Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Rapper Kanye West was taken to a hospital in Los Angeles after his doctor called the emergency services to report he was suffering a mental breakdown, news reports said Tuesday. The musician’s personal physician Michael Farzam told police that his 39-year-old patient was …
Read More »VIDEO: Trump vows to withdraw from TPP ‘on day one’
Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump on Monday announced the United States would signal its withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal on his first day in the White House, as one of six immediate steps aimed at “putting America first.” The Republican billionaire — who for …
Read More »Trump is ‘just the president’, says defiant fugitive Snowden
Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | Former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden on Monday downplayed the importance of President-elect Donald Trump and again defended his decision to leak documents showing massive surveillance of US citizens’ communications. “Donald Trump is just the president. It’s an important position. But it’s one …
Read More »Pope gives priests permanent right to pardon abortion
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis declared Monday that all priests would have the right permanently to forgive abortion, seen as a significant outreach by the Catholic Church to women. “I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who …
Read More »Kanye scraps US tour after rant about Jay Z, Beyonce
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Rap superstar Kanye West has pulled the plug on his North American tour, organizers said Monday, two days after a rambling onstage tirade against fellow artists Jay Z and Beyonce. The “Saint Pablo Tour” was set to run through December 31 but all …
Read More »Fukushima residents urged to flee as 7.3 magnitude quake hits Japan
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | A strong 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit northeastern Japan early Tuesday, with the country’s meteorological agency issuing a tsunami warning for the region’s coast, including Fukushima prefecture, public broadcaster NHK said. A some three metre (9.9 feet) tsunami could hit the northeastern coast, the agency said, …
Read More »Leave Trump’s tweets alone, says advisor
Washington, United States | AFP | President-elect Donald Trump’s habit of firing off tweets, even at such critical times as when forming a new government, is a harmless and legitimate way to “cut through the noise,” one of his top advisors said Monday. Trump was known during the campaign for …
Read More »Britain mulls inviting Trump to meet queen
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Queen Elizabeth II could host Donald Trump within months of him becoming United States president, with the British government confirming Monday that it was considering a state visit next year. Royal officials said that the government was responsible for organising state visits, and a …
Read More »Trump cabinet list out soon
New York, United States | AFP | US President-elect Donald Trump prepared Monday to announce a new slate of cabinet picks some time soon, following a busy weekend of meetings with hopefuls at his golf club retreat outside New York. The Republican billionaire-turned-world leader heaped praise on tough-talking retired Marine …
Read More »Fears grow for Aleppo civilians as Syria regime advances
Aleppo, Syria | AFP | Syrian government forces and allied fighters advanced quickly inside rebel-held Aleppo on Monday, pressing an offensive in defiance of international concern for the fate of the city and its civilians. The recapture of the rebel-held east, which fell from government control in 2012, would be …
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