Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spanish authorities said Wednesday they had transferred migrants being controversially accommodated at a jail just two weeks after an Algerian man was found hanging in his cell in an apparent suicide contested by his brother. The lawyer for the victim’s family said some of the migrants …
Read More »#MeToo: US Democratic lawmakers urge wearing black to Trump speech
Washington, United States | AFP | Several Democratic US congresswomen will wear black to President Donald Trump’s upcoming State of the Union Address in solidarity with the “MeToo” movement opposing sexual harassment, a female lawmaker said Wednesday. Democrat Jackie Speier tweeted that she and other Democratic women in the House of …
Read More »World Bank upgrades global growth forecasts as recovery strengthens
Washington, United States | AFP | For the first time in many years, the World Bank’s outlook for the global economy is better than expected rather than worse, with all regions seeing improved growth, according to its latest forecast released Tuesday. However, the bank warns that countries must make investments to …
Read More »US: Olympics may show North Korea what it’s missing
Washington, United States | AFP | Washington welcomed North Korea’s invitation to South Korea’s Winter Games on Tuesday, suggesting the outing could show Pyongyang what awaits if it agrees to give up nuclear weapons. The long-standing Korean rivals agreed that Pyongyang’s delegation could head south for next month’s Olympics a formal …
Read More »Trump on Oprah: She won’t run in 2020 but I’d win anyway
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump weighed in Tuesday on fevered speculation about a potential 2020 White House bid by Oprah Winfrey, saying she probably would not run against him, but if she did, he would win. “I’ll beat Oprah,” Trump said of the Oscar-nominated actress and …
Read More »Migration to dominate southern EU meet in Rome
Rome, Italy | AFP | The heads of seven southern European states gather in Rome on Wednesday to tackle one of the stubbornest thorns in the EU’s side: flows of migrants from war-torn and impoverished countries. The leaders of Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain will meet in the …
Read More »US judge blocks Trump move rescinding immigrant program
San Francisco, United States | AFP | A US judge on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from ending an Obama-era program that provided legal status to young immigrants who entered the country illegally as children. San Francisco-based Judge William Alsup issued his 49-page ruling Tuesday evening, ordering the administration to …
Read More »S. Korea’s Moon willing to hold summit with Kim Jong-Un
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | South Korean President Moon Jae-In said Wednesday he would be willing to sit down with the nuclear-armed North’s leader Kim Jong-Un, as the international community welcomed an agreement for Pyongyang to send its athletes to the Winter Olympics in the South. The Games in Pyeongchang …
Read More »Snow traps 13,000 tourists at Swiss Alpine resort Zermatt
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Heavy snowfall has trapped some 13,000 tourists at Zermatt, one of Switzerland’s most popular ski stations, the Alpine resort said Tuesday. The snow has blocked all roads and the train leading to the resort in the southern Swiss canton of Valais, which was also hit by …
Read More »North Korea to attend Olympics in rival South
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea will send its athletes to the Winter Olympics in the South, the rivals said Tuesday after their first formal talks in more than two years following high tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme. The two sides also decided to hold military talks to …
Read More »