Washington, United States | AFP | A Libyan militant accused of leading the September 11, 2012 attack on an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi that left the US ambassador and three others dead goes on trial Monday. Ahmed Abu Khattala is charged with 18 counts of murder, supporting terrorists and related …
Read More »Paris experiments with ‘car-free day’ across the city
Paris, France | AFP | Parisians were encouraged to roller-blade, bike or stroll through the City of Light on Sunday for a “car-free” day intended to leave the streets vacant for slower, clean forms of transport. Sunday marks the third time the French capital has experimented with a car ban, but …
Read More »Catalonia: Tearful Pique haunted by ‘worst experience’
Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Gerard Pique broke down in tears describing Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Las Palmas in an empty stadium as the “worst professional experience” of his life on a chaotic Sunday in Catalonia. At least 92 people were injured as Spanish riot police fired rubber bullets and …
Read More »Don’t bathe more than once a week says designer Westwood
Paris, France | AFP | Flamboyant fashion designer Vivienne Westwood revealed the secret of her eternal youth Saturday — only taking a bath once a week. The 76-year-old queen of punk fashion let it slip after watching her husband Andreas Kronthaler’s spectacularly idiosyncratic show at Paris Fashion Week. Asked by reporters …
Read More »Thousands march in Dublin against Irish abortion laws
Dublin, Ireland | AFP | Thousands of demonstrators marched in Dublin on Saturday in favour of liberalising Ireland’s tight abortion laws ahead of a planned referendum on the fiercely-debated issue. Protesters chanted, “My body, my choice” and waved placards reading “Not the church, not the state, women should decide their fate” …
Read More »Fear of epidemic disaster as disease stalks Rohingya camps
Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh | AFP | Rashida Begum steers clear of the water pump near the reeking latrine shared by more than 100 families in a grim corner of Bangladesh that has grown into one of the world’s largest refugee settlements in just weeks. “The pump works, but the water stinks, …
Read More »Oxford college removes Suu Kyi portrait
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The Oxford University college where Aung San Suu Kyi studied said Saturday it had taken down a portrait of the Myanmar leader, a decision that follows widespread criticism of her over the Rohingya crisis. The portrait, which was on display in the main entrance of …
Read More »US probes North Korea’s willingness to talk
Beijing, China | AFP | Washington has opened channels to North Korea to find out if the regime is ready to talk about giving up its nuclear weapons, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Saturday. Speaking after a day of talks with China’s President Xi Jinping and top diplomats, Tillerson told …
Read More »Fashion world shaken by #NoFreePhotos row
Paris, France | AFP | Photographers have risen up in revolt at the way fashion labels and influencers are using their street style images without crediting them, highlighting discontent about the “work for free” culture in the multi-billion dollar industry. More than 40 photographers who follow the fashion circuit and …
Read More »Disgraced US football star O.J. Simpson to be released from prison
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Disgraced American football star O.J. Simpson, whose racially charged 1995 murder trial riveted the nation, is expected to be released from prison as early as Monday after nine years behind bars for armed robbery. Simpson, 70, plans to relocate to Florida following his …
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