
AFP
18575 articles published since 08 Mar 2022
18575 articles published since 08 Mar 2022
Russia's central bank chief called Thursday for Russia to be an "open economy" despite the barrage of Western sanctions and trading restrictions it has been hit with over its Ukraine offensive. At a panel discussion on Thursday, Nabiullina said Russia must prioritise "ensuring the openness of our economy."
Switzerland's largest wind farm, sitting astride the ridge of the Jura mountains by the French border, consists of only 16 turbines -- tiny compared to those of other European countries. Switzerland's largest party, the hard right Swiss People's Party (SVP), has also backed the vote, warning that implementing the law could threaten Swiss energy security.
More money is pouring into solar power than all other electricity sources combined, with investments set to reach half a trillion dollars this year, the world's top energy research body said Thursday. Combined investment in renewables and nuclear for electricity generation is now set to reach 10 times the amount going to fossil-fuel power, led by solar, with China investing the biggest share.
Sam Thorne guides Harry Potter fans through the gothic streets of Edinburgh, where controversial author JK Rowling dreamt up the boy wizard more than three decades ago. Thorne's popular guided walk ends on the colourful Instagram-friendly Victoria Street... in front of two heaving Potter merchandise shops thronged by muggles, or non-wizards.
The European Central Bank is expected to start cutting interest rates from record highs Thursday, its first reduction in nearly five years, but volatile inflation means the path ahead is uncertain. The central bank will also release its own updated forecasts for growth and inflation on Thursday, which will feed into rate-setters' debate about their next move.
Asian markets extended a surge on Wall Street Thursday as another round of soft US jobs data ramped up bets on the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates this year. "The 'dots' are likely to cluster around one or two interest rate cuts this year," Capital Economics' Stephen Brown said.
As night falls in Chile's Atacama desert, the world's driest, a drilling machine extracts brine to measure levels of lithium -- a crucial mineral for the global switch to cleaner energy, but harmful in its own way. Chile is seeking to retake its position as the world's top lithium producer, but environmentalists fear extraction in the Atacama desert will harm fragile ecosystems there.
In an electoral system in which money is the ultimate kingmaker, Donald Trump has been courting the country's billionaires -- and they have their checkbooks ready. On November 5, voters -- perhaps influenced by ads paid for with millions of dollars of billionaire money -- will have the final say. rle/sst/st
Starship, SpaceX's massive prototype rocket that may one day send humans to Mars, is poised for its next flight on Thursday. Its Falcon 9 rockets have come to be workhorses for NASA and the commercial sector, its Dragon capsule sends astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station, and its Starlink internet satellite constellation now covers dozens of countries.
AFP
Load more