Category: English Top

Oil-rich Alberta tests Canada’s unity with secession vote

Alberta voters decide next week if they want the oil-rich province to begin the process of separating from Canada, a pivotal test for the country as it confronts a hostile United States. Polling indicates less than a quarter of Alberta’s roughly five million people want independence, but in an interview with AFP on Tuesday, a […]

EU leaders head for showdown over bloc budget

EU leaders on Thursday head for their biggest clash yet over the bloc’s next long-term budget, as they race to lock in a deal before next year’s French presidential election. The 27-nation European Union wants an agreement by Christmas, worried that any future dealmaking will be derailed by potential eurosceptic wins in polls taking place […]

Behind AI’s carbon footprint, a potential climate tool

Artificial intelligence has become a lightning rod in climate debates over concerns about the growing carbon footprint of the data centres powering the technology. The issue will be in the spotlight at the COP31 climate summit in Turkey next month, with the hosts saying they will push for “climate-responsible AI”. But the discussion over the […]

Indonesia rescues starved orangutan from fires: officials

A female orangutan who was likely starving was evacuated Wednesday from an area razed by fire on the Indonesian island of Borneo, officials said, as the country rescues hundreds of animals affected by the blazes. Indonesia has for weeks struggled to control fires that have razed parts of Sumatra, Borneo and Papua islands, sending choking […]

Healthy corals help bleached neighbors regain color: study

The world’s coral reefs face an existential threat from rising seawater temperatures that trigger widespread bleaching, a problem driven by climate change and compounded by this year’s intense El Nino phenomenon. But a new lab study by scientists at Stanford University finds that simply placing healthy, colorful coral in contact with their bleached counterparts is […]

Trump’s new press secretary faces scrutiny over credentials

The White House was facing mounting questions Wednesday over new press secretary Katie Zacharia’s legal credentials, after a faltering first day in the job when she gave an inconclusive answer about where she had passed the bar exam. A US watchdog group filed a complaint with the State Bar of California, asking it to investigate […]

Government buildings torched in violent Albanian protests

Anti-government protests in Albania’s capital  left several official buildings badly damaged and at least one on fire on Wednesday as demonstrations spiralled into violence for a second straight night. Protesters and riot police clashed in Tirana as thousands of demonstrators rallied for better university conditions and demanded Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation. Over several hours, […]

Musk suggests US govt behind any slowdown in Ukraine’s Starshield system

SpaceX boss Elon Musk said Wednesday that any disruptions reported by Ukraine in using the Starshield satellite communications system would be the responsibility of the US government, not his company.”Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk […]

Ukraine accuses US of helping Russia as missiles hit Kyiv

Ukraine on Wednesday accused the United States of helping Russia by failing to warn it of incoming missile strikes and hobbling Kyiv’s military response through changes to the Starlink system it uses on the battlefield. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on US tech billionaire Elon Musk to restore Starlink, which Kyiv says has been slowed […]