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Race relations expert is France's surprise new education minister
Pap Ndiaye, a historian specialising in race relations, emerged as the surprise choice for French education minister on Friday and came under immediate attack from the far-right.
Boeing's Starliner approaching ISS in high-stakes test mission
Boeing's Starliner capsule was preparing to dock with the International Space Station Friday, in a high-stakes uncrewed test flight key to reviving the US aerospace giant's reputation after a series of failures.
Israeli firm hopes AI can curb drownings
An Israeli city is testing whether an artificial intelligence programme that detects drowning threats can help save lives off its beaches.
G20 failing to update carbon-cutting pledges: report
Nations in the G20 group of major economies have yet to strengthen greenhouse gas reduction goals despite agreeing to revisit their plans ahead of critical UN climate talks in November, according to an analysis by leading research NGOs seen exclusively by AFP.
Boeing's Starliner encounters propulsion problems on way to ISS
American aerospace giant Boeing's Starliner capsule was heading for the International Space Station Thursday, in a critical uncrewed test flight that followed years of failures and false starts.
Hive mind: Tunisia beekeepers abuzz over early warning system
Elias Chebbi inspected a beehive in a field in Tunisia, minutes after a buzz on his phone warned him of a potential problem.
Boeing's troubled Starliner launches for ISS in key test
American aerospace giant Boeing launched its Starliner capsule for the International Space Station Thursday in a critical uncrewed test flight that followed years of failures and false starts.
Third launch attempt for Boeing's beleaguered Starliner spacecraft
American aerospace giant Boeing is making a third attempt to reach the International Space Station Thursday in a critical uncrewed test flight for its Starliner capsule, which has been beset by numerous failures and false starts.
Namibia comes to Europe to sell its sunshine
As Europe struggles to decarbonise its economy and wean itself off Russian oil and gas, one of the world’s sunniest and most arid nations is pitching itself to the continent as an answer to its problems.
Indonesia to lift ban on palm oil exports from Monday
Indonesia will lift its ban on palm oil exports next week, President Joko Widodo said Thursday, relieving pressure on the global vegetable oil market after prices spiked because of the suspension and the war in Ukraine.
Climate fight rages in rich Australian suburbs
In a land struck by ferocious bushfires and floods, Australian voters frustrated by climate inaction are flocking to a band of right-leaning green-minded independents, threatening to flip a string of conservative strongholds from blue to "teal".
Pee pals: Dolphins taste friends' urine to know they're around
Think about people you know, and how you could tell they were around even if you couldn't see them: perhaps their voice, or a favored perfume.
Pee pals: Dolphins use taste of urine to recognize friends
Think about people you know, and how you could tell they were around even if you couldn't see them: their voice, perhaps, or even a favored deodorant.
How Italy's car-bombed judges shaped fight against mafia
"It was war and we all felt called up. No-one could afford to look away any longer," says Marzia Sabella, remembering the assassination of anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone 30 years ago.
World's tallest building engulfed as Mideast sandstorms hit UAE
The world's tallest building disappeared behind a grey layer of dust on Wednesday as sandstorms that have swept the Middle East hit the United Arab Emirates, prompting weather and traffic warnings.
Climate change indicators hit record highs in 2021: UN
Four key climate change indicators all set new record highs in 2021, the United Nations said Wednesday, warning that the global energy system was driving humanity towards catastrophe.
Italy marks 30-year anniversary of murder of anti-mafia judge Falcone
Thirty years ago, the Sicilian mafia killed judge Giovanni Falcone with a bomb so powerful it was registered by experts monitoring volcanic tremors from Etna on the other side of the island.
End of the line nears for NASA InSight Mars lander
After some four years probing Mars' interior, NASA's InSight lander will likely retire this summer as accumulated dust on its solar panels saps its power.
Jamestown, cradle of America, threatened by rising seas
The waters rose overnight and by morning formed a shallow pond over the grassy field covering a cemetery in Jamestown, one of the founding sites of the American nation.
Waiting for the water train in scorching India
Afroz misses school every day to spend hours waiting with a handcart full of containers for a special train bringing precious water to people suffering a heatwave in India's desert state of Rajasthan.
Latest sandstorm brings Iraq to standstill
Another sandstorm that descended Monday on Iraq sent at least 2,000 people to hospital with breathing problems and led to the closure of airports, schools and public offices across the country.
Iraq at a standstill during latest sandstorm
Another sandstorm descended Monday on Iraq forcing the closure of airports, schools, universities and public administrations across the country, officials said.
South Asia pummelled by heatwave that hits 50C in Pakistan
South Asia was in the grip of an extreme heatwave on Friday, with parts of Pakistan reaching a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius as officials warned of acute water shortages and a health threat.
Toshiba in early talks with 10 potential buyout 'partners'
Troubled conglomerate Toshiba said Friday it has been approached by 10 potential investors as it weighs going private, a move that would be highly unusual in corporate Japan.
First image of black hole at Milky Way's centre revealed
An international team of astronomers on Thursday unveiled the first image of a supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy -- a cosmic body known as Sagittarius A*.
Seeing Milky Way's new black hole is 'only the beginning': US researcher
At just 33 years old, Caltech assistant professor Katie Bouman is already a veteran of two major scientific discoveries.
Astronomers reveal first image of black hole at Milky Way's centre
An international team of astronomers on Thursday unveiled the first image of a supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy -- a cosmic body known as Sagittarius A*.
Azerbaijan refugees vow 'Great Return' to Karabakh
Ali Hasanov looked over the overgrown ruins of his hometown in Nagorno-Karabakh and vowed to return and rebuild it.
Moscow urged to annex Kherson, claims Kyiv bombed Russia town
Pro-Kremlin authorities in Ukraine's Kherson on Wednesday urged President Vladimir Putin to annex the region, as Moscow accused Kyiv of shelling a Russian city in the latest flashpoint of their bloody war.
Polish editor and former dissident wins top Spanish prize
Polish editor Adam Michnik, a leading communist-era dissident, was Wednesday awarded Spain's prestigious Princess of Asturias communications and humanities prize.
Summer heatwave bleaches 91% of Great Barrier Reef: report
A prolonged summer heatwave in Australia left 91 percent of the Great Barrier Reef's coral damaged by bleaching, according to a new government monitoring report.
Settlement curbs firm's facial recognition database in US
Startup Clearview AI has agreed to limit access to its controversial facial recognition database in the United States, settling a lawsuit filed by privacy advocates, a court filing showed Monday.
Even chance world will breach 1.5C warming within 5 years: UN
There is an even chance that global temperatures will temporarily breach the benchmark of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in one of the next five years, the United Nations warned Tuesday.
Webb telescope's first full color, scientific images coming in July
Get ready for a summer blockbuster.
Putin defends Ukraine offensive as Russia marks Victory Day
President Vladimir Putin on Monday defended Russia's offensive in Ukraine and blamed Kyiv and the West, as he looked to use grand Victory Day celebrations to mobilise patriotic support for the campaign.
'Our real Victory Day': Ukrainians shun Soviet WWII anniversary
The solemn rhetoric and formal gatherings in Ukraine marking the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany on May 9 every year always had deep personal resonance for 62-year-old Volodymyr Kostiuk.
Russia readies Victory Day parade as fight for east Ukraine rages
Russia will celebrate its 1945 victory over Nazi Germany Monday with a show of military might as its army battles Kyiv's forces in the east of Ukraine, where 60 people were killed in an air strike on a school sheltering civilians.
Zelensky says school bombing kills 60 as G7 rallies behind Ukraine
A Russian strike on a school sheltering civilians claimed 60 lives, Ukraine said Sunday, as the G7 reaffirmed their unity with Kyiv on the eve of Moscow's ostentatious plans for a World War II victory celebration.
Victims voice disbelief, anger as Philippine dictator's son nears power
On the eve of elections that look set to return the son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos to the presidential palace, the regime's victims are hurt and dismayed -- but determined to renew their struggle.