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Biden starts second year with charm offensive -- and bad polls

The White House launched a charm offensive, complete with a Tom Hanks video, to mark Joe Biden's first year as president Thursday, but dire new polls and a major congressional setback told another story.

Colombia car bomb kills one, injures 20

A car bomb detonated in Colombia overnight outside government offices and the seat of a human rights body, killing one person and wounded 20 near the Venezuelan border, authorities said Thursday.

US inflation spike also due to generous pandemic stimulus

President Joe Biden blames global supply snarls for the wave of price increases hitting US consumers and businesses, but the trillions of dollars injected into the economy during the pandemic also share responsibility.

China, Russia block US push for UN sanctions on N.Koreans: diplomats

China and Russia on Thursday blocked a US push to impose United Nations sanctions on five North Koreans in response to recent missile launches by Pyongyang, diplomats told AFP.

US Supreme Court deals another blow to abortion providers

The conservative-leaning US Supreme Court dealt another blow on Thursday to opponents of a Texas law that bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

EU ministers mull climate policy, carbon border tax

European Union environment ministers gathered in France Thursday to mull climate policy and the merits of a carbon border tax, while airing differences on whether nuclear energy can be classified as "green".

US stocks fall for 3rd straight day as rally fizzles

US stocks sank again Thursday as investors shunned equities amid lingering worries over surging global inflation and the prospect of rising interest rates.

UN adopts resolution against Holocaust denial

The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted a non-binding resolution calling on all member states to fight against Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism, especially on social media.

Biden says any Russian troop entry into Ukraine is 'an invasion'

US President Joe Biden said Thursday that any entry of Russian troops into Ukraine will be treated by the West as "an invasion," as he tried to clarify confusion over an earlier suggestion that a "minor" attack could invite a lesser response.

At least two dead, 22 wounded by bomb in Pakistan's Lahore

At least two people were killed and 22 wounded Thursday by a bomb blast in a busy shopping district of the Pakistani megacity of Lahore, police and officials said.

Tear gas fired at Sudan protesters rallying against post-coup killings

Sudanese security forces fired tear gas on Thursday at protesters rallying against the killing of dozens in a post-coup crackdown, as US diplomats pressed for an end to the violence.

Turkey halts four-month streak of rate cuts

Turkey's central bank on Thursday bowed to market pressure and halted a four-month streak of interest rate cuts that saw inflation soar and the currency collapse.

Indonesia to push for new global health agency, president says

Indonesia will push for the creation of a new global health agency while the country holds the presidency of the G20, President Joko Widodo said Thursday at the virtual Davos forum.

Google spars with EU activists after Austria data defeat

A years-long saga over tech firms transferring data from Europe to the US re-erupted on Thursday, days after Austrian officials slapped down Google for failing to respect EU privacy rules.

Athlete surveillance warnings cloud China's Winter Olympics

A growing number of Western nations and cybersecurity groups have issued digital surveillance warnings for next month's Winter Olympics in Beijing, with some advising foreign athletes to leave personal phones and laptops at home.

Taiwan VP to make US stopovers during Honduras visit

Taiwan said Thursday its vice president will transit in the United States on his way to the inauguration of Honduras' president-elect, a stopover seen by China as an affront to Beijing's claim on the island.

Ravaged by war, separatist east Ukraine fears new conflict

Tears stream down Antonina Zaytseva's face as she considers the possibility of her separatist region of Ukraine again being engulfed by war.

Can the US and Russia find a diplomatic 'off-ramp' on Ukraine?

The United States has called for a diplomatic solution with Russia to resolve a crisis over Ukraine, but in public at least, the two powers remain deeply at odds.

Trickle of residents return to Fukushima's last deserted town

Five former residents of the last remaining uninhabited town near Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant returned on Thursday to live there for the first time since the 2011 disaster.

Defiant Biden touts first year, vows to reconnect with voters

Joe Biden sought to reset his presidency in a marathon first year press conference Wednesday, vowing to reconnect with voters and touting successes, while delivering blunt assessments of the "disaster" facing Russia if it attacks Ukraine.

US Senate sinks Biden push for major voting rights reforms

US senators dealt a death blow Wednesday to President Joe Biden's push to defend voting rights against what Democrats frame as an all-out assault by conservative states targeting racial minorities.

North Korea hints at restart of nuclear, long-range missile tests

North Korea hinted Thursday it could resume nuclear and long-range weapons tests as it prepares for "confrontation" with Washington, its latest threat after a string of sanctions-busting missile launches.

Aid cuts threaten hospitals in Syria rebel enclave

The crowded hospital in Darkush in Syria's rebel-held northwest treats around 30,000 patients every month, for free -- but now foreign aid cuts are threatening its future.

Biden touts 'enormous progress' in pandemic-blighted first year

A defiant President Joe Biden acknowledged missteps over the still-raging pandemic Wednesday but hailed a year of "enormous progress" on the US economy as he took stock of his first year in office.

US stocks tumble again as oil prices reach multi-year highs

Wall Street stocks tumbled again Wednesday following a volatile session as markets grapple with the prospect of higher interest rates, while oil prices scaled new multi-year highs.

Sudan protester shot dead as US envoys visit

Sudanese security forces shot dead an anti-coup protester on Wednesday as American diplomats visited Khartoum seeking to help end a crisis which has claimed dozens of lives and derailed the country's democratic transition.

Russians pose threat to US training mission in Ukraine

The US military could be forced to withdraw American soldiers currently based in Ukraine if Russia invades the country.

Child dies crossing river between Mexico, US

The body of a child who apparently drowned trying to cross from Mexico to the United States has been pulled from the Rio Grande along the border, authorities said.

Greece takes delivery of Rafale jets from France

Greece on Wednesday received six Rafale jets from France in a multi-billion-euro arms deal which Athens and Paris claim boosts the EU's defence capabilities, but is mainly seen as countering Turkish ambitions in the Mediterranean.

Senior US diplomats in Sudan for talks on coup crisis

Senior US diplomats met with pro-democracy activists Wednesday in Sudan as part of talks to discuss the way forward after last year's military coup, Washington's embassy in Khartoum said.

Libya oil company chief appeals for state investment

The powerful head of Libya's National Oil Corporation on Wednesday decried a lack of state investment in the country's vital energy sector.

Amnesty warns over 'sportswashing' at Beijing Olympics

Amnesty International warned on Wednesday that the international community must not allow China to use the Winter Olympics in Beijing as a "sportswashing opportunity" and must avoid being "complicit in a propaganda exercise".

More protected areas won't save biodiversity, warn experts

Expanding nature preserves will not be enough to stem a rising tide of extinctions, a panel of experts warned Wednesday, taking aim at a draft treaty tasked with rescuing Earth's animal and plant life.

Russian troops leave Kazakhstan amid reported power struggle

Russian soldiers completed their draw down from Kazakhstan, the defence ministry said Wednesday, as the Central Asian country lifted a state of emergency imposed after unprecedented unrest and signs of a power struggle.

Belgian court jails trafficker over migrant lorry deaths

A Belgian court sentenced a Vietnamese man to 15 years in prison on Wednesday after convicting him of being the ringleader in the trafficking of 39 migrants found dead in a lorry.

Israel probes alleged Pegasus use to spy on citizens

Israel's justice minister on Wednesday pledged a full investigation into allegations that the controversial Pegasus spyware was used on Israeli citizens, including people who led protests against former premier Benjamin Netanyahu.

Boris Johnson: Brexit hero under 'partygate' pressure

Boris Johnson has long had a socially distanced relationship with the truth, but the UK prime minister's devil-may-care insouciance was pivotal to his Conservative party's staggering election win in 2019.

Japan brings back virus restrictions over Omicron surge

Japan's government approved new coronavirus restrictions on a large part of the country, including Tokyo, on Wednesday as it battles record infections fuelled by the Omicron variant.

Taliban PM calls for Muslim nations to recognise Afghan government

The Taliban's prime minister called Wednesday on Muslim nations to be the first to officially recognise their government, as aid-dependent Afghanistan faces economic collapse.

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