Articles by AFP
AFP
AFP-
'Livable future' at risk: UN report
A landmark UN report warned on Monday that time had nearly run out to ensure a "liveable future" for all, detailing a horrifying "atlas of human suffering" and warning that far worse was to come. Species extinction, ecosystem collapse, insect-borne disease, deadly heatwaves and megastorms, water shortages, reduced crop yields -- all are measurably worse due to rising temperatures, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said. In the last year alone, the world has
Social Affairs March 1, 2022
-
Russian invasion convoy masses near Ukraine capital
KYIV (AFP) -- A huge Russian military convoy was massing on the outskirts of Ukraine's capital Tuesday as fears grew the invading forces were set to launch devastating assaults aimed at taking control of Kyiv and other major cities. Satellite images showed a long build-up of armoured vehicles and artillery starting 29 kilometres (18 miles) north of the city, as Moscow defied mounting global pressure and a wave of international sanctions that have smashed Russia's economy. Initial ceasefire tal
Foreign Affairs March 1, 2022
-
Putin orders nuclear alert as Ukraine fiercely resists Russian invasion
KYIV (AFP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement that his nuclear forces were on alert sparked outcry in the West as the invading troops faced stiff resistance on Monday. The UN General Assembly will hold a rare emergency session Monday to discuss the conflict, which has claimed dozens of lives and raised fears that it will displace millions of people. Ukraine has also said it had agreed to send a delegation to meet Russian representatives on the border with Belarus, which would be
Foreign Affairs Feb. 28, 2022
-
South Korean Diplomat Attacked In New York: Seoul
A South Korean diplomat was injured after being attacked by an "unidentified man" in New York, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. The man was randomly attacked on a Manhattan sidewalk, according to a report in the New York Post, which said he was "slugged in the face". Seoul confirmed that a diplomat at the country's United Nations mission had been injured. "A diplomat affiliated to the UN mission was attacked by an unidentified man in downtown Manhattan on the
National Feb. 10, 2022
-
EU condemns ‘politically motivated’ Suu Kyi detention
BRUSSELS -- The European Union on Monday condemned the Myanmar ruling junta‘s jailing of ousted leader Aug San Suu Kyi as “politically motivated” and a “blatant violation of human rights”. In a statement from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on behalf of the 27 member states, the EU said Suu Kyi’s sentence “represents another step towards the dismantling of the rule of law." Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained since the generals staged a coup a
World News Dec. 6, 2021
-
World leaders to talk climate, economy, vaccines at G20
ROME -- Climate change and the relaunch of the global economy will top the G20 agenda as leaders of the world's most advanced nations meet Saturday, the first in-person gathering since the pandemic. Looming over the two-day talks in Rome is pressure to make headway on tackling global warming, ahead of the key COP26 summit kicking off in Glasgow Monday. The stakes are high, with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warning G20 leaders Friday to show "more ambition and more ac
World News Oct. 30, 2021
-
Pope urges intervention on Libyan migrant crisis
VATICAN (AFP) -- Pope Francis on Sunday called on the global community to resolve the Libyan migrant crisis, even as EU leaders disagree on how to best manage flows of migrants crossing to Europe. "I express my closeness to the thousands of migrants, refugees and also others in need of protection in Libya. I don't forget you ever. I hear your cry and pray for you," Francis said following his traditional Sunday Angelus prayer on Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican. "So many of t
World News Oct. 24, 2021
-
Germany says border protection is 'legitimate'
BERLIN (AFP) -- Germany's interior minister said Sunday it was "legitimate" to protect borders, after several EU states asked Brussels to pay for barriers to prevent illegal migrants from entering the bloc. The call came earlier this month, as Poland proposed building a 350 million-euro ($410 million) wall on its border with Belarus to keep migrants out. The EU accuses the Belarusian authorities of flying migrants from the Middle East and Africa to Minsk and then sending them into
World News Oct. 24, 2021
-
UN fears ‘mass atrocity crimes’ in Myanmar as troops gather in north
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) -- The UN said Friday it feared an even greater human rights catastrophe in Myanmar amid reports of thousands of troops massing in the north of the Southeast Asian country, which has been in chaos since a February coup. “We should all be prepared, as the people in this part of Myanmar are prepared, for even more mass atrocity crimes. I desperately hope that I am wrong,” said UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews. More than 1,100 civilians
International Oct. 23, 2021
-
Fears of ‘chaos’ as Italy adopts tough Covid pass regime
ROME (AFP) - Italy will require all workers to show a coronavirus health pass from Friday, one of the world‘s toughest anti-Covid regimes that has already sparked riots and which many fear will cause “chaos”. More than 85 percent of Italians over the age of 12 have received at least one shot of a Covid-19 vaccine, making them eligible for the so-called Green Pass certificate. But according to various estimates, about 2.5 million of the country’s 23 million workers
World News Oct. 13, 2021
-
Facing high debt, countries must ‘calibrate’ spending: IMF
WASHINGTON (AFP) - After debt loads surged last year amid the pandemic, governments now must take care to “calibrate” spending, the IMF said Wednesday. Global debt in 2020, including public and private borrowing, “jumped by 14 percent to a record high $226 trillion,” according to the International Monetary Fund‘s Fiscal Monitor report. Public debt amounts to $88 trillion, close to 100 percent of GDP, and is expected to decline only gradually, said Vitor Gaspar
World News Oct. 13, 2021
-
Nobel Physics Prize to two climate experts and Italian theorist
STOCKHOLM (AFP) -- US-Japanese scientist Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann of Germany and Giorgio Parisi of Italy on Tuesday won the Nobel Physics Prize for climate models and the understanding of physical systems, the jury said. The announcement came a month ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, where global warming will top the world agenda. Manabe, 90, and Hasselmann, 89, share one half of the 10-million-kronor ($1.1-million, one-million-euro) prize for their research on climate mode
World Oct. 5, 2021
-
Elon Musk says chip shortage only 'short term'
TURIN (AFP) -- Tesla boss Elon Musk on Friday said that a global semiconductor shortage hitting car firms especially hard would be overcome soon. The chip drought is "short term, I think," the billionaire said in an appearance by video at Italian Tech Week in Turin. "There are a lot of chip fabrication plants that are being built," Musk told the audience of startups, investment funds and tech entrepreneurs. "I think we will have good capacity for providing chips by ne
Mobility Sept. 24, 2021
-
Hazara farmers say Taliban have ordered them off their lands
KABUL (AFP) -- Residents of a Hazara-dominated farming community in central Afghanistan say they have been ordered out of their homes by Taliban fighters doing the bidding of Pashtun landlords who want to seize their crops and stores. Mohammad Mohaqeq, a Hazara political leader exiled since the Taliban takeover last month, raised the alarm earlier this week in a letter published on social media. He said more than 800 families had been ordered out of their homes in a remote district straddling
World News Sept. 24, 2021
-
China's central bank rules all crypto transactions are illegal
BEIJING (AFP) -- China's central bank on Friday said all financial transactions involving cryptocurrencies are illegal, sounding the death knell for the digital trade in China after a crackdown on the volatile currencies. The global values of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin have massively fluctuated over the past year partly due to Chinese regulations, which have sought to prevent speculation and money laundering. "Virtual currency-related business activities are illegal financial acti
Market Sept. 24, 2021
Most Popular
-
1
Ex-presidential official’s leaked phone call rattles conservative bloc
-
2
Pay debate plagues foreign nanny pilot
-
3
35% of S. Koreans view unification 'unnecessary'
-
4
Slew of top K-pop stars ready to return from military
-
5
S. Korea, US clinch 2026-30 defense cost-sharing deal in pre-election push
-
6
[Reporter’s Notebook] Was Netflix film opening BIFF really a bad thing?
-
7
N. Korean leader's sister derides Seoul's Hyunmoo-5 missile as 'useless'
-
8
Controversial cult leader’s sentence reduced to 17 years
-
9
Concerns raised over chronic labor shortage at state-run center for digital sex crime victims
-
10
[KH Explains] Is private equity giant MBK a risk-taker or renegade?