A key hurdle to Ukraine’s membership of NATO was lifted Monday as leaders of the bloc gathered for a crucial summit in Lithuania. A Western official told AFP that the allies “are set” to drop the Membership Action Plan required for Ukraine’s application to join the alliance. The breakthrough comes amid rare glimmers of disunity over […]
Tag: AFP
Posted inFamily
Montreal circus ‘not just for kids’
Trampolines and trapezes are out on the asphalt in Montreal, with colourful acrobats twirling near skyscrapers in breathtaking feats. Spellbound crowds are a July tradition with hundreds of free shows going on in the heart of the Canadian city, which sees itself as a world capital of razzle-dazzle acrobatics. The high-flying festival, known by the […]
Posted inWorld
Israel parliament to vote on controversial judicial overhaul
Israel’s parliament is to vote Monday on a bill that would limit court powers, in a new political offensive to push on with a judicial overhaul that has split the nation. The changes, proposed by the hard-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have sparked one of the country’s biggest ever protest movements since their […]
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Kerry to return to China to restore climate talks
US envoy John Kerry will travel soon to China to discuss cooperation on climate change, a US official said Friday, as the rival powers gradually resume diplomacy after high tensions. A State Department official confirmed an upcoming trip to China by the former secretary of state, his third since he took the climate position under […]
Posted inWorld
Biden goes to galvanize — and restrain — NATO on Ukraine
Joe Biden has two main jobs on Ukraine at next week’s NATO summit. But they take him in opposite directions. The US president will arrive in Lithuania late Monday on a mission to stoke NATO support for Ukraine while simultaneously pouring cold water on dreams of quickly bringing Ukraine into the alliance. It’s a balancing […]
Posted inEconomy
Canada exports fall, reversing months of trade surplus
Canada recorded its biggest trade deficit since October 2020 in May, government data showed Thursday, surprising analysts with a drop in exports of grains and energy products while imports trended up behind automobiles. The deficit stood at $3.4 billion, after two months of surpluses, the statistics institute reported on Thursday. In April, the country had […]
Posted inEconomy
Canada and Stellantis agree to resume battery plant construction
Canada has reached an agreement with carmaker Stellantis to immediately resume construction of a battery plant, ministers announced Wednesday, after the project was suspended over a subsidies disagreement. The plant in Windsor, Ontario, a $5 billion joint venture to supply EV batteries for a significant portion of the North American market, was billed by Ottawa […]
Posted inWorld
US court limits officials’ contacts with social media firms
A US federal court restricted top officials and agencies from communicating with social media companies to moderate content
Posted inWorld
Brazil court bars Bolsonaro from public office
Brazilian court bans Jair Bolsonaro from holding public office for eight years over unfounded voting claims
Posted inFamily
For kids on summer break, Canada’s poor air quality hits hard
Poor air quality is complicating what parents do with kids on summer break.