New York, United States | AFP | What if speculation proves correct and Donald Trump decides against settling in Washington and maintains his principal residence in New York? That’s the question the city’s mayor Bill de Blasio raised on Friday. Since his election last week, the real estate billionaire — …
Read More »Tintin drawing sells for record 1.55 mn euros in Paris
Paris, France | AFP | An original drawing from “Explorers on the Moon”, widely regarded as one of the two best Tintin adventures, sold for a record 1.55 million euros at a Paris auction on Saturday, auction house Artcurial announced. The 50 cm X 35 cm drawing in Chinese ink …
Read More »Climate science: Bad news gets worse
Marrakesh, Morocco | AFP | Diplomats from 197 nations wound down a two-week UN conference Friday which started drafting a blueprint for arresting global warming “well below” two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels. A rash of recent climate studies have highlighted the stakes. Record temperatures Earth is on …
Read More »Fiji to US on climate: ‘Save us’ as you did in WWII
Marrakesh, Morocco | AFP | Fiji urged the United States Friday to “save” the world from climate change as it had helped to win World War II. “We in the Pacific, in common with the whole world, look to America for its leadership and for its engagement and assistance on …
Read More »Protests as Philippine dictator Marcos given hero’s burial
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Ex-Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos was buried in a secretive ceremony at the national heroes’ cemetery Friday, triggering street protests as opponents denounced what they said was the whitewashing of his brutal and corrupt rule. The burial at the “Cemetery of Heroes” was another stunning development …
Read More »NY Times sees rise in subscriptions after election
Washington, United States | AFP | The New York Times reported a spike in subscriptions since the November 8 election, despite being called “fools” by president-elect Donald Trump for its coverage. The newspaper said in a statement Thursday it saw a net increase of 41,000 paid subscriptions in the week …
Read More »Trump picks hardliner Jeff for AG, Pompeo for CIA job
Washington, United States | AFP | President-elect Donald Trump tapped arch-conservative US Senator Jeff Sessions to be attorney general and hawkish congressman Mike Pompeo, a strident opponent of the Iran nuclear deal, as his CIA director, Trump’s transition team announced Friday. The incoming commander in chief also appointed retired lieutenant …
Read More »Japan PM confident in Trump’s diplomacy debut
New York, United States | AFP | Japan’s prime minister voiced confidence Thursday about Donald Trump as he became the first foreign leader to meet the US president-elect, who was narrowing in on cabinet choices. Trump, who has been receiving a flurry of Republican operatives at his Manhattan skyscraper since …
Read More »CEO of US cybersecurity firm resigns after Trump threat
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | The CEO of a cybersecurity firm in San Diego has resigned after posting on his now-deleted Facebook page threatening comments about President-elect Donald Trump. Matt Harrigan, who founded PacketSled, stepped down on Tuesday after his online postings prompted a backlash and calls for …
Read More »India eases cash rules for weddings
New Delhi, India | AFP | India announced new measures Thursday to allow farmers and marrying couples to withdraw more money from banks, as frustration mounted over a cash crisis triggered by the withdrawal of all high-value notes. The shock move last week, which saw 85 percent of the cash …
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