Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed what he said would be a “new era” in ties with “great power” Brazil ahead of meeting Friday with the Latin America’s country’s incoming far-right leader, Jair Bolsonaro. Netanyahu also stressed that he would press Bolsonaro on …
Read More »Trump threatens to ‘entirely’ close US-Mexico border unless wall demands met
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to “entirely” close the southern US border with Mexico if lawmakers refuse his demands to fund a wall. “We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the …
Read More »Tighter EU terrorism tracking measures take effect
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Tighter measures to fight crime and terrorism in the European Union took effect on Friday as the 28-nation bloc seeks to improve security by sharing information more efficiently. New rules that strengthen the Schengen Information System (SIS) should help border guards and law enforcement agencies, …
Read More »Sarri wants Hazard saga resolved
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri says the time has come for star playmaker Eden Hazard to make up his mind as to whether he will sign a new contract. The 27-year-old Belgian — who has been at Chelsea since 2012 — is a target for …
Read More »Egypt jails woman for 3 years for ‘harassing’ monkey
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | An Egyptian court has sentenced a 25-year-old woman to three years in prison for “sexually harassing” a monkey in the country’s north, state daily Al-Ahram reported Friday. A court in Mansoura city charged Basma Ahmed with “inciting debauchery” and “committing an obscene act in public”, …
Read More »Sudan police fire tear gas as new protests erupt
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese police fired tear gas at hundreds of worshippers who staged demonstrations after Friday prayers in several cities, including Khartoum, as opposition groups urged more anti-government protests. Angry crowds have taken to the streets in Khartoum and other cities since December 19 after a government …
Read More »French ‘yellow vest’ protests planned for Saturday, New Year’s Eve
Paris, France | AFP | The “yellow vest” anti-government protests that have rocked France will be held on Saturday and New Year’s Eve, and continue into 2019, several sources in the movement said Thursday. “The yellow vests are still mobilised,” said Laetitia Dewalle, one spokeswoman of the protest movement which …
Read More »US government shutdown extends into next week
Washington, United States | AFP | The US government partial shutdown was set to stretch deep into next week after legislators failed Thursday to make a breakthrough in the row over President Donald Trump’s demand for a US-Mexico border wall. After convening for just a few minutes following the official …
Read More »DR Congo: Key dates since independence
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Key dates in the post-independence history of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where presidential elections will be held on Sunday: – End of Belgian rule – On June 30, 1960, the Belgian Congo becomes independent. Power is shared between Joseph Kasa-Vubu, the president, and …
Read More »DR Congo: Giant weakened by violence and poverty
Paris, France | AFP | Africa’s second largest country, the Democratic Republic of Congo is rich in raw materials and minerals but cursed by deadly violence, insurgencies, graft and poverty. After repeated delays, presidential elections are due to be held on Sunday, although electoral authorities have postponed the vote until …
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