Japan to deploy counter-strike missiles closer to China
Tokyo (AFP) Mar 9, 2026
Japan will deploy a batch of long-range, counter-strike missiles in a southwest region near China by the end of March, officials said Monday. ... more
NATO intercepts second Iran missile in Turkish airspace
Ankara (AFP) Mar 9, 2026
NATO said it shot down a second ballistic missile fired from Iran in Turkish airspace on Monday, prompting a stern warning from Turkey to Tehran not to take 'provocative steps'. ... more
Italy to send air-defence aid to Gulf countries; France allowing US aircraft on some Mideast bases
Rome (AFP) Mar 5, 2026
Italy will send air-defence assistance to Gulf countries hit by Iranian strikes launched in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Thursday. ... more

Japan eyes remote Pacific island for nuclear waste
Tokyo (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
Japan is looking into using a remote deserted Pacific island nearly 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) from Tokyo as a site for burying nuclear waste, officials said. ... more
US opposes UN nuclear watchdog resolution on Ukraine power grid strikes
Vienna (AFP) Mar 5, 2026
The UN nuclear watchdog's governing body passed a resolution on Thursday - overcoming US opposition - expressing concern over 'repeated and intensified attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure' posing a 'threat to nuclear safety', according to diplomatic sources. ... more
Microbes join forces to quickly clean up uranium pollution
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Nov 27, 2025
Chinese scientists have discovered a quick and effective way to remove toxic uranium from water using helpful bacteria that work together. These bacteria can change uranium from a dangerous form tha ... more

Residents warned 'crocs everywhere' after north Australia floods
Sydney (AFP) Mar 8, 2026
Police in Australia's Northern Territory warned of 'crocs everywhere' on Sunday and said they had moved more than a thousand people across the state into shelter after massive floods. ... more
Shelter rankings and shower-timing apps: Israelis, Palestinians adjust to Iranian rockets
Jerusalem (AFP) Mar 8, 2026
What is Israel's best bomb shelter? And when is the best time of day to shower without interruption from a missile alert? ... more
Children must not be 'collateral damage' in Mideast war: UN experts
Geneva (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child insisted Wednesday that children must be protected during the war in the Middle East, highlighting an alleged air strike on an Iranian school. ... more

Left, right and faithful unite to demand human control over AI
Washington, United States (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
A coalition spanning US conservative figure Steve Bannon, progressives, labor unions and faith groups announced Wednesday a joint declaration of principles on artificial intelligence, framing the effort as a pushback against what they called Silicon Valley's reckless deployment of AI. ... more
Europe should focus on industrial AI, SAP says
Walldorf, Germany (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
Europe should focus on competing in industrial AI, a top executive at German software giant SAP said, as the continent plays catch-up in the race for the cutting-edge technology against the United States and China. ... more
Questions over AI capability as tech guides Iran strikes
Paris, France (AFP) Mar 7, 2026
The latest bout of fighting between the United States, Israel and Iran has seen AI deployed as never before to sift intelligence and select targets, although the technology's use in war remains hotly debated. ... more