World

Worst drought in 70 yrs threatens northern Italy’s food, power

Italy is in the depths of one of its worst droughts, with the country's largest river, the Po, hitting its lowest level in 70 years, threatening crops and raising the spectre of power outages.While much of Europe has had drier-than-average conditions this year, northern Italy's Po valley is ...

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Ukraine, Moldova set to get initial EU nods on member path

The European Commission plans to recommend that Ukraine and Moldova be granted candidate status in a symbolic step forward in the lengthy process to become members of the European Union.The EU's executive arm is set to issue its opinion on Friday (June 17) and will impose conditions that the cou...

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WTO approves vaccine-patent waiver to help combat Covid pandemic

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) approved a politically important deal on Friday (June 17) to water down intellectual property restrictions for the manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines after an almost two-year effort involving scores of high-level meetings and much political arm twisting.During the ea...

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Global climate group asks investors to ‘make good’ on net zero pledges

It's time for financial institutions to "make good on their commitments" to eliminate carbon emissions from their portfolios, according to the finance industry's biggest climate coalition.The Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), which includes insurers, banks and asset ...

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Thai PM faces no-confidence vote with elections just months away

Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is facing a no-confidence vote in Parliament, with the opposition set to grill his government on a range of issues, including economic mismanagement, even as the ruling coalition grapples with internal divisions.The opposition parties submitted the no-...

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Strike, labour shortages leave European airports in chaos

The long-awaited post-lockdown travel boom is rapidly turning into a bust for holidaymakers as Europe's aviation industry struggles to overcome crippling staff shortages and labour strife, forcing airlines to cancel hundreds of flights ahead of the peak summer period.Deutsche Lufthansa AG joined...

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Turkey opposition frets over challenger to Erdogan in vote

Cracks appeared in a Turkish opposition alliance hoping to take on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in polls next year after members of the bloc had a public spat over who should be their candidate.Mr Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a member of Turkey's Alevi religious minority and head of the secular CHP par...

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Macron could lose absolute majority in Parliament vote: Poll

French President Emmanuel Macron's party and its allies could lose their outright majority in this month's legislative elections as support for a rival left-wing grouping grows, according to fresh polls published days ahead of the first round of voting.A poll by Ifop-Fiducial for LCI TV rele...

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World needs $4.5 tr a year in green investments: IMF

The world needs US$3.3 trillion (S$4.5 trillion) a year in energy-related investments through the rest of the decade if it hopes to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, according to the International Monetary Fund.The current financing effort "falls far short of what is needed", IMF Ma...

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UK’s Labour calls for probe of another party at PM Johnson’s No. 10 flat

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife should be investigated over allegations of another breach of lockdown laws that wasn't covered by last week's government report into the Partygate scandal, the main opposition Labour Party said.Labour's Deputy Leader Angela Rayner called on th...

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Sri Lanka’s opposition leader says stability requires new mandate

Sri Lanka needs a new elected government to provide policy stability as it faces its worst economic crisis in generations, according to the leader of the main opposition party."It's time for a mandate, a fresh mandate," said Mr Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya party in a ...

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As Boris faces ‘partygate’ verdict, Britain’s cost of living crisis spirals

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is readying himself for another dressing-down over illegal parties in Downing Street, amid warnings that Britain's cost of living crisis is spinning dangerously out of control.Civil servant Sue Gray is expected to publish her internal investigation into the d...

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Thailand begins to reopen bars, pubs to woo back tourists

Thailand will allow bars, pubs and karaoke clubs to reopen in some regions from next month, ending a more than a year-long shutdown, as the tourism-reliant nation targets more travellers to bolster an economic recovery amid an easing Covid-19 outbreak. Popular tourist destinations including Bangkok,...

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UN floats plan to boost renewables as climate worries mount

The United Nations chief on Wednesday launched a five-point plan to jump-start broader use of renewable energies, hoping to revive world attention on climate change as the UN’s weather agency reported that greenhouse gas concentrations, ocean heat, sea-level rise, and ocean acidification hit n...

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Yoon to support Biden’s new economy grouping

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol indicated his new government will take part in a regional economic group US President Joe Biden is expected to soon unveil, in a show of support for the US leader days before he arrives in Seoul for talks.Mr Yoon, who took office on May 10, told Parliament Monday...

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Nato expansion could finally shore up alliance’s weakest flank

Nato has long faced a complex military problem: how to best defend the Baltic states that border Russia and Belarus if ever Moscow chose to attack. President Vladimir Putin may have inadvertently forced a solution.While much of the focus of deteriorating east-west relations has been on Germany's...

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Italy seeks clarity from EU on paying for Russian gas

Italy renewed its call on the European Union to provide more detailed guidance on how natural gas buyers can pay for Russian supply without breaching sanctions.Governments across Europe want clarity from the EU on what companies can and can't do under sanctions rules to address Russia's dema...

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European gas prices surge as Russia cuts off Poland, Bulgaria

European gas prices surged on Wednesday (April 27) after Russia halted flows to Poland and Bulgaria, escalating regional tensions and delivering a warning to the continent that it is serious about cutting supplies amid a standoff over fuel payments.Gazprom suspended gas supplies to Bulgaria's Bu...

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Sri Lanka Cabinet clears proposal to limit president’s power

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Cabinet are putting in motion plans to reduce his wide-ranging powers as opponents gained momentum in their push to oust his family over mismanagement of the economy.The Cabinet late on Monday (April 25) approved a proposal by Prime Minister Mahin...

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India reiterates pitch for Tesla to make electric cars locally

India has once again called upon billionaire Elon Musk to manufacture Tesla Inc. cars locally instead of selling China-made electric vehicles (EVs) in the world's fourth-largest autos market as demand for clean transport surges."If Elon Musk is ready to manufacture Tesla in India, then ther...