Suffocating under a mountain of debt to China, communist Laos is struggling to tame rampant inflation, with food prices rising so sharply that a growing number of households are resorting to foraging.At a market in Vientiane, traders told AFP they have never known business to be so slow, as families have seen the value of …
Debt-saddled Laos struggles to tame rampant inflation Read More »
The G20 summit will be a diplomatic test for veteran President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who has boosted Brazil’s global standing since returning to power but drawn fire for his positions on Ukraine and Gaza.”Brazil is back!” Lula announced triumphantly two years ago after he unseated far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, who had turned his …
More than 20,000 people have been displaced across Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince in four days, a UN agency said Saturday, as residents flee gang violence that has crippled the troubled Caribbean nation.”The isolation of Port-au-Prince is amplifying an already dire humanitarian situation,” said Gregoire Goodstein, Haiti chief for the International Organization for Migration. “Our ability to deliver …
Over 20,000 displaced by gang violence in Haiti: UN agency Read More »
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday he was ready to work with Donald Trump’s new administration for a “smooth transition” in bilateral ties, as he met outgoing President Joe Biden for the last time.The leaders of the world’s two largest economies met on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Lima overshadowed by concerns of …
Xi tells Biden ready for ‘smooth transition’ to Trump Read More »
Josep Borrell took a deep breath as the train rumbled across Ukraine at the end of his final visit after five tumultuous years as the EU’s foreign policy chief.”I feel a certain nostalgia,” the 77-year-old Spaniard said, hunching forward to be heard over the noise of the tracks.”We’ve been working closely with these people, who …
‘Break taboos’: Josep Borrell wraps up time as EU’s top diplomat Read More »
Venezuelan authorities will free 225 people this weekend who were detained in protests against the disputed reelection of President Nicolas Maduro in July, a source in the prosecutor’s office told AFP Saturday.The release began early Saturday at four prisons in central Venezuela, the source said, a day after prosecutors opened a large-scale review of cases.”So …
Venezuela to free 225 detained in post-election unrest: source Read More »
Donald Trump says he will bring “peace through strength,” reviving a time-tested phrase, but whether he is pursuing a strategy or just relying on a catchphrase is a matter of dispute.In invoking “peace through strength,” the incoming president appears to be likening himself to Ronald Reagan, who sharply raised military spending before negotiating, late in …
Trump revives ‘peace through strength,’ but meaning up to debate Read More »
Israel launched a wave of air strikes on Hezbollah bastions in Beirut and south Lebanon on Saturday, as the Iran-backed militants said they fired on several Israeli military bases around the coastal city of Haifa.Israel’s military reported a “heavy rocket barrage” on Haifa and said a synagogue was hit, wounding two civilians.A military statement shortly …
Israel pummels south Beirut as Hezbollah targets Haifa area Read More »
China is ready to work with the new US administration to ensure a “smooth transition” in bilateral ties, President Xi Jinping told counterpart Joe Biden Saturday as they met for the last time before Donald Trump returns to the White House.China will “strive for a smooth transition” in the quest for a “stable, healthy and …
Xi tells Biden will seek ‘smooth transition’ in US-China ties Read More »
The skeleton of a 22-metre-long dinosaur (70 feet) fetched six million euros ($6.4 million) Saturday, AFP learned from auction houses Collin du Bocage and Barbarossa.An anonymous collector snapped up the vegetarian apatosaurus, which was dug up in the United States, for 4.7 million euros rising to 6 million including costs.The buyer pledged to allow it …
Dinosaur skeleton fetches 6 million euros in Paris sale Read More »
