Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump said Monday he was apologizing on behalf of the whole country to his new conservative Supreme Court justice after one of the most contentious confirmation processes in US history. At a White House swearing-in ceremony, Trump stood next to Justice Brett …
Read More »Hunger and fighting persist despite ‘peace’ in South Sudan
Kandak, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan’s warring leaders signed another peace deal last month, but while the political elites prepare to carve up power once again, hunger and fighting continue far from the capital. “We heard they signed peace, but we’ve yet to see it here,” said Mary …
Read More »Pompeo: Sanctions to remain until N. Korea ‘final’ denuclearisation
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Sanctions on North Korea will remain in place until Pyongyang carries out “final” denuclearisation, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday. “Sanctions will remain in place until final, fully verified denuclearisation as agreed to by Chairman Kim (Jong Un) occurs,” Pompeo said, speaking in …
Read More »Twitter rooting out fake accounts at record rate: report
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Twitter has been suspending more than one million fake and dubious accounts per day, according to The Washington Post, in an aggressive bid to stem the flow of false information. The social media platform has more than doubled its crackdown rate since late …
Read More »Iran says Trump ‘destabilising’ oil market
Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iran on Saturday accused US President Donald Trump of destabilising the oil market with his flurry of tweets taking aim at the OPEC cartel. “These days… the price is dependent on the behaviour of Mr. Trump,” Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said on state television. …
Read More »Candidate AIDS vaccine passes key early test
Paris, France | AFP | The near 40-year quest for an AIDS vaccine received a hopeful boost Saturday when scientists announced that a trial drug triggered an immune response in humans and shielded monkeys from infection. Shown to be safe in humans, the candidate vaccine has now advanced to the …
Read More »Pope fears for Christian presence in Mideast
Bari, Italy | AFP | Pope Francis on Saturday voiced concern that Christians will disappear from the Middle East amid “murderous indifference” as war rages on. “The Middle East has become a land of people who leave their own lands behind,” Francis said. He was addressing the leaders of almost …
Read More »Swedish intellectuals form new literature prize in Nobel protest
Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | What do you do when this year’s Nobel Literature Prize, the world’s most prestigious accolade of its kind, is postponed because of a sexual assault scandal? You create your own award. More than 100 Swedish intellectuals have joined forces to form a new prize-giving body …
Read More »Over 100 ‘chimneys’ drilled into mountain in bid to reach trapped Thai boys
Mae Sai, Thailand | AFP | More than 100 chimneys are being drilled into the mountainside in a frantic bid to reach a Thai youth football team trapped in a cave complex below, the head of the rescue mission said Saturday. The unprecedented rescue effort is attempting to establish new …
Read More »Macron to attend World Cup semi-final, despite British boycott
Paris, France | AFP | President Emmanuel Macron will attend France’s World Cup semi-final in Russia, his office confirmed Friday, as ally Britain pursues a diplomatic boycott of the tournament over a nerve agent attack. Macron had promised to attend the match if France reached the semi-finals Tuesday in …
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