Brighton, United Kingdom | AFP | UK opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is a silvered-haired vegetarian cyclist who believes in “revolution” but has frustrated with his ambiguity about the biggest issue of his generation: Brexit. The 70-year-old socialist has energised leftist supporters and polarised public opinion in equal measure …
Read More »COURT: Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted unlawfully
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled “unlawful” a decision by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to suspend parliament in the run-up to Brexit, saying it was “void and of no effect”. “The court is bound to conclude… that the decision to advise Her Majesty to …
Read More »Gabon to be paid $150 million to fight deforestation
Gabon to be first African nation paid to fight deforestation Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon will become the first African country paid with international funds to preserve its forests in an effort to fight climate change, the United Nations said Sunday. Norway will provide Gabon, which is almost 90 …
Read More »Fear spreads as digital threats multiply ahead of 2020 US elections
Washington, United States | AFP | It could be a manipulated video embarrassing a candidate. Or a computer voting system locked by ransomware. Or doubts about electronic voting machines with no paper backups. As Americans prepare for 2020 elections, digital threats to election security are multiplying, stoking fears of a …
Read More »EGYPT: Anti-Sisi protests break out, several arrested
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Rare small protests broke out on Friday in Cairo and other Egyptian cities calling for the removal of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi but police quickly dispersed them, AFP journalists reported. Dozens of people joined night-time demonstrations around Tahrir Square — the epicentre of the 2011 …
Read More »The whistleblower and Trump phone call: What we know
Washington, United States | AFP | A mysterious whistleblower, a telephone call between President Donald Trump and a foreign leader, and military aid to Ukraine. Here’s what we know about the latest political firestorm swirling around Washington: – Whistleblower – On August 12, an unknown whistleblower in the US intelligence …
Read More »Indonesia moves to ban sex outside marriage
Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Indonesia is set to vote on a plan to outlaw gay and pre-marital sex while beefing up its blasphemy laws in a shakeup fuelled by religious conservatism and slammed by rights groups Thursday. The proposed criminal law overhaul could affect millions in the world’s biggest …
Read More »Zuckerberg meets US senators, rejects call to break up Facebook
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg met privately with members of Congress Thursday on a political reconnaissance mission to Washington, where he rejected calls for him to break up the world’s biggest social network. Zuckerberg’s visit with policymakers comes as Facebook faces a myriad of …
Read More »OBITUARY: Ousted Tunisian president Ben Ali dies at 83
Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Tunisia’s all-powerful leader for over two decades, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced from power and into exile by a landmark popular uprising in early 2011, sparking revolts across the Arab world. The man who once appeared in official portraits with a benevolent smile …
Read More »Trump orders increase in Iran sanctions as Germany extends Saudi arms ban
Washington, United States | AFP | Trump has ordered government to ‘substantially increase’ Iran sanctions but in Berlin, Germany has extended Saudi arms exports ban as tensions rise in the Middle East. Trump announced what he said would be substantial new sanctions against Iran in the first response to what US …
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