has been receiving treatment at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur for the past two days, Marina Mahathir said. Media descended on the hospital as news spread that Mahathir had been admitted again, and current Prime Minister […]
Myanmar sentences lawmaker from Suu Kyi’s party to death
A Myanmar military tribunal sentenced a member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s ousted party to death for terror offences on Friday, the junta said, ramping up a crackdown on the toppled leader’s party. The Southeast Asian country has been in chaos since the February coup, with more than 1,400 killed in a subsequent crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group. Junta opponents — including allies of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy — […]
Biden, Japan’s Kishida to discuss Asia security, Ukraine
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will discuss deterrence in the Asia-Pacific region and a “united” Western alliance against Russian threats to Ukraine in a virtual meeting Friday, officials said. Biden has made restoring the importance of the US-Japanese relationship a priority since taking office exactly a year ago, following Donald Trump’s questioning of the benefit of US relationships with several major allies in both Asia […]
