Dubai / Emirates Business Emirates Wildlife Society in association with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF), is marking World Biodiversity Day on May 22 by launching a ground breaking scientific research project – The Gulf Green Turtle Conservation Project – with the ultimate aim of conserving endangered marine species and critical habitats in the UAE and wider region. ...
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G7 vows to curb global terror finance; rifts on policy remain
AKIU / AP The Group of Seven major economies showed a united front on fighting terrorist financing and tax evasion, but shied away from coordinated action on policies to revive stalling growth. An “action plan†issued after the talks by G7 finance ministers and central bank governors at a hot springs hotel in northern Japan called for increased exchanges ...
Read More »â€˜Brexit’ in spotlight at meeting in Japan
SYDNEY / AP Britain’s possible exit from the European Union took centre stage at a G7 meeting in Japan on Saturday, as UK finance minister George Osborne warned a ‘Brexit’ could doom trade deals with EU countries. The comments came during two days of talks largely focused on how the club of rich nations can stoke the lumbering world ...
Read More »Japan complains over US arrest in ‘base murder’
Tokyo / AP Japan’s defence minister travelled to Okinawa to lodge a formal protest with the commander of the US military base there on Saturday after the arrest of a base employee linked to the suspicious death of a local woman. Gen Nakatani’s visit to the island comes just days before a high-profile trip to Japan by US President Barack ...
Read More »Trump fuels Americans relocation dreams
New York / AFP Donald Trump’s inflammatory presidential campaign and the prospect of the brash-talking tycoon actually becoming commander-in-chief has left progressive Americans obsessing about one thing: moving to Canada. Stars from Cher to Lena Dunham have declared their intention to head north if the former reality star, famous for insulting Muslims and Mexicans, and under the microscope for ...
Read More »UN names special envoys for El Nino and climate
United Nations / AFP UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed former Irish President Mary Robinson and Kenyan diplomat Macharia Kamau as special envoys for El Nino and climate. The El Nino weather phenomenon, which occurs every two to seven years, affects rainfall patterns and causes both drought and flooding. Its effects can be seen in places like Sudan, where the ...
Read More »Istanbul summit seeks to transform aid response
Istanbul / AFP Global leaders and key NGOs gather in Istanbul on Monday for an unprecedented UN-backed summit aimed at transforming the world’s response to humanitarian crises, despite scepticism the talks will have little impact. With an estimated 60 million people displaced around the world and conflict and climate change posing a growing risk, there is widespread agreement among ...
Read More »6 dead, 500,000 flee as cyclone hits B’desh
Bangladesh /Â AFP Cyclone Roanu struck the Bangladesh coast on Saturday killing six people and forcing hundreds of thousands more to flee their homes as the storm unleashed strong winds and heavy downpours. Authorities took more than 500,000 people into shelters as the cyclone made landfall just after noon local time (0600 GMT), packing winds as strong as 88 kilometres (54 ...
Read More »Storm kills 8, leaves 4 missing in China
BEIJING /Â AP Chinese state media say a strong storm that hammered a southern city has left at least eight people dead and four missing. The official Xinhua News Agency said Saturday that all deaths and the missing people were reported in the city of Xinyi, which was hit the hardest by Friday’s storm. The Xinyi government says it is the ...
Read More »â€˜Smoke on board’ EgyptAir plane before crash
Cairo / AFP Smoke was detected inside an EgyptAir plane shortly before it plunged into the Mediterranean with 66 people on board, investigators said on Saturday, offering clues but no answers about why it crashed. The Airbus A320 had been flying from Paris to Cairo early Thursday when it plummeted and turned full circle before vanishing from radar screens, ...
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