Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis said Sunday he was late to his weekly Angelus prayer because he had been stuck in a Vatican elevator and had to be freed by firemen. He followed the tale of his rescue with a surprise announcement about the creation …
Read More »Bahamas braces as monster Hurricane Dorian heads for US mainland
Miami, United States | AFP | Hurricane Dorian roared Sunday towards the Bahamas as the island chain braced for a devastating direct hit, before the monster storm churns up the US coast from Florida towards the Carolinas. Barreling in from the Atlantic Ocean, the core of the extremely dangerous Category 4 …
Read More »Trump moves ahead with new tariffs on Chinese products
Washington, United States | AFP | Washington moved ahead Sunday with new tariffs on Chinese imports as it stepped up a high-pressure campaign aimed at coercing Beijing to sign a new trade deal even amid fears of a further slowing of US and world growth. The additional 15 percent tariffs, affecting …
Read More »Britons protest Johnson’s Brexit ‘coup’ move
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Protesters wielding pro-democracy placards and EU flags rallied on Saturday in dozens of British cities against Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s controversial move to suspend parliament just weeks before Brexit. In the biggest demonstration, thousands of whistle-blowing, drum-banging people gathered raucously outside the gates of Downing …
Read More »UN chief Guterres arrives in Ebola-hit DR Congo
Goma, DR Congo | AFP | UN chief Antonio Guterres started a three-day tour of the Democratic Republic of Congo Saturday, expressing “solidarity” with a region ravaged by violence and an Ebola epidemic. The secretary general first visited Goma, the capital of North Kivu province which is trying to …
Read More »Bahamas, Florida in path of ‘dangerous’ Hurricane Dorian
Miami, United States | AFP | Hurricane Dorian strengthened into an “extremely dangerous” storm on Friday as it bore down on the Bahamas and the east coast of the US state of Florida. Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis urged residents of the Atlantic Ocean archipelago in the path of the “very …
Read More »Magnet fishing: The explosive hobby cleaning up French rivers
Lacroix-Saint-Ouen, France | AFP | Equipped with powerful magnets, history enthusiasts and environmentalists scour France’s rivers, pulling out bits of scrap metal, bikes, scooters and the odd kitchen appliance. Sometimes, too, they fish other more unexpected objects out of the water, such as unexploded munitions. Magnet fishing has fast become a …
Read More »New Huawei handset to launch without Google apps
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Huawei’s upcoming flagship Mate 30 smartphone will launch next month without key Google apps, creating a disadvantage for the Chinese tech giant hit by US sanctions. A Google spokesperson confirmed Thursday that the California firm won’t be able to deliver licensed applications such as Gmail, Maps and YouTube …
Read More »Johnson steps up Brexit talks with EU as faces legal challenges
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he wants to “step up the tempo” in talks with the European Union to strike a new Brexit deal before the October 31 deadline. The comments came ahead of a court ruling Friday that could block Johnson’s suspension of parliament …
Read More »Trump cancels Poland visit as hurricane heads for Florida
Miami, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump canceled a trip to Poland as Hurricane Dorian headed towards Florida, strengthening on Thursday to a Category 2 storm. Trump, who had been scheduled to attend World War II anniversary commemorations this weekend, said he would focus instead on preparations for …
Read More »