AFP
13875 articles published since 08 Mar 2022
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Sri Lanka widens import ban as economic crisis persists
Sri Lanka tightened import restrictions Wednesday with a ban on more than 300 additional items, as an economic crisis that has created months of shortages and toppled a president refuses to abate. The new bans come despite the central bank announcing last week that the foreign exchange shortage was easing thanks to better inflows.
Thai court to rule on embattled PM's fate
Thailand's Constitutional Court is expected to announce on Wednesday whether it will consider a legal challenge that could see Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha thrown out of office. If the court agrees to hear the case, Prayut could be suspended and an acting prime minister appointed.
All systems go for Artemis 1 mission to Moon
Fifty years after the last Apollo mission, the Artemis program is poised to take up the baton of lunar exploration with a test launch on Monday of NASA's most powerful rocket ever. A complete failure would be devastating for a program that is costing $4.1 billion per launch and is already running years behind schedule.
Hubble-bubble trouble: Hookah ban leaves Malians divided
"Shisha-abana," exclaims Bilal, a grocer in Mali's capital Bamako, in the national language Bambara: "Shisha is finished." But it is also a secular nation that tolerates alcohol, even if consumption is limited to certain public places and most shops and restaurants do not serve it.
China probes state property firm execs for 'serious violations'
China has announced it is investigating several executives at state-owned property companies over allegations of "serious violations of discipline and law". All four were "suspected of serious violations of discipline and law", the notices said, providing few details.
Whistle blows in Germany for world's first hydrogen train fleet
Germany on Wednesday will inaugurate a railway line powered entirely by hydrogen, a "world first" and a major step forward for green train transport despite nagging supply challenges. Europe's enduring reliance on gas from Russia amid massive tensions over the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine poses major challenges for the development of hydrogen in rail transport.
Cost of living crisis dominates UK leadership campaign
With double-digit inflation and an economy teetering on the brink of recession, the cost-of-living crisis has dominated the race for Downing Street. She is also proposing to axe taxes on fuel which pay for the transition to cleaner energy and rejected "sticking plaster" solutions to the cost-of-living crisis such as direct government aid.
Angolans head to the polls in tightest ever race
Angolans head to the polls on Wednesday in what is expected to be the most competitive vote in its democratic history, with incumbent president Joao Lourenco squaring up against charismatic opposition leader Adalberto Costa Junior. But UNITA's inroads might not be enough to unseat Lourenco, who is expected to secure a second mandate.
Asian markets drop as investors eye US Fed outlook
Asian markets were down on Wednesday after falls in global stocks as the euro plunged against the dollar and traders await news on the next US interest rate hikes. Higher interest rates boost the American currency as they make dollar-denominated debt more attractive to investors.
AFP
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