UN condemns deaths of patients, health workers due to Gaza hospital siege

Smoke rises in the northern Gaza Strip following an Israeli airstrike, as seen from Sderot, Israel, 13 November 2023. EFE-EPA/ABIR SULTAN

Geneva, Nov 13 (EFE).- Bombings and armed clashes have continued around Gaza’s main hospital, Al Shifa, leaving three nurses and 12 others, including two premature babies, killed, the United Nations has said. According to the daily report of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs published on Sunday, the latest attacks caused damage … Read more

Kyiv slams Russia’s ‘vile’ and ‘illegal’ deportation of Ukrainian children

Russian servicemen control the boarding of a bus by the civilian people who were evacuated from Azovstal in Mariupol, Ukraine, 06 May 2022. EFE/EPA/ALESSANDRO GUERRA

By Marcel Gascon Kyiv, Mar 29 (EFE).- Ukrainian authorities claim to have documented nearly 20,000 cases of children who have been separated from their families or forcefully deported to the Russian Federation from territories occupied by Moscow’s invading forces. Kyiv said that some of these children have since been adopted by Russian families. “To take … Read more

The used bicycles given a new purpose in war-hit Ukraine

Mikael Colville-Andersen, one of the founders of Bikes 4 Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine on Mar 26, 2023. EFE/Marcel Gascón

By Marcel Gascón Kyiv, Mar 28 (EFE).- A Danish NGO is collecting secondhand bicycles from across Europe and sending them to Ukraine, where they are used by social workers and activists to access remote communities affected by Russia’s invasion. Mikael Colville-Andersen, one of the founders of Bikes 4 Ukraine, tells Efe that smaller framed bikes … Read more

Taliban arrest girls’ education activist in Kabul, UN says

Schoolgirls attending up to primary grade classes sit in a classroom at the start of the new academic year in Kabul, Afghanistan, 25 March 2023. EFE/EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL 11145

Kabul, Mar 28 (EFE).- The founder of a girls’ education project in Afghanistan has been arrested by the Taliban government in Kabul, the United Nations reported on Tuesday. “Matiullah Wesa, head of PenPath and advocate for girls’ education, was arrested in Kabul Monday,” the United Nations mission in Afghanistan tweeted. “UNAMA calls on the de … Read more

Protests in Israel resume after president’s failure to mediate

Protesters wave Israeli flags and shout slogans as they walk along Ayalon main highway during a protest against the Israeli government's plan to reform the justice system, in Tel Aviv, Israel, 16 March 2023. EFE/EPA/ABIR SULTAN

Jerusalem, Mar 16 (EFE).- Hundreds of Israelis on Thursday hit the streets again to decry controversial judicial reforms a day after president Isaac Herzog proposed alternative changes that were rejected by the far-right government. The protests, which the organizers dubbed a “day of resistance to the dictatorship,” began early on the day in more than … Read more

Beijing accuses US of undermining global peace, condemns AUKUS submarine deal

(L-R) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden and United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hold a press conference at the Naval Base Point Miramar in San Diego, California, USA, 13 March 2023. EFE/EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT

Washington/Beijing, Mar 14 (EFE).- China on Tuesday accused the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia of undermining global peace and stability, a day after the trio unveiled a plan to acquire and develop nuclear-powered submarines. The submarine deal is part of the AUKUS trilateral security pact, signed in September 2021 to counter Beijing’s growing … Read more

Saudi oil giant Aramco posts record income of $161.1 billion for 2022

(FILE) An image taken through a bus window showing installations seen at a construction site at an oil facility in the desert at Khurais oil field, about 160 km from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 23 June 2008. EFE/EPA/ALI HAIDER

Riyadh, Mar 12 (EFE).- Saudi Arabia’s state oil company Aramco on Sunday announced record profits of $161.1 billion for 2022, a year that saw energy prices soar due to the war in Ukraine and increased demand following the Covid-19 pandemic. The annual profits, up 46.5% from the previous year, are the largest ever recorded by … Read more

Japan’s space agency announces first new astronauts since 2009

Japan's new H3 rocket is seen after the cancellation of its launch at the Tanegashima Space Center located on Tanegashima island, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, 17 February 2023. EFE-EPA/JIJI PRESS JAPAN OUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/

Tokyo, Feb 28 (EFE).- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced its first new astronaut candidates since 2009 on Tuesday. World Bank senior disaster risk reduction specialist Makoto Suwa, 46, and Japanese Red Cross Medical Center surgeon Ayu Yoneda, 28 were selected from a record 4,127 applicants in JAXA recruitment’s process conducted since April 2022. … Read more

Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki to become group president

resent President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sony Group Corp. Kenichiro Yoshida and Newly appointed President Hiroki Totoki (R), Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Deputy President, EFE/EPA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA

Tokyo, Feb 2 (EFE).- Sony’s Chief Financial Officer Hiroki Totoki is set to become the group’s president and chief operating officer from April 1, the Japanese corporation announced Thursday. Totoki, who also holds the position of executive deputy president at present, will replace Kenichiro Yoshida as president.Yoshida will remain the chief executive officer of the … Read more

Hipkins sworn in as New Zealand’s new prime minister

Sydney, Australia, Jan 25 (EFE).- Chris Hipkins was sworn in as New Zealand’s 41st prime minister on Wednesday, less than a week after Jacinda Ardern unexpectedly announced her resignation. In a ceremony at Government House, Governor General Cindy Kiro appointed Hipkins, 44, as the country’s new leader and minister for national security and intelligence, and … Read more