Washington, United States | AFP | ISIL is no more. At least, that’s the case in the hallways of the Pentagon, where military officials have done an about-face and started calling the Islamic State group ISIS, not ISIL. The latter acronym, standing for Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, …
Read More »As North Korea steps up sanctions-busting, UN notifies Uganda
United Nations, United States | AFP | North Korea is flouting tougher new UN sanctions with more ingenuous tactics, circumventing trade bans by relying on middlemen and front companies, notably in Malaysia and China, a report by UN sanctions experts says. The 100-page report, obtained by AFP, confirmed that North …
Read More »VX nerve agent found on Kim Jong-Nam face
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s half brother was assassinated with a lethal nerve agent manufactured for chemical warfare, Malaysian police said Friday. Releasing a preliminary toxicology report on Kim Jong-Nam’s murder at a Kuala Lumpur airport, police said the poison used by the assassins …
Read More »US promises no mass deportations in bid to calm Mexico
Mexico City, Mexico | AFP | US officials promised Mexico no “mass deportations” or use of military force to expel immigrants, moving to calm tensions over President Donald Trump’s vow to crack down on “bad dudes” illegally residing in his country. US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Secretary of …
Read More »US Supreme Court blocks death sentence over racial bias
Washington, United States | AFP | The US Supreme Court on Wednesday offered at least a temporary reprieve to a Texas death row inmate, agreeing that racial bias affected his sentence after a psychologist testified he was more likely to commit future crimes because he is black. The guilt of …
Read More »Britain names first woman top police officer
London, United Kingdom | AFP | A woman will become Britain’s most senior police officer for the first time, the government announced on Wednesday, a controversial move due to her involvement in a fatal London shooting. Cressida Dick, 56, will succeed Bernard Hogan-Howe as commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police, returning …
Read More »UN needs $4.4 bn for famine relief in four countries
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN aid agencies need $4.4 billion in emergency funding to address famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday. More than 20 million people face starvation in the four countries and action is needed now to avert …
Read More »Seven Earth-like planets discovered around single star
Exoplanets 101: Looking for life beyond our Solar System Paris, France | AFP | Researchers announced Wednesday the stunning discovery of seven Earth-like planets orbiting a small star in our galaxy, opening up the most promising hunting ground so far for life beyond the Solar System. All seven roughly match …
Read More »Le Pen in Lebanon controversy over headscarf refusal
Beirut, Lebanon | AFP | France’s far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen capped her visit to Lebanon with controversy on Tuesday when she refused to wear a headscarf to meet the country’s top Sunni Muslim cleric. On her last day in the Mediterranean country, Le Pen arrived at Sheikh Abdellatif …
Read More »Armed guards at Kim morgue, Malaysia says body still not claimed
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Armed men stood guard Tuesday at the morgue holding the body of the assassinated half-brother of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un, with officials denying reports the dead man’s son had arrived to claim the remains. The corpse of Kim Jong-Nam — who was killed …
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