Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | US Vice President Mike Pence pledged to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem by the end of 2019 on Monday in a speech to Israel’s parliament that saw Arab lawmakers expelled after they shouted in protest. As Pence spoke, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas arrived …
Read More »Macron hosts 140 CEOs in pre-Davos charm offensive
Paris, France | AFP | President Emmanuel Macron’s campaign for a “French Renaissance” kicks into overdrive Monday as he welcomes 140 multinational business leaders before this week’s jamboree of the rich and powerful in Davos. The business-friendly president will host executives at the grand Versailles chateau near Paris for an …
Read More »US shutdown extended as crunch vote delayed
Washington, United States | AFP | US lawmakers failed to reach an agreement Sunday on ending a government shutdown before the start of the working week as they postponed a crunch vote in the Senate despite marathon negotiations. Although leaders of President Donald Trump’s Republican party and the opposition Democrats …
Read More »Jamaica declares emergency over parts of island as gun crime soars
Montego Bay, Jamaica | AFP | Jamaica has declared a state of emergency in the island’s second city Montego Bay, where authorities are battling to stem a wave of killings. Tourists have been urged to remain in their resorts following the declaration by Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Thursday, resulting …
Read More »China’s waste import ban upends global recycling industry
Beijing, China | AFP | For years China was the world’s top destination for recyclable trash, but a ban on certain imports has left nations scrambling to find new dumping grounds for growing piles of garbage. The decision was announced in July and came into force on January 1, giving companies …
Read More »Millionaire buys anti-Trump book for every member of Congress
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Democratic mega-donor and billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer has bought every member of Congress a copy of Michael Wolff’s controversial book `Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House’. The book portrays Trump as a Republican candidate who did not actually expect to win the presidency …
Read More »Blame game as Congress struggles to end US govt shutdown
Washington, United States | AFP | With the US government in shutdown, the Senate convened a rare emergency session Saturday to negotiate a way out of a crisis that has marred the anniversary of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration. Hours after a marathon session Friday failed to produce agreement on a …
Read More »Man charged in France for planning terror attack: sources
Paris, France | AFP | French authorities on Saturday charged a 33-year-old man, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a video, with planning a terror attack, judicial sources said. The man, who was not known to police, was arrested near the southern city of Nimes on Tuesday. …
Read More »Facebook to let users rank ‘trust’ in news sources
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook announced Friday it will ask its two billion users to rank their trust in news sources, in its latest attempt to combat the spread of misinformation on the social network. The change comes as the online giant seeks to address charges that …
Read More »Twitter says Russia-linked accounts more widespread
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Twitter on Friday said the number of Russia-linked accounts firing off tweets evidently aimed at the US election in 2016 was more widespread than initially determined. The social media company found, and shuttered, an additional 1,062 accounts associated with the Internet Research Agency, …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price