Prince William on Thursday defended the British royal family after his younger brother Harry and wife Meghan accused them of racism in a bombshell interview watched around the world. "We're very much not a racist family," William told reporters during a visit to a multi-racial school in a deprived area of east London. The Duke of Cambridge, son of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, added that he had yet to speak to Harry in California since the interview first aired in the United S

World News March 11, 2021

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Equities rose in Asia on Monday as investors took a breather following last week's heavy selling, with a drop in US Treasury yields giving markets some much-needed stability, while the passage of Joe Biden's stimulus through the House provided some cheer. However, observers warned that trading floors were still gripped by fears the expected global economic recovery will fuel inflation and force a hike in interest rates earlier than previously thought, removing a key pillar of

Market March 1, 2021

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) -- Prices of popular gadgets such as PlayStations and iPhones could rise because of microchip shortages caused by a "perfect storm" of coronavirus-driven demand, supply chain disruptions and trade war stockpiling, experts warn. In the months after the pandemic hit, people stuck at home went on a spending spree to buy items including extra monitors, new computers and tablets -- each of which runs on all-important chips. Compounding the crisis are US-China tensi

World Business Feb. 18, 2021

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced concern Wednesday over China's incursions into Japanese territorial waters, recommitting to the ally's defense. In a telephone call, Blinken and Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi "expressed concern over increased Chinese assertiveness around the Senkaku Islands following China's enactment of a new coast guard law," State Department spokesman Ned Price said. "Secretary Blinken reaffirmed that the Senkakus fall within the scope

World News Feb. 11, 2021

Uber on Wednesday reported another hefty loss in the final three months of 2020, though the company's food delivery operations partly offset the hit taken from the decline in ridesharing during the pandemic. Thanks to that offset, the loss of $968 million was narrowed slightly from $1.1 billion in the same period a year earlier, according to Uber. Revenue in the quarter was $3.2 billion, a 16-percent decrease from the same period a year earlier. "While 2020 certainly tested our resili

World Business Feb. 11, 2021

MOSCOW (AFP) -- Russian security services raided the homes of several Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow on Wednesday, in an ongoing crackdown on the US-based religious movement. Moscow outlawed the Jehovah's Witnesses in 2017, labelling it an extremist organisation and has since sentenced several members to lengthy jail terms. The Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said on Wednesday several  "organisers and members" had been detained. Prosecutors, the FSB security

World News Feb. 10, 2021

NEW DELHI (AFP) -- Twitter said Wednesday it had blocked some accounts in India over comments on mass farmers' protests in New Delhi, but the social media giant refused to shut down others despite the threat of criminal action by the government. Indian officials last week demanded that Twitter block hundreds of users that have tweeted on demonstrations against proposed new agriculture laws, saying they were a "grave threat to public order." Twitter initially complied by blocking a nu

World News Feb. 10, 2021

Jihyun Park shares the civic concerns of any other would-be town councilor in Britain, from local education to potholes in the roads. But she is unique in one regard: no other candidate has fled North Korea. Park is believed to be the first defector from the oppressive state to have run for office in any country, other than South Korea, after fleeing human trafficking in China and the brutal privations of a North Korean prison camp. Thirteen years after finding refuge in Britain, the 52-year-o

World News Feb. 7, 2021

The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine fails to prevent mild and moderate cases of the South African coronavirus strain, according to research reported in the Financial Times. But in its study, due to be published Monday, the pharma group said it could still have an effect on severe disease -- although there is not yet enough data to make a definitive judgement. None of the 2,000 participants in the trial developed serious symptoms, the FT said, but AstraZeneca said the sample size was too small to m

World News Feb. 7, 2021

BANGKOK (AFP) -- Teenage prodigy An Se-young pushed to victory in a tough game against former world champ Carolina Marin on Friday in badminton's World Tour Finals -- her first win over the Spaniard in Bangkok. The world’s top players have been competing in the Thai capital for three consecutive tournaments in a biosecure “bubble”, culminating in this week‘s World Tour Finals. The young South Korean had lost to reigning Olympic champion Marin during their previous two

More Sports Jan. 29, 2021

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Optimism that new vaccines will bring the pandemic under control and allow economic activity to resume coupled with stimulus in major economies has boosted the growth forecast this year to 5.5 percent, the IMF said Tuesday. “These developments indicate a stronger starting point for the 2021-22 global outlook,” the IMF said in its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO). The fund expects growth in the United States to be a full two points higher than previously proje

World News Jan. 26, 2021

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- Companies producing Covid-19 vaccines “must deliver”, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday as tensions mounted between her European Commission and pharmaceutical firms over delayed deliveries. “Europe invested billions to help develop the world's first Covid-19 vaccines,” she said in a live video address to an online-only version of the annual World Economic Forum usually held in Davos, Switzerland. “And now, the companies must deliver.

World News Jan. 26, 2021

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Antony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden's choice to be secretary of state, will vow Tuesday that the United States will "outcompete" a rising China while reviving frayed alliances, in a sea change from Donald Trump's go-it-alone "America First" approach. On the eve of Biden's inauguration, Blinken was set to say at his confirmation hearing that the United States will seek to remain the pre-eminent global power but renew cooperation on common challenges

World News Jan. 19, 2021

TOKYO (AFP) -- Support for holding the coronavirus-postponed Tokyo Olympics this summer has hit a new low in Japan, a poll found Sunday as the country battles a third wave of infections. Just over 80 percent of those asked by Kyodo news agency said the huge global event should be cancelled or postponed again -- a jump from around 60 percent in a December 6 survey by the same outlet. Kyodo said the survey asked 1,041 participants nationwide, who were selected by random dialling. Tokyo 2020 org

Olympic Games Jan. 10, 2021

BERLIN (AFP) -- The total number of Germany's coronavirus deaths crossed 40,000 on Sunday, as Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the coming weeks would be "the hardest" yet. Germany recorded 465 deaths over the past 24 hours, the Robert Koch Institute for disease control said, raising the toll since the start of the pandemic to 40,343. More than 1.9 million people have been infected so far, with almost 17,000 new cases added since Saturday. In her weekly video message on Saturday,

World News Jan. 10, 2021