Elvis Nghobo tried to get into four different professional schools in Cameroon, but could not make it. Frustrated, the 34-year-old turned to selling food at a market in Yaounde, the country’s seat of power.Nghobo blames his woes on what he calls a corrupt education system that favors children of the
TICKING CLOCK: A path to a budget agreement was still possible, the president’s office said, as a debate on reversing an increase of the pension age carries on
French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday was racing to find a new prime minister within a two-day deadline after the resignation of outgoing French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu tipped the country deeper into political crisis.The presidency late on Wednesday said that Macron would name a new pr
A 30-year-old protester on Monday was participating in a gathering against Myanmar’s ruling junta on a festival day in the central region of Sagaing when he heard the distinctive noise of fan blades cutting through the air.Minutes later, explosives were dropped by a motorized paraglider, also known
Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday said the latest vessel in the Caribbean bombed by the US might have been Colombian with Colombian citizens aboard, which the White House called a “baseless” statement.US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced the latest in a series of military strik
UNITED STATESMan charged over blazeA 29-year-old man has been charged with sparking California’s deadly Palisades Fire, authorities said on Wednesday. Federal officials said Jonathan Rinderknecht, who lived in the area, started a small fire on New Year’s Day that smoldered underground before reignit
PROGRESS: A Hamas official said that ‘a spirit of optimism’ was prevailing in talks to end the war in Gaza, with the group submitting a list of prisoners it wants released
The Israeli military yesterday intercepted a nine-boat flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea trying to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and detained scores of activists on board, the flotilla organizers and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.The interception came ahead of talks in Egypt o
Grotesque makeup, menacing props and intimidating costumes are just one part of a Michigan haunted house’s 25-year-old formula to terrify guests.It starts by educating the actors looking to provide the most horrifying experience to its visitors. At Scare School, they learn all the tricks of the trad
Australian police foiled an alleged organized crime hit by a so-called kill team near a Sydney daycare facility, authorities said yesterday.New South Wales police on Tuesday swooped in on two cars after learning three men were preparing to carry out the alleged killing in Revesby, a suburb in the ci
TECH COMPETITION: Sales to Chinese firms from top equipment suppliers did not break the law, but could have profound implications for human rights, a report said
US lawmakers are calling for broader bans on chipmaking equipment to China after a bipartisan investigation found that Chinese chipmakers had purchased US$38 billion of sophisticated gear last year, including from European giant ASML.The US House of Representatives’ Select Committee on the Strategic
Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa on Tuesday escaped injury after his car was attacked by a crowd throwing rocks, in what a top minister said was an assassination attempt that had left signs of bullet damage on the vehicle.Ecuadoran Minister of Environment and Energy Ines Manzano, who filed a formal
Top UK security officials are to face questions over an aborted China spying case brought by its chief prosecutor, which collapsed at the same time that the UK is seeking to rebuild economic ties with the country.A government spokesperson denied a report in the Sunday Times that it was the interfere
SPAINBodies recovered in collapseEmergency services have recovered the bodies of four people from beneath the rubble of a six-story building that collapsed in central Madrid while being refurbished into a hotel, local authorities said yesterday. The victims have been identified as three men aged 30
ENERGY SHIFT: A report by Ember suggests it is possible for the world to wean off polluting sources of power, such as coal and gas, even as demand for electricity surges
Worldwide solar and wind power generation has outpaced electricity demand this year, and for the first time on record, renewable energies combined generated more power than coal, a new analysis said.Global solar generation grew by a record 31 percent in the first half of the year, while wind generat
FRUSTRATIONS: One in seven youths in China and Indonesia are unemployed, and many in the region are stuck in low-productivity jobs, the World Bank said
Young people across Asia are struggling to find good jobs, with many stuck in low-productivity work that the World Bank said could strain social stability as frustrations fuel a global wave of youth-led protests.The bank highlighted a persistent gap between younger and more experienced workers acros
A South American trade bloc on Monday ruled that Peru is failing to meet its commitments to curb illegal gold mining and mercury trafficking, siding with indigenous groups who say their Amazon rivers and food supply are being poisoned.The decision by the Andean Community — which includes Peru, Colom
Crews used large nets, water-filled containers and box trucks to relocate hundreds of river otters, sea turtles, manatees, penguins and sharks to their new home: Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium.Over the past couple of months, the marine animals were removed from the hard-to-reach island and reloca
Twenty-five years after a landmark UN resolution demanded equal participation for women in all efforts to promote peace, women far too often remain silent, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said yesterday.At the same time, sexual violence against women and girls is on the rise and 676 million wo
UNITED NATIONSHouthis detain nine moreUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday denounced the arbitrary detention of nine more UN workers in Yemen by Houthi rebels, along with the seizure of assets and facilities in areas under Houthi control. “Most recently, the Houthi de facto authorities de
EXCHANGE: Negotiations would focus on setting a date for a temporary truce and conditions for the return of Israeli hostages and release of Palestinian detainees
Delegations from Hamas, Israel and the US were yesterday due to convene in Egypt for talks, with US President Donald Trump urging negotiators to “move fast” to end the nearly two-year war in Gaza.Both Hamas and Israel have responded positively to Trump’s proposal for an end to the fighting and the r
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