Thousands of sub-Saharan migrants have huddled in Tunisian olive groves for months, living in makeshift tents and surviving on meagre rations while keeping their hopes alive of reaching Europe. Around 20,000 are in isolated areas near the towns of El Amra and Jebeniana, some 30 and 40 kilometres (19 and 25 miles) north of the … Read more
The head of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach has backed the World Anti-Doping Agency in a row over its handling of positive drug tests by 23 Chinese swimmers. “We have full confidence in WADA and the regulations and that WADA have followed their regulations,” Bach told AFP in an exclusive interview Friday at the … Read more
Hamas said it was studying on Saturday the latest Israeli counterproposal regarding a potential ceasefire in Gaza, a day after a delegation from mediator Egypt reportedly arrived in Israel in a bid to jump-start stalled negotiations. The signs of fresh truce talks came alongside ongoing Israeli preparations for a military push into Gaza’s southern city … Read more
Her fluffy face now frail, Kabosu still flashes the enigmatic smile that made her the go-to meme dog for millennials and inspired a $23 billion cryptocurrency beloved by Elon Musk. She’s best known as the logo of Dogecoin, but to Atsuko Sato, Kabosu is the elderly former rescue puppy who accompanies her every day to … Read more
Columbia University backed off late Thursday from an overnight deadline for pro-Palestinian protesters to abandon an encampment there as more college campuses in the United States sought to prevent occupations from taking hold. Police have carried out large-scale arrests in universities across the country, at times using chemical irritants and tasers to disperse protests over … Read more
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday told top US diplomat Antony Blinken that the world’s two biggest economies should be “partners, not rivals”, but that there were a “number of issues” to be resolved in their relations. Blinken, in China for the second time in less than a year, met leading Chinese politicians in the … Read more
“Done!” — the catchphrase punctuating former rugby player Dennis Ombachi’s cooking videos is as famous as the balcony of the Nairobi apartment where he films himself in action. A former Rugby Sevens international, Ombachi reinvented himself to become a social media star with a global fanbase in just a few years> He has 2.3 million … Read more
India’s six-week-long election resumed Friday with millions of people lining up outside polling stations in parts of the country hit by a scorching heatwave. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely expected to win a third term in the election, which concludes in early June. But turnout in the first round of voting last week dropped … Read more
A delegation from mediator Egypt is travelling to Israel on Friday, a source close to the Israeli government told AFP, in what local media said is a bid to reignite stalled hostage-release negotiations. The effort comes alongside preparations for a military push against Hamas militants in southern Gaza’s Rafah, and with spillover from the Gaza … Read more
Electric vehicle executives at a top car show in China were bullish on prospects for growth, despite a gruelling price war and mounting Western pressure on the industry. Thousands of car lovers and company representatives descended on Beijing this week for the Auto China show — a chance for industry giants to show off new … Read more
