Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Friday stepped up his demands for a wall to stem illegal immigration from Mexico after an undocumented migrant was acquitted of murdering a woman in California — in a dramatic conclusion to a polarizing case. “His exoneration is a complete …
Read More »Kushner to break silence as Trump mulls Israel embassy move
Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East peace envoy Jared Kushner will make a rare public appearance on Sunday, as the president mulls whether to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. The coincidence of a policy forum, the embassy decision and an imminent trip to …
Read More »Arctic, major fishing nations agree no fishing in Arctic, for now
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Arctic and major fishing nations, including China, announced Friday that they have agreed to a moratorium on commercial fishing in Arctic waters before a fishery in the icy region is even feasible. The far north is warming at nearly twice the global average rate, causing …
Read More »Trump’s war on CNN takes on new significance in merger debate
New York, United States | AFP | The war between Donald Trump and CNN has taken a new turn with the government’s challenge to a tie-up between AT&T and the cable news channel’s parent firm Time Warner. Even as his Justice Department moved to block the deal, the president has stepped …
Read More »Five arrested over elephant killing in Sri Lanka
Colombo, Sri Lanka | AFP | Sri Lankan police have arrested five men for allegedly killing a wild elephant, with officers seizing ivory and tusk-cutting tools, officials said Friday. Villagers in the island’s northwest had alerted wildlife authorities after a popular local elephant called “Dala Poottuwa”, or crossed tusker, disappeared. Its …
Read More »‘Miracle cure’ business for HIV/AIDS thriving
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Blessing wanted to believe the advert on Facebook that promised “a cure for AIDS”. Infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), she felt the ad was her only hope — so against her better judgement, she clicked on the link. The 30-year-old Nigerian had created …
Read More »PrEP: A shield against AIDS
Paris, France | AFP | “It’s magic,” said Francois, smiling. “Every time I take a pill I think about the people who aren’t so lucky as to have this option.” Taking a drug normally prescribed to treat AIDS as a way to shield against the deadly disease — known as …
Read More »Kim Jong-Nam was carrying VX ‘antidote’: lawyer
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s half-brother was carrying a VX ‘antidote’ when he was assassinated with the deadly nerve agent in a stunning Cold War-style hit, a lawyer said Friday. Kim Jong-Nam had 12 tablets of Atropine in his backpack when he was attacked, said …
Read More »Five key numbers on AIDS
Paris, France | AFP | Ahead of World AIDS Day on Friday, here is a snapshot in numbers, based on UN data, of the deadly disease which was identified in the early 1980s. – 17 seconds – Roughly 1.8 million people worldwide contracted the virus that causes AIDS in 2016. …
Read More »AU, EU summit winds up after anti-slavery initiative
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | A summit gathering European and African leaders from more than 80 countries drew to a close Thursday with plans for the immediate evacuation of some 3,800 African migrants stranded in Libya. Wrapping up the summit in the Ivorian capital, a top African Union official said …
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