Bamako (AFP) Feb 24, 2021 Two soldiers were killed and seven others injured, Mali’s military said Tuesday, in an ambush in a central region regularly hit by jihadist attacks. Around 0200 pm local time (0200 GMT), the troops were ambushed en route between Konna and Sevare by an armed terrorist group, according to the army statement, confirming what security sources and a local official had … Continue reading Two Mali soldiers killed in ambush

Beijing (AFP) Feb 24, 2021 China claimed last year it had met a long-trumpeted target of lifting all its people out of extreme poverty. President Xi Jinping heralded a “major victory” that the Chinese Communist Party had wanted to achieve before the centenary of its founding in 2021. But what do the numbers say? – What counts as poverty? – China’s poverty line is around … Continue reading China’s poverty eradication: what has been achieved?

Wellington (AFP) Feb 23, 2021 Rescuers successfully refloated 28 pilot whales stranded on a notorious stretch of New Zealand’s coast Tuesday, but the mammals remained close to shore and could beach themselves again, wildlife officials said. The Department of Conservation (DOC) said the long-finned pilot whales were part of a pod of around 50 found Monday at Farewell Spit, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) north … Continue reading Stranded whales refloated in New Zealand but concerns remain

Yangon (AFP) Feb 23, 2021 Myanmar’s military leaders came under renewed pressure at home and abroad Tuesday, with tightened sanctions from Washington and Brussels, and some of the biggest demonstrations against their rule since they seized power three weeks ago. Authorities have gradually ratcheted up their use of force against a massive and largely peaceful civil disobedience campaign demanding the return of oustedhttp://dlvr.it/RtHnp4 Continue reading Myanmar generals under renewed pressure after sanctions, mass protest

Hong Kong (AFP) Feb 22, 2021 A top Chinese official on Monday outlined plans to ensure only “patriots” run Hong Kong as Beijing seeks to neuter any remaining democratic opposition and take a more direct role in how the business hub is run. The landmark speech by Xia Baolong, head of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, came just two weeks ahead of the … Continue reading Top Chinese official outlines plan to ensure ‘patriots’ run Hong Kong

Jakarta (AFP) Feb 21, 2021 Five people were killed in the severe floods that submerged entire neighbourhoods in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, authorities said Sunday, as residents returned to clean their homes and salvage belongings. The city was struck by torrential rains over the weekend, which flooded dozens of major roads and forced hundreds of people to rush to emergency shelters. A 67-year-old man was found … Continue reading Severe floods kill five in Indonesia’s capital

Christchurch, New Zealand (AFP) Feb 19, 2021 Although a decade has passed, New Zealander Gordon Cullen still vividly recalls his daring escape from a high-rise tower block during the deadly Christchurch earthquake on February 22, 2011. Trapped in a fifth-floor office after the 6.3-magnitude shake that would claim 185 lives in the South Island city, Cullen exited in dramatic style, dangling a fire hose from … Continue reading Quake-hit Christchurch regains its mojo, 10 years on

Navan, Ireland (AFP) Feb 21, 2021 A pub that closed its doors during lockdown is now serving a menagerie of very different clientele after transforming into Ireland’s first wildlife hospital. The bar of the Tara Na Ri pub in County Meath to the northwest of Dublin is now deserted, the blinds pulled down, the Guinness taps dry and the till empty. But the pub’s outbuildings … Continue reading Locked-down pub becomes Ireland’s first wildlife hospital

Washington DC (UPI) Feb 19, 2021 The majority of human waste is processed by wastewater treatment infrastructure, but according to a new global survey, the sanitization services of natural ecosystems still play a significant role in protecting water supplies. When researchers in India and Britain analyzed sanitation services in 48 cities around the world, they found nature was responsible for cleaning 41.7 million tonshttp://dlvr.it/Rt7sGt Continue reading Global survey finds nature sanitizes millions of tons of human waste a year

Washington (AFP) Feb 19, 2021 The United States on Friday officially returned to the Paris climate accord, with President Joe Biden vowing to make the fight against global warming a top priority. A month after Biden took office, the world’s largest economy and second largest carbon emitter was formally back in the 2015 global agreement aimed at confronting the planet’s dangerously rising temperatures. The re-entry … Continue reading US officially back in Paris accord, vows climate action