Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Friday promised a historic buildup of America’s already vast military, but said he hoped he would never need to use it. We are “putting in a massive budget request for our beloved military and we will be substantially upgrading all …
Read More »Combative Trump promises Americans safety and strength
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump promised Friday to keep America safe from foreign “terrorists” with beefed up borders and a massive military buildup, in a staunchly nationalistic address to conservative supporters. “The era of empty talk is over. It’s over. Now is the time for action,” …
Read More »White House accused of picking media favorites
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump’s White House barred several major US media outlets from a daily press briefing Friday, raising accusations of favoritism. The White House excluded some outlets that have provided critical coverage like CNN and the New York Times from an off-camera event that …
Read More »In name at least, ISIL is defeated
Washington, United States | AFP | ISIL is no more. At least, that’s the case in the hallways of the Pentagon, where military officials have done an about-face and started calling the Islamic State group ISIS, not ISIL. The latter acronym, standing for Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, …
Read More »US promises no mass deportations in bid to calm Mexico
Mexico City, Mexico | AFP | US officials promised Mexico no “mass deportations” or use of military force to expel immigrants, moving to calm tensions over President Donald Trump’s vow to crack down on “bad dudes” illegally residing in his country. US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Secretary of …
Read More »First drug-resistant malaria parasite detected in Africa
Miami, United States | AFP | For the first time in Africa, researchers said Wednesday they have detected a malaria parasite that is partially resistant to the top anti-malaria drug, artemisinin, raising concern about efforts to fight a disease that sickens hundreds of millions of people each year. The discovery …
Read More »US Supreme Court blocks death sentence over racial bias
Washington, United States | AFP | The US Supreme Court on Wednesday offered at least a temporary reprieve to a Texas death row inmate, agreeing that racial bias affected his sentence after a psychologist testified he was more likely to commit future crimes because he is black. The guilt of …
Read More »The Trump effect? Sweden reflects on its integration policy
Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | Donald Trump’s controversial statements linking immigration and crime in Sweden, a country idealised by some for its liberal values, have sparked the nation to weigh the successes and failures of its integration policy. Two days after the US president’s baffling remarks on Saturday in Florida, …
Read More »Jay Z the first rapper named to Songwriters Hall of Fame
New York, United States | AFP | Hip-hop icon Jay Z is the first rapper chosen for the Songwriters Hall of Fame, heading a class of inductees that also features Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and R&B crooner Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, the group said Wednesday. The 47-year-old Jay Z, who …
Read More »EU profits as Trump turns away from trade
Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | The United States’ new hostility to free trade deals under President Donald Trump is benefiting the European Union, the bloc’s top trade official said Tuesday. After Trump’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal in late January, “many countries are now turning to …
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