Yangon (AFP) Feb 16, 2024 More than 1,000 people lined up at the Thai embassy in Yangon on Friday as young people sought to leave Myanmar after the junta said it would impose military service. The military said last weekend it would enforce a law allowing it to call up all men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 to serve for at least two years … Continue reading Thousands seek to quit Myanmar after military service announcement

Hong Kong (AFP) Feb 16, 2024 A Hong Kong activist with terminal cancer was jailed Friday for attempted sedition over plans to protest against China’s political clampdown with a prop coffin. Koo Sze-yiu, 78, is among the handful of outspoken government critics still remaining in the city after Beijing crushed Hong Kong’s huge and sometimes violent democracy protests nearly five years ago. Chief magistrate Victor … Continue reading Terminally ill Hong Kong activist jailed again for sedition

Miami (AFP) Feb 15, 2024 Coral reefs off the Florida Keys islands are struggling to recover from last summer’s record-breaking heat wave, new data showed Thursday, in another sign of the devastating impacts of human-caused climate change. The state’s southern waters experienced hot tub-like conditions with temperatures in July briefly topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8C) in Manatee Bay. Coral, marine invertebhttp://dlvr.it/T2pfKF Continue reading Florida coral reef still struggling after 2023 heat wave

Saint-Malo, France (AFP) Feb 15, 2024 Environmental activists and fishermen on Thursday joined forces to protest in northern France against a new giant fishing trawler factory, warning the vessel risked wrecking livelihoods and the environment. Around 200 people protested in the port of the town of Saint-Malo in a show of anger against the Annelies Ilena, a massive fishing trawler with an on-board processing factory, … Continue reading Fishermen, ecologists unite in northern France against ‘sea bulldozer’

Zliten, Libya (AFP) Feb 15, 2024 Much of Libya is bone-dry desert but one Mediterranean coastal town is suffering the opposite problem – its houses and fields have been inundated by a mysterious upsurge of groundwater. Stagnant water and squishy mud have flooded houses, streets and palm groves around the northwestern town of Zliten, spreading a foul smell and creating breeding grounds for mosquitos. Many … Continue reading Groundwater upsurge floods homes in Libyan coastal town

Goma, Dr Congo (AFP) Feb 12, 2024 The Rwandan army supporting M23 rebels in an escalating conflict in eastern DR Congo is using sophisticated weapons such as surface-to-air missiles, according to a UN document seen by AFP on Monday. Amid intensifying fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a “suspected Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM)” was fired at a UN observation … Continue reading Rwanda army using SAM missiles in east DR Congo: UN report

Paris (AFP) Feb 14, 2024 Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex, one of the French capital’s great landmarks. But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said. Police said that severahttp://dlvr.it/T2mqb9 Continue reading Fluffy nuisance: Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Mejillones, Chile (AFP) Feb 12, 2024 With its emerald green waters and white sands, the small town of Mejillones in northern Chile looks deceptively like a typical seaside resort. However, in the distance, coal-fired plants and factories bellow noxious fumes into the air, a grim reminder that the town in the Atacama Desert is among the country’s five so-called “sacrifice zones,” where residents live engulfed … Continue reading Polluted paradise: Chile town waits for cleanup as coal shuts off

Honiara (AFP) Feb 13, 2024 Solomon Islands’ pro-China leader on Tuesday detailed a reelection campaign based on a “look North” strategy that would deepen security and economic ties with Beijing while retaining “traditional” allies like Australia. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare – who has accused “agents of Western powers” and shadowy enemies of trying to “pull down” his government – sounded a more conciliatory tonehttp://dlvr.it/T2kb93 Continue reading Solomons’ PM vows ‘look North’ pro-China policy if reelected

Warsaw (AFP) Feb 13, 2024 A Polish doctor kidnapped in southern Chad last week has been released, the Polish government said on Tuesday. Aleksandra Kuligowska, a volunteer at a hospital run by the Caritas Catholic charity, was abducted on Friday. “She is safe and healthy, which I have told those close to her by telephone. I thank local forces and our French allies for their … Continue reading Abducted Polish doctor freed in Chad, says govt