Kabul (AFP) Feb 20, 2024 Rescue teams on Tuesday reached the remote valley where a landslide buried dozens of people in eastern Afghanistan, a provincial official said, after responders were slowed by snow and blocked roads. Snowfall overnight Sunday caused rubble, earth and snow to rip through the village of Nakre in mountainous Nuristan province, killing at least 25 people. “There were no facilities yesterdayhttp://dlvr.it/T32hLM Continue reading Rescue teams reach remote site of Afghanistan landslide

Abidjan (AFP) Feb 19, 2024 Niger has defaulted on debt instruments worth about half a billion dollars since the country’s July coup, according to West Africa’s currency union. Umoa-titres, which manages West African Economic Monetary Union (WAEMU)operations, has published eight notices to investors since the beginning of the year stating that Niger has been “unable to meet its financial obligations on the Government shttp://dlvr.it/T32hLJ Continue reading Niger debt suffers multiple defaults after coup

Dharamsala, India (AFP) Feb 21, 2024 As Tibetans prepare to mark 65 years since a failed uprising against Chinese rule and questions loom over the Dalai Lama’s successor, the diaspora’s elected leader said Beijing is crushing his people. Tibetans on March 10 will commemorate the 1959 uprising against Chinese forces that led the future Nobel laureate – and thousands of his followers – to cross … Continue reading Beijing crushing Tibetans, exiled political leader says

Sydney (AFP) Feb 21, 2024 Chinese-Australian dissident Yang Jun will not appeal a suspended death sentence imposed by a Beijing court, his family said Wednesday in a statement denouncing China’s “inhumane” justice system. Yang was handed a suspended death sentence earlier this month after a court found him guilty of opaque “espionage” charges, which the Australian citizen has forcefully denied. The sentence hashttp://dlvr.it/T32hH7 Continue reading Australian writer will not appeal suspended China death sentence

Ankara (AFP) Feb 17, 2024 The Turkish government on Saturday shut down a gold mine where nine workers are still missing after a landslide. Environmental groups and even industry associations have been calling for the controversial mine to be stripped of its operating permit ever since a massive landslide rolled over the open pit Tuesday. The environment ministry Saturday said in a statement it was … Continue reading Turkish gold mine stripped of licence after landslide

Washington (AFP) Feb 18, 2024 The United States on Saturday deplored growing violence by DR Congo’s M23 rebels, saying the group’s backers in Rwanda must remove sophisticated ground-to-air missiles that are threatening lives in the country’s east. Fighting has flared in recent days around the town of Sake, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Goma, between M23 rebels and Congolese government forces. “The United States stronhttp://dlvr.it/T2vyx6 Continue reading US ‘strongly condemns’ violence in eastern DRCongo

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 18, 2024 In a significant move to bolster the United States’ wildfire management efforts, NASA has officially become an associate member of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG). This collaboration opens new avenues for the space agency to work alongside federal agencies and other partners, leveraging its vast technological and innovative resources to enhance understanding and management of wilhttp://dlvr.it/T2vytn Continue reading NASA joins National Wildfire Coordinating Group

Moscow (AFP) Feb 17, 2024 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s sudden death in prison drew no response from the Kremlin on Saturday, despite protests and mounting accusations from the West that it was responsible. The 47-year-old spent three years behind bars in increasingly deteriorating conditions before prison authorities abruptly announced Friday he “felt bad after a walk” and died. His death deprives Rhttp://dlvr.it/T2tGHG Continue reading Mourners detained as Kremlin stays silent on Navalny’s death

Paris (AFP) Feb 16, 2024 Valentine’s day is over but love’s call lingers: the Skywalker gibbons’ mating song, scientists reported this week, has revealed a previously unknown population – the largest in the world – of the endangered primate in the jungles of Myanmar. When the Skywalker hoolock gibbon was first discovered in 2017 by a group of Star Wars-loving scientists, its only confirmed population … Continue reading Finding Skywalker gibbons with love songs: study

Jakarta (AFP) Feb 16, 2024 On course to win Indonesia’s presidential election by a wide margin, Prabowo Subianto faces the task of balancing the resource-rich archipelago’s relations with the United States and China, among other challenges. Here is what his presidency will mean for Indonesia’s allies around the world: How will Prabowo manage the US-China rivalry? Prabowo will have to balance relations with twohttp://dlvr.it/T2r8mx Continue reading What Prabowo’s presidency in Indonesia will mean for the world