Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Former football star George Weah promised to tackle Liberia’s economic and social problems as he was sworn in on Monday in the first democratic transfer of power for more than 70 years. Here are five things he has pledged to do since his election: – Tackle …
Read More »Ivanka Trump, Chelsea Clinton, defend Obama daughter over video
Washington, United States | AFP | Both sides of the US political divide are defending Malia Obama’s right to privacy after a video went viral showing the eldest daughter of former president Barack Obama apparently smoking. Chelsea Clinton and Ivanka Trump were among the numerous defenders of Malia, 19, on …
Read More »‘Election was designed to be rigged’: Liberian vice-president
Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberia’s Vice-President has quietly occupied the executive backseat for 12 years, but in light of electoral fraud he believes snatched away his chance at the presidency, Joseph Boakai is unleashing himself. Known as Sleepy Joe for his propensity to fall asleep at public events, the second-in-command …
Read More »Morocco court annuls ruling on paternity outside marriage
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | A Moroccan appeals court has struck down a ruling that for the first time recognised a man as the father of a child born outside of marriage. The decision by the Tangiers appeals court sparked anger among human rights activists. A lower Tangiers court had …
Read More »Today’s US teens about three years behind ’70s generation
Miami, United States | AFP | Teenagers in America today are about three years behind their counterparts from the 1970s when it comes to taking up sex, drinking alcohol and working for pay, researchers said Tuesday. The findings in the journal Child Development were based on an analysis of seven …
Read More »Family of DR Congo’s first PM robbed, daughter attacked
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The family of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s late independence hero, Patrice Lumumba, said their Kinshasa home was burgled by soldiers on Friday and his daughter Juliana attacked and injured. “Five soldiers managed to get through the barrier” at the Lumumba family residence at 1:00 …
Read More »Austrian toddler dies left in hot car
Vienna, Austria | AFP | A 19-month-old boy died in Austria after being left in a hot car by his 17-year-old mother and her boyfriend, police said Thursday. Not wanting to wake him after a long car journey, the couple left the child asleep while they want upstairs for a …
Read More »Singapore PM denies nepotism amid family feud in parliament speech
Singapore, Singapore | AFP | Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday strongly rejected as “baseless” claims from his siblings of abuse of power and nepotism as he faced parliament over a political drama that has shocked tightly-controlled Singapore. The leader was seeking to draw a line under an escalating feud …
Read More »In Africa’s fashion capital, Lagos, ‘trad is swag’
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Leggy dancers in tight shorts, bottles of Moet champagne and flashy cars feature in Nigerian pop icon Wizkid’s bling-bling music videos. But the singer himself has now swapped the Versace T-shirts and low-slung jeans that show his underwear for traditional African dress — a new …
Read More »Thai man arrested for smuggling sperm to Laos
Bangkok, Thailand | AFP | Thai authorities arrested a man trying to smuggle six vials of sperm into Laos, a customs officer said Thursday, the latest sign that a commercial surrogacy industry is growing in the opaque communist country following curbs around the region. The 25-year-old was arrested in the …
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