Brazzaville (AFP) Nov 21, 2023 A desperate crush to get through a stadium gate for an army recruiting event saw at least 31 people trampled to death in the Republic of Congo capital, officials said Tuesday. A prosecutor said he had opened an investigation into the disaster when several thousand youths descended on the Michel d’Ornano stadium on Monday night hoping for one of 1,500 … Continue reading Stampede kills 31 during Congo army recruitment drive

Addis Ababa (AFP) Nov 21, 2023 Ethiopia’s government said Tuesday that the latest peace talks with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a rebel group from the country’s most populous region, had ended without agreement. It was the second time Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the OLA had sat down this year aiming to end a five-year insurgency in the restive Oromia region. Classified as … Continue reading Ethiopia says Oromo rebel talks end without agreement

Roca Sales, Brazil (AFP) Nov 19, 2023 Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rains in southern Brazil have claimed at least six lives over the past week, authorities said Sunday. The fatalities occurred in the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, and major property damage in the latter was reported as thousands of people sheltered in gymnasiums, deputy governor Gabriel Souza said … Continue reading Torrential rains in Brazil leave at least six dead

Buenos Aires (AFP) Nov 20, 2023 Libertarian outsider Javier Milei swept to victory in Argentina’s presidential election Sunday, vowing to halt decades of economic decline in a country reeling from triple-digit inflation. The self-described “anarcho-capitalist” pulled off a massive upset by ousting the populist Peronist coalition which has long dominated Argentine politics. With 55.7 percent of the vote, Milei thumped hhttp://dlvr.it/Sz4lvG Continue reading President-elect Milei vows ‘end of Argentina’s decline’

Washington (AFP) Nov 20, 2023 The richest one percent of the global population are responsible for the same amount of carbon emissions as the world’s poorest two-thirds, or five billion people, according to an analysis published Sunday by the nonprofit Oxfam International. While fighting the climate crisis is a shared challenge, not everyone is equally responsible and government policies must be tailored accordingly, Maxhttp://dlvr.it/Sz4lvC Continue reading World’s richest 1% emit as much carbon as bottom two-thirds: report

Eindhoven, Netherlands (AFP) Nov 14, 2023 Climate crises, nuclear Armageddon, or a sudden meteor strike – it’s clear humanity could do with Planet B. But first we need to learn to reproduce safely in space, says Dutch entrepreneur Egbert Edelbroek. Edelbroek’s firm, Spaceborn United, is pioneering space sex research, with the eventual aim of natural conception and birth in the partial gravity environment found on … Continue reading Big bang: Dutch firm eyes space baby

Nairobi (AFP) Nov 19, 2023 The latest negotiations toward a global plastic treaty concluded late Sunday with disagreement about how the pact should work and frustration from environment groups over delays and lack of progress. Negotiators spent a week at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi haggling over a draft treaty to tackle the growing problem of plastic pollution found everywhere from oceahttp://dlvr.it/Sz4lpb Continue reading Frustration as latest talks on global plastic treaty close

San Francisco (AFP) Nov 18, 2023 Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday that China had agreed to expert-level talks aimed at addressing its ban on Japanese seafood following the release of Fukushima wastewater. China banned all Japanese seafood imports in August after Japan began to release the treated wastewater from the nuclear plant hobbled by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Kishida said he discussed … Continue reading Japan PM says experts to talk in China seafood row

Siem Reap, Cambodia (AFP) Nov 16, 2023 Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet on Thursday inaugurated the country’s new billion-dollar Chinese-funded airport near the Angkor Wat temple complex, saying it would boost the vital tourism sector. Phnom Penh became one of Beijing’s strongest regional allies under former strongman leader Hun Sen, with the Southeast Asian nation receiving huge sums of Chinese investment. Hun Manet, whohttp://dlvr.it/Sz2XFK Continue reading Cambodia opens Chinese-funded airport to serve Angkor temple tourists

Washington (AFP) Nov 17, 2023 A US challenge to raise at least $200 million to tackle global-warming methane gas emissions will be exceeded at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai that begin later this month, a senior State Department official said Friday. Non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases contribute to more than half of the climate change the planet is currently undergoing, but receive far less attention. … Continue reading Nations will exceed $200 mn methane finance pledge at COP28