PARIS, France (AFP) – Eating one freshwater fish caught in a river or lake in the United States is the equivalent of drinking a month’s worth of water contaminated with toxic “forever chemicals”, new research said on Tuesday. The invisible chemicals called PFAS were first developed in the 1940s to resist water and heat, and are now used in items such as non-stick pans, textiles, fire suppression foams and food packaging. But the indestructibility of PFAS, […]
Tag: United States
What is the link between winter storms and global warming?
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – The world is getting warmer, winters included. The United States, however, has experienced severe winter storms in recent years, and experts are taking a closer look at the link between these extreme cold events and climate change. While the link between global warming and heat waves is very direct, the behavior of winter storms is governed by complex atmospheric dynamics that are more difficult to study. Even so, “there are certain […]
Apple loosens tight grip on App Store pricing
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) – Apple on Tuesday announced the biggest upgrade to the App Store pricing system since the launch of the shop, allowing developers to charge from 29 cents to $10,000 for their offerings. The enhanced pricing options to be available for all transactions at the App Store by spring of next year were touted along with new capabilities intended to make it easier for those offering their wares to manage sales, returns, […]
Russian oil price cap put to the test
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – The price cap on Russian oil agreed by the EU, G7 and Australia is set to come into force on Monday. It aims to restrict Russia’s revenue while making sure Moscow keeps supplying the global market. – Embargo and cap – The cap is due to take effect alongside an EU embargo on maritime deliveries of Russian crude oil, which comes several months after an embargo imposed by the United States and […]
Singapore warns slower economic growth in 2023
SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) – Singapore warned on Wednesday that economic growth could slow to a trickle next year owing to weakness in key export markets including the United States, Europe and China, as rising interest rates and the Ukraine war cause headwinds. The city-state’s economic performance is often seen as a useful barometer of the global environment because of its reliance on trade with the rest of the world. The trade ministry said it expected growth […]
Tesla recalls 321,000 vehicles in the US for tail light problem
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – Tesla has recalled more than 321,000 vehicles in the United States because of a tail light issue, in the latest trouble to hit the electric vehicle giant led by controversial billionaire Elon Musk. It is the latest of multiple Tesla recalls in the United States in recent months, including one for just over 40,000 vehicles for a possible problem in the electric power steering system. “In rare instances,” the rear […]
North Korea fired artillery barrage overnight, Seoul says
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea fired an artillery barrage into a maritime “buffer zone” overnight, Seoul’s military said Friday, after a record-breaking blitz of launches that included a failed intercontinental ballistic missile test. Seoul and Washington, which have warned Pyongyang’s recent launches could culminate in a nuclear test, extended their largest-ever joint air drills through Saturday in response to the flurry of projectiles. Shortly after that decision was announced Thursday, Pyongyang fired three […]
Hurricane Ian death toll climbs in Florida
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – The confirmed death toll from Hurricane Ian, which slammed the southeast United States last week, has risen to at least 62, officials said Sunday. Ian, one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, flattened whole neighborhoods and knocked out power lines and bridges as it made landfall on Florida’s southwestern coast last Wednesday. Wind-driven storm surges and immense downpours left even inland neighborhoods submerged, with search and […]
Most pregnancy-related deaths in US are avoidable: CDC
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Four out of five pregnancy-related deaths in the United States could be avoided, a new report by the nation’s top public health agency says, as mothers in the country face a comparatively high mortality rate, especially among Black women. The study analyzed the cases of around 1,000 women who died between 2017 and 2019 due to pregnancy or related complications, up to a year after childbirth, the Centers for Disease […]
US cities remain locked in a grim spiral of record homicides
by Cyril JULIEN Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Several American cities, both large and small, have seen a record number of homicides this year, a deadly spiral born at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic last year and which the authorities are still struggling to control. A convergence of factors is to blame, according to experts interviewed by AFP: the painful reverberations of the coronavirus and of the varied traumas it […]
Taliban seize two more Afghan provincial capitals in northern blitz
The Taliban tightened the noose over northern Afghanistan Sunday, capturing two more provincial capitals as they take their fight to the cities after seizing much of the countryside in recent months. The insurgents have snatched up four provincial capitals in Afghanistan since Friday in a lightning offensive that appears to have overwhelmed government forces. Kunduz and Sar-e-Pul in the north fell within hours of each other Sunday, lawmakers and residents in the cities confirmed, but […]
Fighting rages in centre of major Afghan city Kunduz
Afghan forces and the Taliban were fighting fiercely Sunday in the centre of Kunduz, officials and residents said, after the insurgents captured two other provincial capitals in the last 48 hours. The fall of the northern city would be a major blow for the central government, which has largely abandoned fighting in the countryside to defend urban centres against Taliban attacks. “Fierce street-to-street fighting is ongoing in different parts of the city,” Amruddin Wali, a […]





