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How India’s scandal-hit Adani Group hushes critics


New Delhi (AFP) – The muted coverage on Gautam Adani following the Hindenburg report that accused the tycoon of fraud has unravelled the nexus between big business and politics that dictates Indian newsrooms, journalists and commentators say. The US-based short seller, Hindenburg Research, in late January accused Adani group of engaging in “brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud”, plummeting the fortunes of the port-to-energy multinational conglomerate by $120 billion and pushing Adani to the 17th spot from the world’s third richest person.

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Belgium’s Binche carnival kicks off with flying oranges


Binche (Belgium) (AFP) – The carnival of Binche marks its first return after the Coronavirus pandemic with its main parade stars, the Gilles, wearing large hats made of ostrich feathers, and throwing oranges to the spectators. Several tens of thousands of people attend this event, which historians believe dates back to the 14th century.

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Thailand taps into sustainable rubber industry


Surat Thani (Thailand) (AFP) – As the world’s largest producer of natural rubber, Thailand supplies almost 40 percent of global stocks of rubber in 2021. But the industry boom roughly a decade ago also comes with massive deforestation, plummeting biodiversity and soaring soil erosion. Thailand is working with its farmers to reward sustainable practices for the country’s rubber industry.

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Attorney for Garcia Luna ‘extremely disappointed’ with verdict


New York (AFP) – “We are extremely disappointed in today’s verdict,” Cesar de Castro, the attorney for Genaro Garcia Luna, tells reporters after his client, a once-powerful Mexican government minister, was convicted of narcotics smuggling charges by a US jury.

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Russian invasion of Ukraine a ‘strategic failure’: US’s Blinken


Athens (AFP) – At a meeting with Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calls Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “strategic failure” as Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to “systematically” continue the offensive that began almost a year ago. “One year after President Putin attacked Ukraine, It’s clear that his war has been a strategic failure in every way,” Blinken says in Athens at the close of a five-day trip to the region.

©AFP

US President Biden lands in Warsaw after surprise visit to Kyiv


Warsaw (AFP) – US President Joe Biden arrives at the airport of Poland’s capital Warsaw. He is met by a Polish delegation as well as the US ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski. Biden gets in a vehicle where he will be taken to his hotel in downtown Warsaw by motorcade.

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‘Panic and fear’ in Syria after new quake


Azaz (Syria) (AFP) – “We’re afraid of ending up under the rubble like other people,” says Khadija al-Khalaf as she sits on the street alongside her children after running out of their home. A 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocked northen Syria and neighbouring Turkey on Monday, two weeks after a devastating earthquake left nearly 45,000 dead across both countries.

©AFP

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