Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump pitched a new concept to his supporters Wednesday for the wall he intends to erect on the Mexican border: cover it with solar panels — and use the energy to cover construction costs. “Yes, we will build a wall,” he …
Read More »Embattled Uber CEO Kalanick steps down
New York, United States | AFP | Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick has stepped down from his job after a shareholder revolt made it untenable for him to stay, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. Kalanick had already been on a leave of absence aimed at restoring confidence in …
Read More »Republican wins Georgia election, blow to anti-Trump effort
Washington, United States | AFP | Republican Karen Handel won a high-stakes, closely-watched special congressional election Tuesday, salvaging a seat in traditional conservative Georgia where Democrats had hoped to strike a blow against Donald Trump’s presidency. Handel, an establishment Republican and former state secretary of state, defeated Democratic challenger …
Read More »UN chief Guterres to lobby US Congress to save funding
United Nations, United States | AFP | Drastic cuts in US funding to the United Nations would create an insoluble problem for the world body, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday as he announced plans to lobby US lawmakers to reject the cutbacks. Guterres will travel to Washington next week …
Read More »Republican holds lead in Georgia race seen as Trump referendum
Washington, United States | AFP | Early results trickled in for Tuesday’s closely-watched election in Georgia, the most expensive congressional race ever, with the Republican narrowly leading a contest that Democrats have painted as a referendum on Donald Trump’s scandal-plagued presidency. The $60-million special election has been a nailbiter between …
Read More »He speaks! Top White House aide Kushner gives rare remarks
Washington, United States | AFP | Top White House aide — and presidential son-in-law — Jared Kushner is among the most powerful men in America, but few have heard him speak, until now. His voice is common enough to those working in and around the White House, but Kushner on …
Read More »US student evacuated from N. Korea has died
Chicago, United States | AFP | Otto Warmbier, the US student released by North Korea in a coma last week after more than a year in detention, has died, his family said Monday. The 22-year-old, who had suffered severe brain damage, was medically evacuated to the United States on June …
Read More »Havana will ‘never negotiate under pressure’
Vienna, Austria | AFP | Cuba will “never negotiate under pressure,” Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Monday, responding to a toughening of the US line on links with his country. “We will never negotiate under pressure or threat…,” he told reporters in Vienna during a visit to Austria. “Cuba will …
Read More »Pop superstar Beyonce gives birth to twins
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Pop diva Beyonce and her rap mogul husband Jay-Z have welcomed twins, according to multiple US media reports, with two new members joining music’s royal family that already includes five-year-old Blue Ivy. News that the songstress had given birth, which was first reported …
Read More »US judge declares mistrial in Cosby sex assault case
US judge declares mistrial in Cosby sex assault case Norristown, United States | AFP | A US judge declared a mistrial Saturday in Bill Cosby’s sexual assault case with the jury deadlocked on whether the disgraced star drugged and molested a woman in 2004, as prosecutors vowed to seek a retrial. …
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