Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Los Angeles auxiliary bishop Alexander Salazar over his “misconduct” with a minor, the Vatican said Wednesday. The case is the latest in a litany of child sexual abuse scandals to have rocked the Roman Catholic Church …
Read More »Trump plans full withdrawal of US troops from Syria
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States will withdraw its troops from Syria, a US official told AFP on Wednesday, after President Donald Trump said America has “defeated ISIS” in the war-ravaged country. The move will have extraordinary geopolitical ramifications and throws into question the fate of US-backed Kurdish …
Read More »Daimler, BMW win green light for car-sharing merger
Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | German carmakers Daimler and BMW said Wednesday they had won final approval to merge their car-sharing services Car2Go and DriveNow, paving the way for the creation of a European giant to challenge the likes of Uber. In a joint statement, the companies said …
Read More »Madagascar votes in showdown between two ex-presidents
Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Madagascans voted on Wednesday in a run-off election between two rivals who have waited years to come face-to-face in a fiercely personal battle for power in the Indian Ocean island. The clash between Marc Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina could revive instability in the impoverished country …
Read More »Cuba decides to scrap same-sex marriage law in new constitution: official
Havana, Cuba | AFP | Cuba will leave out of its new constitution changes that would have paved the way for legal same-sex marriage, despite majority support in local assemblies, a government official said Tuesday. It was a surprising twist given public popular support shown nationwide — and earlier remarks …
Read More »Pennsylvania lets Uber self-driving cars back on roads
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Authorities in the US state of Pennsylvania have given Uber the green light to resume testing self-driving cars, the ride-sharing giant said Tuesday, after a fatal crash in Arizona prompted a pause. Uber said it had received authorization to put autonomous cars back …
Read More »Facebook kicks Myanmar military-linked pages off platform
Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | Facebook has removed hundreds of pages and accounts in Myanmar with hidden links to the military, the platform said Wednesday, as the company scrambles to respond to criticism over failures to control hate speech and misinformation. The social media giant — Myanmar’s most popular and …
Read More »US offers $4.5 bn investment in Central America, Mexico
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States, hoping to stem migration, said Tuesday it was ready to support $4.5 billion in investment in Central America and southern Mexico. The United States promised to back new Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s push for development in Central America, the …
Read More »IMF board approves new Ukraine loan package, releases $1.4 bn immediately
Washington, United States | AFP | The International Monetary Fund executive board on Tuesday gave final approval to a new loan package for Ukraine and released $1.4 billion for immediate use. The IMF had agreed on the $4 billion, 14-month loan in mid-October but the board was waiting for the …
Read More »At least 53 journalists killed on the job this year
New York, US | THE INDEPENDENT | At least 53 journalists were killed on the job this year, 34 of whom were targeted for murder in reprisal for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found in its annual analysis. The numbers, which represent those killed between January 1 and …
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