Washington, United States | AFP | A sheriff’s deputy was killed and six other people, including four deputies, were wounded Sunday in what police called a “domestic disturbance” in a residential suburb near Denver, Colorado. The lone suspect was “shot & believed to be dead” after the standoff at the …
Read More »Sydney extravaganza kicks off global New Year parties
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Hong Kong saw in 2018 in spectacular style as the southern Chinese city staged a stunning fireworks display over its famous Victoria Harbour. Thousands thronged the harbourside to see the show illuminate the famous skyline as revellers danced to Auld Lang Syne. “Shooting stars” were …
Read More »Russia’s top court upholds election ban on opposition leader
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia’s top court on Saturday rejected an appeal by opposition leader Alexei Navalny against a decision to bar him from running in the country’s 2018 presidential election. The Supreme Court agreed with Russia’s Central Election Commission that Navalny cannot register as a candidate due to …
Read More »Putin calls for ‘pragmatic cooperation’ in New Year wishes to Trump
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin called for “pragmatic cooperation” in his New Year wishes to US President Donald Trump, the Kremlin said on Saturday. In a statement on the Russian president’s New Year wishes to world leaders, the Kremlin said Putin told Trump that “a constructive …
Read More »Israel confirms withdrawal from UN cultural body
Paris, France | AFP | Israel has formally notified the UN’s culture and education body of its withdrawal from the organisation, two months after it announced it would follow the US by walking out over resolutions critical of the Jewish state. In a statement UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay said she …
Read More »Facebook, Twitter face deadline in Brexit fake news probe
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Social media giants Facebook and Twitter are facing a deadline in Britain to cooperate with an inquiry into so-called fake news in the Brexit referendum campaign, a parliamentary committee chairman said Friday. The companies have been given until January 18 to share information requested …
Read More »Grieving Afghans end deadly year with tears and funerals
Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP | Mourners on a cold, barren hill outside Kabul wept Friday as they buried loved ones killed in a suicide attack targeting Shiites, the latest victims in one of the bloodiest years in the war-torn country. At a Shiite cemetery spread over the hills dozens of …
Read More »Nine jailed in Vietnam for ‘attempt to overthrow state’
Hanoi, Vietnam | AFP | A Vietnamese court has jailed nine people for “attempting to overthrow the state”, official media reported Friday, the latest heavy sentence doled out in a harsh crackdown this year against activists in the one-party state. Communist Vietnam routinely jails its critics, but 2017 has been …
Read More »Football world celebrates Weah’s Liberia election victory
Paris, France | AFP | Former Chelsea star Didier Drogba led plaudits on Friday from the world of football to George Weah after the only African to win the Ballon d’Or was elected President of Liberia. “Congratulations Mr. George” the Ivory Coast legend posted on Twitter. “Thanks Didier for your …
Read More »US, Turkey put end to visa spat
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States and Turkey on Thursday turned the page on a visa crisis triggered nearly three months ago by the arrest of a staff member at the American mission in Ankara, but relations between the NATO allies remain tense. The two sides announced the …
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