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
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
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
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
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
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
Tehran, Mar 13 (EFE).- Iran announced Monday that it has granted amnesty to 22,000 people who were detained for taking part in protests that swept the country late last year. The civil unrest – the most widespread in Iran since the 1979 revolution – came in response to the death in police custody of Mahsa … Read more
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
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
Emergency personnel search for victims at the site of a collapsed building after a powerful earthquake in Diyarbakir, southeast of Turkey
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
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
Berlin, Jan 24 (EFE).- The German government has approved the shipment of Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and is ready to authorize the transfer to that country at least a company – usually 14 tanks – according to weekly magazine Der Spiegel and the NTV television channel. The Leopard 2A6 tanks will come from … Read more
Moscow, Jan 25 (EFE).- Washington’s possible approval of M1 Abrams battle tanks for Ukraine would be a blatant provocation against Russia, Moscow’s ambassador to the United States said Wednesday. The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that Washington was poised to approve just over 30 tanks for Kyiv, according to US officials, and follows reports from … Read more
Brussels, Jan 23 (EFE).- European Union foreign ministers on Monday approved a further 500 million euros in aid to Ukraine, officials said Monday. Lithuanian foreign minister Arnoldas Pranckevicius confirmed the agreement, the seventh since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, in a tweet. Since the beginning of the conflict, and including this new disbursement … Read more
Multan, Pakistan, Jan 24 (EFE).- Electricity was restored in Pakistan on Tuesday morning after a major power outage caused a blackout across the country, including in the capital Islamabad and financial hub of Karachi. An energy ministry statement said all grid stations across the country were working now. Ministry spokesperson Sohail Atiq said power generating … Read more
Los Angeles, US, Jan 23 (EFE).- At least eight people were killed and eight wounded in two mass shootings in the Californian cities of Oakland and Half Moon Bay on Monday, bringing the total number of incidents of this kind in the state to three in as many days.Just after 6 pm local time, police … Read more
Barcelona, Spain, Jan 22 (EFE).- Hundreds of supporters of Spain’s right-wing parties, including the far-right Vox, demonstrated in Barcelona on Sunday against the left-wing coalition government of prime minister Pedro Sánchez. The conservative People’s Party of Catalonia (PPC), the liberal Ciudadanos (Cs), and the conservative Valents were the other right-wing parties represented at the rally, … Read more
Tokyo, Jan 23 (EFE).- Japan’s prime minister promised Monday to focus his social policies on supporting child-rearing, with the aim of reversing the falling birthrate decline that threatens the functionality of Japan. In his speech on the opening day of the 2023 ordinary parliamentary session, Fumio Kishida said that the country is at a “critical … Read more
By Alvaro Alfaro and Victor Escribano Beijing/Shanghai, Jan 21 (EFE).- After three years of the Covid-19 pandemic, Chinese citizens are celebrating their first Lunar New Year with relief over no restrictions, but also with caution due to experts predicting an increase in infections arising from the holiday period. In 2021 and 2022, people who usually … Read more
New York, US, Jan 20 (EFE).- Alphabet, the parent company of Google, will lay off some 12,000 employees, 6.4% of its payroll, the company announced Friday. Google and Alphabet CEO, Sundar Pichai, said the “difficult decision” had been taken as the company now faces a “different economic reality” after two years of “dramatic growth”. In … Read more
Davos, Switzerland, Jan 20 (EFE).- Google expects generative artificial intelligence to be the next breakthrough for technology companies after the hype generated by applications like ChatGPT, said company representatives at the World Economic Forum. Tech giants like Microsoft believe that the ChatGPT app, a chatbot capable of answering questions, holding conversations, translating and generating text, … Read more
Sydney, Australia, Jan 20 (EFE).- A 2.7-kilogram cane toad dubbed “Toadzilla,” which could be the largest on record, has been found in Australian national park, officials said Friday. The introduced species, considered a pest and a threat to Australian fauna, was found last week in Conway National Park, Queensland, when ranger Kylee Gray and colleagues … Read more
Lviv, Ukraine, Jan 20 (EFE).- Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Friday thanked the US for a new $2.5 billion defense aid package as Nato and its allies were due to meet to coordinate arms supplies to Kyiv. “Thank you Potus for providing Ukraine with another powerful defense support package worth $2.5 billion,” Zelenskyy said on … Read more
Paris, Jan 19 (EFE).- France was bracing itself for nationwide demonstrations and paralyzed transport services on Thursday after the country’s main unions called a strike in protest against the government’s proposed pension reforms. The strike is expected to have a major impact on public transport services and schools, with over 200 rallies called in cities … Read more
Jerusalem, Jan 19 (EFE).- Two Palestinians died in a clash during an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, authorities said. The deaths brought the number of Palestinians killed during clashes with Israeli forces so far this year to 17. The Palestinian health ministry identified the deceased … Read more
Sydney, Australia, Jan 19 (EFE).- New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday said she will resign from the top job in a shock announcement that also included setting the date for the country’s next general election. “I am leaving because with such a privileged role comes responsibility – the responsibility to know when you … Read more
Davos, Switzerland, Jan 18 (EFE).- Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has said that artificial intelligence and its cross-platform online space, known as the Metaverse, have “extraordinary potential” in terms of education, the tech giant’s chief product officer said Wednesday. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Chris Cox said the … Read more
Tokyo, 18 Jan (EFE).- The Bank of Japan said Wednesday it would continue its policy of ultra-low interest rates and defended its stimulus plan despite soaring inflation. Following a two-day policy meeting, BoJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda told reporters the bank would maintain its yield curve control (YCC) program at -0.1% for short-term interest rates and … Read more
Davos, Switzerland, Jan 17 (EFE).- The first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, on Tuesday urged global businesses and political leaders meeting in Davos this week to use their influence and to show resolve and unity in confronting Russia’s aggression against her country. “I am meeting at the Davos forum because deep inside we believe there … Read more
Davos, Switzerland, Jan 17 (EFE).- Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday warned against allowing far-right parties into governing institutions. Sánchez’s remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos came amid an unfolding controversy back in Spain, after the right-wing coalition government of the Castile and Leon region, led by the far-right Vox in coalition … Read more
Davos, Switzerland, Jan 17 (EFE).- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will use his country’s turns as chair of the G20, BRICS and South America’s Mercosur trade bloc to strive for agreement in areas such as democracy, peace, sustainability and reducing inequality, his finance minister said here Tuesday. “President Lula is a politician with … Read more
London, Jan 16 (EFE).- Hundreds of people protested here Monday outside 10 Downing Street, the official residence of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, against a bill that would enforce minimum service levels during strikes in crucial sectors such as health care and public transport. Following months of strikes by rail and postal employees, nurses, ambulance … Read more
Rome, Jan 16 (EFE).- The alleged boss of the Sicilian Mafia Matteo Messina Denaro has been arrested after 30 years on the run. Messina Denaro, who has been on the most wanted since 1993 for his alleged role in a series of bombings carried out by the mafia and has been convicted in absentia for … Read more
Kathmandu, Jan 16 (EFE).- Rescuers Monday resumed a search for four missing passengers from a Nepal plane that crashed a day ago, killing 68 people from the 72 onboard. The ATR-72 aircraft operated by Yeti Airlines crashed around 10.30 am on Sunday in the Pokhara district, a popular tourist destination around 200 km west of … Read more
Beijing, Nov 29 (EFE).- China’s state television has edited footage of Qatar 2022 World Cup matches to remove shots of maskless fans, after broadcasts of packed stadiums with crowds enjoying the games amid no Covid measures fuelled protests across the Asian nation. This measure, which has not been officially confirmed by China Central Television, but … Read more
