Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | An independent UN expert has apologised for misspeaking during a news conference in Geneva this week, correcting his claim that more than 100,000 children were being held in migration-related US detention. AFP and a range of other media outlets were forced to retract their stories after …
Read More »Democrat debate exposes divides despite united front on Trump
Atlanta, United States | AFP | Divides between Democrats vying to challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 election were laid bare in a bruising debate Wednesday, as the campaign’s rising star Pete Buttigieg acknowledged he faced challenges in attracting black voters. Buttigieg, the contest’s youngest candidate who is running in …
Read More »Top diplomat implicates Trump in explosive impeachment testimony
Washington, United States | AFP | A senior US diplomat directly implicated President Donald Trump Wednesday in a scheme to force Ukraine to probe a political rival, in bombshell testimony to a televised impeachment hearing. Gordon Sondland, the US envoy to the European Union and a Trump ally, told lawmakers he …
Read More »US authorizes ‘several’ firms to sell to Huawei amid sanctions
Washington, United States | AFP | US officials said Wednesday they have agreed to grant licenses to “several” firms to provide components to Chinese tech giant Huawei, which faces sanctions imposed over national security concerns. A Commerce Department spokesman said the agency had granted “narrow licenses to authorize limited and specific activities which do not …
Read More »Sondland: Trump never discussed Ukraine aid freeze
Washington, United States | AFP | US diplomat Gordon Sondland said Wednesday President Donald Trump never spoke to him about stalled military aid to Ukraine or any alleged link to Trump’s demands for political investigations. “I never heard from President Trump that aid was conditioned on an announcement of (the investigations),” …
Read More »Airlines’ fuel practices feed doubts over climate commitment
Paris, France | AFP | Airlines have taken steps to reduce their carbon footprints under the gaze of public opinion, but the pressure of the bottom line means some fly with extra fuel, boosting emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases. As the highly competitive air travel industry is being pushed to reduce …
Read More »Mourinho appointed Spurs boss
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Jose Mourinho was on Wednesday appointed Tottenham’s new manager to replace the sacked Mauricio Pochettino, with the club languishing 14th in the Premier League. The Portuguese former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United manager signed a contract until the end of the 2022/23 …
Read More »Boeing announces new MAX orders as grounding crisis drags on
New York, United States | AFP | Boeing’s 737 MAX got a boost Tuesday with confirmation of new orders for the still-grounded plane, but a fresh lawsuit connected to the development of the troubled aircraft poses another challenge for the company. The aviation giant, which has been in crisis mode since …
Read More »Mauricio Pochettino sacked!
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Tottenham Hotspur sacked manager Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday just five months after reaching the Champions League final following a poor start to the Premier League season. “The Club can today announce that Mauricio Pochettino and his coaching staff Jesus Perez, Miguel D’Agostino and …
Read More »China says only it can rule on Hong Kong constitution
Beijing, China | AFP | China insisted Tuesday it alone held the authority to rule on constitutional matters in Hong Kong, as it condemned a decision by the city’s high court to overturn a ban on face masks worn by pro-democracy protesters. The statement raised hackles among activists in Hong …
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