London, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy underwent knee surgery on Wednesday, the Premier League champions announced. The 24-year-old was operated on after pulling out of the France squad for Friday’s Nations League game with the Netherlands. A statement from City read: “Manchester City can confirm …
Read More »Uruguay’s Torreira ready for Brazil showdown
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira has warned Brazil that his side plan to build on their impressive World Cup campaign by claiming a famous win against their South American rivals on Friday. Brazil are unbeaten in their last nine meetings with Uruguay, who haven’t beaten …
Read More »Waste not: South Africa makes world’s first human urine brick
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | One day, when nature calls, your urine could be put to better use than to be flushed down the loo. Instead it could be a key ingredient in the construction of a greener office or new home. In one of the latest innovations …
Read More »African leaders meet for ‘last push’ on AU reforms
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | African leaders are set to gather this weekend for a special summit aimed at pushing through long-debated reforms to their pan-continental body. The changes seek to streamline and empower the African Union — an ambitious call for an organisation often seen as toothless and …
Read More »Ohio family arrested for killing eight people
Chicago, United States | AFP | Police in the US state of Ohio arrested a husband and wife and their two sons Tuesday over the “meticulously planned” murder of eight people — seven members of the same family and a fiancee. George Wagner III, Angela Wagner and their sons George …
Read More »Trump names new US ambassador to Saudi Arabia
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Tuesday tapped John Abizaid, a top US general from the Iraq war who has studied the Middle East for years, as ambassador to Saudi Arabia amid growing friction between the longstanding allies. Abizaid is a fluent Arabic speaker of Lebanese …
Read More »Facebook shuts more accounts aimed at political meddling
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook on Tuesday said it shut down more accounts aimed at influencing the US midterm election and that it is exploring a possible link to Russia. “As we’ve continued to investigate, we detected and removed some additional Facebook and Instagram accounts,” head of …
Read More »UN to lift sanctions on Eritrea
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council will on Wednesday vote to lift sanctions on Eritrea following a landmark peace deal with Ethiopia and a thaw with Djibouti that have buoyed hopes for positive change in the Horn of Africa. Diplomats say they expect the council …
Read More »Melania Trump calls for firing of national security aide
Washington, United States | AFP | US First Lady Melania Trump on Tuesday publicly pushed for the dismissal of deputy national security advisor Mira Ricardel — a rare criticism of a senior administration official by the president’s wife. The rebuke — via a brief statement from the first lady’s spokeswoman …
Read More »NASA wants people on Mars within 25 years
Washington, United States | AFP | Deadly radiation from the cosmos, potential vision loss, and atrophying bones are just some of the challenges scientists must overcome before any future astronaut can set foot on Mars, experts and top NASA officials said Tuesday. The US space agency believes it can put …
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