Washington, United States | AFP | Thousands of students who ran up unpayable debts at for-profit schools are anxiously waiting to see if US President Donald Trump’s administration does away with anti-fraud protections put in place by his predecessor Barack Obama. Some 95,000 cases of former students seeking forgiveness of …
Read More »Over 180 women claim sex assault at US massage chain: report
Washington, United States | AFP | More than 180 women have reported being sexually assaulted when they were customers of Massage Envy, the largest chain of massage spas in the United States, according to a BuzzFeed News investigation. The report published over the weekend comes amid a wave of sexual assault …
Read More »Meghan Markle: A feminist among Britain’s royals
London, United Kingdom | AFP | American, mixed-race and “fiercely independent”: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s actor girlfriend, will breathe fresh air into the British royal family when she marries Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson next Spring. Playing a lawyer in the hit television show “Suits”, the 36-year-old actress with long flowing …
Read More »Love at first sight: Prince Harry to marry Meghan Markle next year
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s Prince Harry said Monday he was “thrilled” to be marrying his American girlfriend Meghan Markle early next year, confirming months of speculation about the one-time playboy royal and the glamorous actress. The prince revealed he fell for Markle — who will inject a …
Read More »Trudeau urges international community to fight Libyan slavery
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday urged the international community to “do more” following reports of the “abhorrent and despicable” enslavement of vulnerable African refugees arriving in Libya. “Canada will not stay silent in the face of such inhumane atrocities,” Trudeau said in a statement …
Read More »Pakistan minister resigns after violent Islamist protests: state media
Islamabad, Pakistan | AFP | Pakistan’s law minister Zahid Hamid has resigned, state media reported Monday, meeting a key demand of Islamist protesters who have clashed violently with security forces and blockaded the capital Islamabad for weeks. Hamid “has submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to steer …
Read More »Thousands flee as Bali raises volcano alert to highest level
Karangasem, Indonesia | AFP | A rumbling volcano on the resort island of Bali could erupt at any moment, authorities warned Monday as they raised alert levels to maximum, accelerated a mass evacuation and closed the main airport, leaving tourists stranded. Massive columns of thick grey smoke that have been …
Read More »Pope arrives in Myanmar on high-stakes visit
Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | Pope Francis arrived in mainly Buddhist Myanmar Monday on a highly sensitive visit to a country facing sharp global criticism for the alleged ethnic cleansing of its Rohingya Muslim minority. The 80-year-old pontiff, the first to travel to Myanmar, was welcomed by children from different …
Read More »Saudi vows new Islamic alliance ‘will wipe terrorists from the earth’
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia’s crown prince vowed to “pursue terrorists until they are wiped from the face of the earth” as officials from 40 Muslim countries gathered Sunday in the first meeting of an Islamic counter-terrorism alliance. “In past years, terrorism has been functioning in all of …
Read More »Pope heads to Myanmar and into Rohingya crisis
Rome, Italy | AFP | Pope Francis set off Sunday on his 21st and possibly most delicate overseas trip yet, a six-day visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh against the backdrop of the unfolding Rohingya refugee crisis. The 80-year-old pontiff’s plane left Rome en route for Yangon, Myanmar’s main city, shortly …
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