Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Hundreds of people marched Sunday in Hollywood, joining a growing movement against sexual harassment and abuse that emerged after movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and later a string of film personalities faced accusations of misconduct. Demonstrators gathered at the iconic Dolby Theatre in Hollywood — …
Read More »Trump backs US spies on Russia meddling, but slams Putin ‘haters’
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Donald Trump said Sunday he backed the US intelligence agencies which concluded that Russia meddled in the 2016 US presidential election, but slammed “fools” who oppose better ties with Moscow. Key former Trump aides are under US investigation for possible collaboration with the Kremlin, and …
Read More »Three US strikes in Somalia kill ‘several’ militants
Washington, United States | AFP | US forces have carried out three strikes in the past two days in Somalia against both the Al-Qaeda affiliated Shabaab group and Islamic State group jihadists, killing several, the military announced Sunday. The first operation, launched Saturday at 1330 GMT, took place near …
Read More »Trump, Putin agree ‘no military solution’ in Syria
Danang, Vietnam | AFP | The United States and Russia issued a presidential joint statement saying there was “no military solution” to the war in Syria after their leaders met briefly on the sidelines of a regional summit in Vietnam. There had been mixed messages for days from both Moscow and …
Read More »Uber loses employment rights case in Britain
London, United Kingdom | AFP | US ride-hailing company Uber on Friday lost its appeal against a landmark court ruling in Britain that would give drivers the right to paid holidays and the national minimum wage. The London employment tribunal upheld an October 2016 judgment in a case that is …
Read More »Under-fire US comic admits to sexual misconduct
New York, United States | AFP | A US comedian on Friday admitted sexual misconduct and expressed remorse after being accused of masturbating in front of women, a rare statement of contrition in the midst of Hollywood’s burgeoning sexual harassment scandal. Father of two Louis C.K. released the statement to …
Read More »US Senate candidate accused of sexual contact with minor in 1979: report
Washington, United States | AFP | The Republican candidate for a vacant US Senate seat initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl when he was practicing law, the victim, now a grown woman, said in an explosive report Thursday. Candidate Roy Moore of Alabama was facing calls to step …
Read More »Zimbabwe frees US journalist jailed on subversion charges
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe freed on Thursday a 25-year-old American journalist charged with subverting President Robert Mugabe on account of an alleged tweet that described the ageing leader as “selfish and sick”. Martha O’Donovan had been charged with attempting to overthrow Mugabe as well as undermining or insulting the …
Read More »No decision on Trump, Putin meeting: Tillerson
Beijing, China | AFP | Russia and the US disagreed on Thursday over whether US President Donald Trump plans to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at an Asia-Pacific summit in Vietnam. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told Russian news agencies that the meeting “will be on November 10,” with the exact …
Read More »China signs $37 billion deal to buy 300 Boeing planes
Beijing, China | AFP | China signed an agreement Thursday to buy 300 airplanes from US aerospace giant Boeing valued over $37 billion, as part of a multi-billion dollar raft of deals announced during President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing. The agreement for China Aviation Suppliers Holding Co (CASC) to buy …
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