New Italian Government Seeks To Raise Cash Ceiling
A new bill introduced this week by the League party, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition, would raise the cash payment ceiling for Italians to 10,000 euros from 2,000 euros today.
Airlines Giant IAG Revenue Back At Pre-pandemic Level
Revenue soared to 7.3 billion euros (dollars) in the peak July-September demand period, from 2.7 billion euros in the third quarter last year, IAG said in a statement.
Iceland's Thriller-loving PM Pens First Crime Novel
"Obviously, this is not something that I thought I would have any time to do", 46-year-old Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir told AFP at an event this week for the book's launch.
French October Inflation Highest Since 1985
Year-on-year price growth hit 6.2 percent this month, statistics authority Insee said based on preliminary data, a new increase in inflation after it slowed in August and September.
31 Killed As Storm Lashes Southern Philippines
The storm unleashed flash floods carrying uprooted trees, rocks and mud overnight in mainly rural communities around Cotabato, a city of 300,000 people on Mindanao island.
Forgotten Uyghurs Locked Up In Thailand Face 'Hell On Earth'
A damning UN report released in August detailed violations including torture and forced labour and "large-scale" arbitrary detention in what Beijing calls vocational training centres.
T-rex In Singapore As Experts Decry 'Harmful' Auctions
The 1,400-kilo frame, composed of about 80 bones, will be the first T-rex skeleton auctioned in Asia, according to Christie's, which has not given an estimate for the lot.
IMF Chief Says 2023 Aid Pledges For Ukraine 'Sufficient'
"Yes, we would go to 2023 with sufficient financial support for Ukraine," Georgieva told AFP on the sidelines of a conference organised by the European Commission, the EU's executive arm.
War In Ukraine Strains Ties Between Africa And West
The problems were on uncomfortable display this week at the Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security, where the conflict was a major theme.
US Sees 'Acute Threat' From Russia, But Says China Is Main Challenge
The dangers are both conventional -- Moscow's aggression toward its neighbors and Beijing's efforts to gain control of Taiwan -- and nuclear, with Russia possessing an extensive arsenal and China's stocks of atomic weapons growing fast.
Putin: Russia Battling 'Western Domination' As Ukraine War Grinds On
The Russian leader showed no sign of backpedalling on the eight-month-old invasion of Ukraine, and indeed painted the current situation as part of the decline of Western dominance in global affairs.
Meteorite That Smashed Into Mars Shook Planet, NASA Says
On December 24, 2021, a meteorite hit Mars' surface, triggering magnitude 4 tremors, which were detected by NASA's InSight spacecraft -- which landed on the planet four years ago -- some 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometers) away.
Asian Markets Slip As Rate Hopes Are Offset By Big Tech Sell-off
After being battered for most of the year by worries that borrowing costs will continue to rise to fight inflation, traders were cheered by a report last week indicating the US Federal Reserve could take its foot off the gas soon.
Japan To Unveil Huge Package To Address Inflation
Ahead of cabinet approval for the relief measures, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the government would "seek swift approval" of an extra budget worth 29.1 trillion yen (around $200 billion).
China Economic Slowdown To Drag On Asia Growth: IMF
Worldwide economic prospects have dimmed this year as countries have faced higher living costs, tighter financial conditions and increased uncertainty following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Elon Musk Takes Control Of Twitter, Fires Executives
Following the takeover, Musk tweeted that the "the bird is freed," referencing the company's iconic avian logo.
North Korea Fires Two Ballistic Missiles: South's Military
The launch comes as South Korea and the US conclude 12 days of amphibious naval joint military drills, and just ahead of the Monday start of major combined air drills that will involve more than 200 US and South Korean fighter jets.
US Terror Alert In S.Africa 'Unfortunate': Ramaphosa
The US embassy on Wednesday posted the alert on its website and identified the potential target as Sandton, a suburb in the country's financial hub of Johannesburg.
Tens Of Thousands Attend Funeral Of Killed Pakistani Journalist
Sharif had fled the country in August to escape sedition charges, and his death triggered widespread speculation in Pakistan that he was targeted for his views.
Ultra-rich UK PM To Move Into Downing Street Flat
Sunak's portfolio of properties reportedly includes a penthouse in California, a house in London's exclusive Kensington district and a mansion in his Yorkshire constituency in the north of England.
Climate Plans Would Allow Up To 2.6C Of Global Warming: UN
The United Nations Environment Programme, in its annual Emissions Gap report, found that updated national promises since last year's COP26 summit in Glasgow would only shave less than one percent off global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Prince Harry To Release Memoir January 2023
"We are excited to announce the remarkably personal and emotionally powerful story of Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex," Penguin Random House said on Twitter.
Russia's 'Disposable Soldiers' Fighting For Bakhmut
"It's horror over there. The ground is black like asphalt. Everything is destroyed," 38-year-old serviceman Yevgen told AFP.
Israel, Lebanon Expected To Sign 'Historic' Maritime Border Deal
The agreement, hailed by US President Joe Biden as a "historic breakthrough", comes as Western powers clamour to open up new gas production and reduce vulnerability to supply cuts from Russia.
Iran President Says Amini 'Riots' Pave Way For Attacks
The bloody attack in the southern city of Shiraz came as thousands of mourners paid tribute to Amini on Wednesday in her western hometown, 40 days after her death in police custody.
Afraid Of Kim's Nukes? Build A Bunker, South Korean Professor Says
With thick concrete walls, steel-reinforced doors and an air purification system, Lee says his shelter, buried under a metre (three feet) of earth, could keep him safe from a nuclear disaster and withstand a direct hit from a conventional missile.
EU Chief Calls For Closer Ties To Central Asia In Kazakhstan Visit
"Central Asia and Europe are coming closer together and becoming more and more connected," Michel said at a press conference with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the capital Astana.
Germany's Scholz Rejects Turkish Claims Against Greece
He also criticised the "more or less veiled military threats" towards Greece made repeatedly by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his senior officials in recent months.
ASEAN Ministers Say 'Even More Determined' To Solve Myanmar Crisis
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military coup in February last year, but despite its expressions of concern, efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have yet to bear any fruit.
Hong Kong Finance Chief Contracts Covid Ahead Of Banking Summit
City authorities are eager for the international finance get-together to show Hong Kong is open for business, having been previously isolated by China's zero-Covid policy.