AFP news

Hopes that the mineral boom will translate into a new dawn of prosperity in the world's poorest continent are clouded by memories of what happened with oil.

Arrivals in the Alpine EU nation are increasing -- but unlike seven years ago, it's due in part to stricter border controls implemented by the conservative-led government.

The pressure is on for Switzerland's second-biggest bank after investors saw their money go up in smoke due to the collapse in share prices.

Aas the world seeks to move away from fossil fuels, lithium production -- and prices -- have skyrocketed, as have the expectations of communities near lithium plants, many of whom live in poverty.

The onshore yuan fell as much as 0.6 percent to 7.3084 per dollar, its weakest level since December 2007 and close to the lower limit of the trading band set by the central bank on Tuesday.

The rise of entrepreneurs of colour has been slow and still faces serious obstacles, including lack of access to land and capital.

Aid is slowly coming to southern Nigeria after the biggest floods since 2012 killed more than 600 people and affected nearly three million others, according to official figures.

It was unclear if the assessment from the US, UK and other countries was based on a new threat or because of incidents that had already occurred.

So far, the death toll across the country from the Ebola epidemic declared in late September has climbed to 44, according to World Health Organisation figures issued last week.

In a letter, 30 House members from Biden's Democratic Party made clear they opposed Russia's "outrageous and illegal invasion of Ukraine" and agreed with the White House that a settlement was up to Kyiv.

Thirty-one civilians were among the 49 Palestinians killed in the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip during the three-day conflict, the global rights group said in a new report.

The Israeli army confirmed in a joint statement with police and intelligence agencies that they had conducted a large-scale night operation in Nablus, raiding a "hideout apartment... that was used as a headquarters and explosives manufacturing site".

Sunak became the ruling Conservatives' new leader on Monday after rival contender Penny Mordaunt failed to secure enough nominations from Tory MPs, and Boris Johnson dramatically aborted a comeback bid.

Climate change is already playing a role, as floods, droughts and heatwaves batter harvests from Europe to Asia and threaten famine in the Horn of Africa.

Multiple jurisdictions have seized Russian oligarchs' yachts and other assets this year. But Hong Kong made clear it would not do the same, saying it only implements United Nations sanctions, not "unilateral" ones.

On October 23, 2002 -- as the second Chechen war was raging in southern Russia -- armed militants burst into Moscow's Dubrovka theatre during a sold-out performance of the musical "Nord-Ost."

Ruben da Silva Villar, also known as "Colombia," was released last Friday, according to local press reports, after a ruling made three days earlier and which AFP gained access to on Monday.

Meloni will present "a programmatic manifesto", according to government sources, aiming to implement "the commitments undertaken with Italian citizens in the election campaign".

Many women do not consider the 45-year-old an ally, pointing to her advocacy of traditional family values, including her opposition to abortion, and what they see as her failure to challenge the social status quo.

The former Portuguese colony has been limping for nearly three years as coronavirus restrictions have kept away mainland Chinese tourists, depriving the gaming sector of its chief revenue source and tanking the wider economy.

The Casablanca-born rapper, who is a massive star in the Arabic-speaking music world, had in late September told reporters who gathered after one of his concerts, "I smoke hash -- so what?... It does not mean I set a bad example."

A mostly Congolese Tutsi group, the M23 resumed fighting in late 2021 after lying dormant for years. It has since captured swathes of territory in the Central African country's North Kivu province, including the strategic town of Bunagana on the Ugandan border in June.

Lead inspector Aisha Muhammad, a Supreme Court judge in the Maldives, said Australia was in "clear breach" of its international obligations.

Two bodies, of a minor and an adult, were recovered on Saturday, though they have not yet been identified.

Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke with his British, French and Turkish counterparts to convey "concerns about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a 'dirty bomb'," Moscow said, referring to a weapon that uses traditional explosives to scatter radioactive material.

The attack took place on a remote road in the so-called "three borders" region between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso plagued by jihadist insurgents linked with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Rushdie was then air-lifted to a nearby hospital for emergency surgery but his condition had improved in the weeks after.

The port city is the latest to be hit following a recent resurgence of attacks by the Al-Qaeda-linked group, which has mainly targeted the capital Mogadishu and central Somalia.

Pyongyang has conducted a blitz of weapons tests, including what it claimed were tactical nuclear drills, in recent weeks, with Seoul and Washington ramping up joint military exercises in response.