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NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A flawless 102-carat oval diamond will head to auction on October 5 in Hong Kong at Sotheby’s. The auction house has not given an official price estimate for the egg-shaped stone of exactly 102.39 carats, which has the highest color grade, D, for a white diamond and is rated Type IIA for its chemical purity and exceptional transparency. Quig Bruning, Sotheby’s New York head of jewelry, said the house […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A typhoon that struck North Korea wrecked nearly 60 bridges and destroyed or inundated more than 2,000 houses, state media reported Wednesday, with leader Kim Jong Un saying the damage had disrupted central planning for the rest of the year. Typhoon Maysak brought days of heavy downpours to the country’s east coast last week even as the North was still reeling from earlier flooding and typhoon damage, and this week […]
by Didier Lauras with Jalees Andrabi in New Delhi AMBALA, India (AFP) — India’s defence minister hailed the formal commissioning Thursday of the country’s first new French Rafale jets as a “strong message” to its adversaries, amid an escalating border row with China. The first five of a $9.4-billion order for 36 Rafale aircraft formally entered service following a ceremony in Ambala in northern India. “The induction of Rafale is a strong message for the […]
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The European Parliament on Thursday removed Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from the “Sakharov Prize community” because of her “acceptance” of state crimes against the Rohingya community. The EU assembly awarded the former democracy campaigner its top human rights prize in 1990, a year before she received the Nobel Peace Prize, but she will no longer take part in events for laureates. A source close to the parliament said […]
by Charlotte VAN OUWERKERK MIDDLEBURG, Netherlands (AFP) — A Dutch university is holding open-air classes in parks, public squares and parking lots to limit the number of lectures taking place online because of the coronavirus pandemic. At the foot of a majestic church in the historic center of the city of Middelburg, science professor Edward Nieuwenhuis demonstrates an experiment on a bench in front of 25 students bundled up in jackets. With a noisy street-cleaning […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China accused Washington of “political persecution and racial discrimination” on Thursday, after the US confirmed it had revoked the visas of more than 1,000 Chinese students under an order by President Donald Trump that accused some of espionage. Trump declared in May that some Chinese nationals officially in the United States for study have stolen intellectual property and helped modernize China’s military, as tensions between the two countries soar on multiple […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Drugs giant AstraZeneca on Thursday said a Covid-19 vaccine could still be available by as early as the end of the year, despite a randomised clinical trial being paused. “We could still have a vaccine by the end of this year, early next year,” the UK-based company’s chief executive Pascal Soriot said in comments at a media event. AstraZeneca announced Wednesday it had “voluntarily paused” its trial of a drug […]
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — A huge fire raged in Beirut port on Thursday, AFP correspondents said, sparking alarm among Lebanese still reeling from a devastating dockside explosion that disfigured the capital last month. Thick black columns of smoke rose into the sky, as the army said the blaze had engulfed a warehouse storing oil and tyres. It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze. “Operations have begun to extinguish the fire and army helicopters […]
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany on Thursday confirmed a first case of African swine fever, threatening to severely hit the country’s key pork market. Scientists found swine fever in a dead wild boar near the German-Polish border in the eastern state of Brandenburg, the German agricultural ministry said. “Unfortunately, the suspicion has been confirmed,” said Julia Kloeckner, minister for agriculture, after the dead animal was tested overnight. Germany is Europe’s largest producer of pork, with […]
by Javier TOVAR CLOVIS, United States (AFP) — It is not the first time that Leanna Mikesler has evacuated her home in the California mountains because of wildfires, but during an epidemic it is “10 times harder.” Mikesler and her husband fled with only their most important documents, and, as she walks her dog at an emergency Red Cross facility in Clovis in the center of the state, she says she fears their property may […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s two major opposition parties merged Thursday and elected a new leader as they try to strengthen their standing ahead of a possible snap national election. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party will pick a successor to outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next week, and several top political figures have suggested the next leader may call a quick election. The opposition parties and several independent lawmakers formally cemented an alliance in response, […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China accused the US of becoming “the biggest driver of militarization” in the contested South China Sea, as tensions between Washington and Beijing look set to swamp a regional Asian summit. US-China rivalry is expected to dominate discussion at this year’s ASEAN conference, which comes just days after Beijing launched ballistic missiles in the flashpoint waters as part of live-fire exercises. Beijing claims the majority of the resource-rich South China Sea, […]
