Paris, France | AFP | Roman Polanski, whose new film on the persecution of the French Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus is premiering at the Venice Film Festival, is still dogged by a rape case that continues to polarise opinion. Here is a recap of the four-decade affair: – March, 1977 …
Read More »Four European states lose measles eradication status as cases soar: WHO
Copenhagen, Denmark | AFP | Measles cases are skyrocketing in Europe and the disease is surging in four countries previously considered to have eliminated it, including the UK, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday, urging countries to step up vaccination efforts. “Re-establishment of measles transmission is concerning. If high immunisation …
Read More »In first press brief, Pentagon chief aims to keep Trump happy
Washington, United States | AFP | New US Defense Secretary Mark Esper picked his way through a political minefield in his first public meeting with the media Wednesday, skirting anything that could irritate his irascible boss President Donald Trump. Just hours after predecessor James Mattis wrote that Trump’s policies toward US …
Read More »Red, red wine… ‘good for digestive system’
Washington, United States | AFP | Time to raise a glass to your gut health? Scientists at King’s College London have found that red wine drinkers have a greater diversity of bacteria in their digestive tracts, a marker of gastrointestinal health, than those who drink other alcohol. Their paper, published …
Read More »CRISIS: UK petition against suspending parliament passes 1 million signatures
London, United Kingdom | AFP | An online petition opposing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s move Wednesday to suspend parliament weeks before Brexit garnered more than one million signatures within a few hours. The over a million signed on the petition stating that, “Do not prorogue Parliament. Parliament must not …
Read More »BREXIT: UK PM sparks outrage with parliament suspension
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday announced the suspension of parliament in the final weeks before Britain’s EU departure date, enraging anti-Brexit MPs. The pound slid on the surprise news, which opponents branded a “coup” and a “declaration of war”, although US President Donald …
Read More »Trump in Warsaw, 80 years after WWII outbreak
Warsaw, Poland | AFP | US President Donald Trump, fresh from hob-nobbing with his G7 partners at a glitzy French resort town, will on Sunday attend sombre commemorations in Warsaw of the outbreak of World War II 80 years ago. Trump will be the first US head of state to come …
Read More »Could Trump gamble big on Iran? Skepticism reigns
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump is not afraid of surprises but could he take one of the biggest shifts of all in his foreign policy — easing sanctions on Iran? Washington is widely skeptical that Trump will shift course on Iran, with his hawkish advisors long …
Read More »UK’s Johnson urged to embrace no-deal Brexit
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson Tuesday to lead Britain out of the EU without a divorce deal, and threatened otherwise to fight his Conservative party “in every seat”. “Given where we are, no deal is the best deal,” Farage told …
Read More »Tamer Trump on show at G7, but brash US leader never far
Biarritz, France | AFP | Like Superman disguised as the mild-mannered Clark Kent, Donald Trump showed his tamer side at the G7 — but the maverick showman expected by the world didn’t take long to burst back out. Before the summit in France’s Biarritz, speculation was rife over how Trump might …
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