Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dubbed the United Nations a “house of lies” on Thursday, ahead of a General Assembly vote on a resolution rejecting US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “The State of Israel rejects outright this vote, even before it passes,” he said …
Read More »US turns sanctions screw on Russia, blacklists Chechnya’s Kadyrov
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States slapped sanctions on Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov on Wednesday, accusing Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s key regional ally of personal involvement in repression, torture and murder. Kadyrov was added to the US Treasury’s blacklist along with Chechen security official Ayub Kataev and …
Read More »Trump eyes major tax reform victory in Congress
Washington, United States | AFP | The Republican-controlled US Congress was on the cusp Tuesday of passing a landmark tax overhaul, securing a legislative triumph for Donald Trump as the first year of his presidency draws to a close. The House was set to debate and vote on the contentious …
Read More »White House blames North Korea for cyberattack
Washington, United States | AFP | The White House on Tuesday publicly accused North Korea of launching a massive cyberattack that hit 150 countries last May — hobbling networks from Britain’s public health system to FedEx. “After careful investigation, the United States is publicly attributing the massive ‘WannaCry’ cyberattack to …
Read More »France orders WhatsApp to seek permission for data transfer
Paris, France | AFP | France’s data protection agency on Monday told messaging app WhatsApp it needs to obtain users’ permission to transfer some information to its parent company Facebook and gave it a month to comply. “Should WhatsApp fail to comply with the formal notice within the specified timescale” the …
Read More »US court urged to allow abortions for immigrant teens
Washington, United States | AFP | A US court on Monday heard arguments from lawyers for two pregnant teenaged immigrants who are being prevented from having abortions while in custody. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in a motion filed with the US District Court for the District of Columbia, identified …
Read More »UN to vote Monday on measure rejecting US Jerusalem decision
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a draft resolution that would reject US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, diplomats said. Egypt requested the vote Sunday, a day after it presented the measure that is likely …
Read More »US provides ARVS worth $18.7 million to Uganda
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The United States has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to improving the health of Ugandans by providing $18.7 million worth of life-saving antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to fill gaps in the country’s public sector facilities and provide broader support to her supply chain systems. At a ceremony …
Read More »Kremlin’s new cyber weapons spark fears and fantasies
Moscow, Russia | AFP | From Donald Trump’s election to Brexit and the Catalan crisis, accusations that the Kremlin is meddling in Western domestic affairs have heightened fears over Russian hackers, trolls and state-controlled media. While the first accusations against Moscow came following a 2016 hack attack on the US Democratic …
Read More »Gabon arrests dozens in knife attack that wounded two Danes
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Police in Gabon arrested dozens of people Sunday over a knife attack that wounded two Danish nationals working for National Geographic, apparently in retribution for “US attacks against Muslims,” officials said. The men detained were mostly traders and sellers in the popular market in Libreville …
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