Showing 1 - 10 of 1,058
Nigeria paid Boko Haram ransom for kidnapped pupils
AFP, Published on 23/02/2026
» KANO (NIGERIA) - The Nigerian government paid Boko Haram militants a "huge" ransom of millions of dollars to free up to 230 children and staff the jihadists abducted from a Catholic school in November, intelligence sources told AFP.
China has slashed air pollution, but the 'war' isn't over
AFP, Published on 17/02/2026
» BEIJING — Fifteen years ago, Beijing's Liangma riverbanks would have been smog-choked and deserted in winter, but these days they are dotted with families and exercising pensioners most mornings.
Submersibles revealing mysteries of the deep sea
AFP, Published on 26/01/2026
» ABOARD OCEANXPLORER, Indonesia - A dome-fronted submersible sinks beneath the waves off Indonesia, heading down nearly 1,000 metres in search of new species, plastic-eating microbes and compounds that could one day make medicines.
Grok barred from undressing images after global backlash
AFP, Published on 15/01/2026
» SAN FRANCISCO - The social media platform X has announced measures to prevent its AI chatbot Grok from undressing images of real people, following global backlash over its generation of sexualised photos of women and children.
Sugary drinks, alcohol getting cheaper, should be 'taxed more'
AFP, Published on 14/01/2026
» GENEVA — Sugary drinks and alcohol are getting relatively cheaper, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Tuesday, urging countries to hike taxes to reduce consumption levels and boost health funding.
Vietnamese caught in Japan's illegal worker crackdown
AFP, Published on 07/01/2026
» TOKYO — For a decade, Vietnamese worker Minh did tough jobs like sandblasting ships and welding steel, helping address rapidly ageing Japan's dire labour needs.
Nigerian government frees 130 kidnapped Catholic schoolchildren
AFP, Published on 22/12/2025
» ABUJA - Nigerian authorities have secured the release of 130 kidnapped schoolchildren taken by gunmen from a Catholic school in November, a presidential spokesman said Sunday, after 100 were freed earlier this month.
100 kidnapped Nigerian schoolchildren released: UN source, presidency
AFP, Published on 08/12/2025
» MINNA (NIGERIA) - Nigerian authorities have secured the release of 100 kidnapped schoolchildren taken by gunmen from a Catholic school last month, a UN source and local media said Sunday, though the fate of the 165 students and staff thought to remain in captivity remains unclear.
Nigeria declares national emergency after mass kidnappings
AFP, Published on 27/11/2025
» LAGOS - Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday declared a "nationwide security emergency" as the country scrambled to respond to a wave of mass kidnappings that have seen hundreds of people, mostly schoolchildren, captured in a week.
Canada's captive whales face euthanasia threat
AFP, Published on 26/11/2025
» NIAGARA FALLS — The remaining 30 captive belugas at Canada's Marineland have nothing to do but wait.