Showing 1 - 10 of 132
Voters in Chile nix second shot at new constitution
AFP, Published on 18/12/2023
» SANTIAGO - Chilean voters on Sunday rejected a proposed new constitution drafted by a conservative-led committee, election officials said, meaning the charter imposed during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet will remain in force.
Russian defence spending soars to battle ‘hybrid war’
AFP, Published on 28/09/2023
» MOSCOW - Russia said on Thursday that it plans to raise defence spending by almost 70% next year, funnelling massive resources into its Ukraine offensive to fight what it calls a "hybrid war" unleashed by the West.
Gold and mercury, not books, for Venezuela's child miners
AFP, Published on 20/09/2023
» EL CALLAO (VENEZUELA) - At 10 years old, Martin cannot read, but he is an old hand at detecting traces of the gold he and his young cousins dig for at an open-pit mine in southeastern Venezuela.
Iraq's marshes are dying, and a civilisation with them
AFP, Published on 13/07/2023
» CHIBAYISH (IRAQ) - Mohammed Hamid Nour is only 23, but he is already nostalgic for how Iraq's Mesopotamian marshes once were before drought dried them up, decimating his herd of water buffaloes.
US military wins 'unimpeded' access to Papua New Guinea bases
AFP, Published on 15/06/2023
» PORT MORESBY - The US military can develop and operate out of bases in Papua New Guinea, according to a landmark security pact underpinning Washington's efforts to outflank China in the Pacific.
UN conference pledges $2.4bn to head off Horn of Africa famine
AFP, Published on 25/05/2023
» UNITED NATIONS (UNITED STATES): A United Nations-backed conference raised SS$2.4 billion Wednesday to prevent famine in the Horn of Africa, which is reeling from its worst drought in decades as global temperatures rise.
'Vampiric' water use leading to 'imminent' global crisis, UN warns
AFP, Published on 22/03/2023
» UNITED NATIONS (UNITED STATES) - Humanity's "lifeblood" -- water -- is increasingly at risk around the world due to "vampiric overconsumption and overdevelopment," the UN warned in a report, published hours ahead of a major summit on the issue was set to begin Wednesday.
Hot spring baths block Japan's geothermal potential
AFP, Published on 14/03/2023
» TSUCHIYU-ONSENMACHI (JAPAN) - With over 100 active volcanos, Japan has the world's third largest geothermal resources, but also a powerful industry that has steadfastly opposed developing the sector: hot springs.
S.Africa declares state of national disaster to end record blackouts
AFP, Published on 10/02/2023
» CAPE TOWN - South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national disaster on Thursday in a bid to fast-track efforts to tackle a record electricity shortage that has put the brakes on growth in Africa's most industrialised economy.
Pakistan risks 'extraordinary misery' without flood recovery help: UN
AFP, Published on 09/01/2023
» GENEVA - The international community must help Pakistan recover from last year's devastating floods and boost climate resilience, or the country will be locked in misery, the head of the UN development agency told AFP.