Baku, Azerbaijan | AFP | Pope Francis on Sunday arrived in mainly Muslim Azerbaijan on the last leg of his peace tour of the volatile ex-Soviet Caucasus region, just months after visiting arch-foe Armenia. The pontiff held a mass for the country’s tiny Catholic community in the capital Baku ahead …
Read More »Clinton says campaign donations hit record $154 mln in September
Washington, United States | AFP | Hillary Clinton said Saturday she raised a record $154 million in September in her race for the White House against Donald Trump. In August, Clinton raised $143 million and Trump $90 million. It is common for campaign donations to increase as the election …
Read More »THERESA MAY: a private woman and political enigma as UK PM
Birmingham, United Kingdom | AFP | Facing ever-louder calls to define what Brexit means, the honeymoon is already over for British Prime Minister Theresa May after her meteoric rise to Downing Street following the vote to leave the EU. May swept to power ultimately unopposed in July in an internal …
Read More »TAX AMNESTY: Indians disclose $10 billion in hidden wealth
New Delhi, India | AFP | Indians have declared almost $10 billion in hidden wealth under a government amnesty on tax evasion, as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s moves to crack down on huge piles of black money. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the four-month scheme that closed …
Read More »‘Unhinged’ Trump ready to drag Clinton sex scandals into US campaign
Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump indicated in a new interview that he’s ready to drag ex-president Bill Clinton’s sex scandals into the White House campaign, after Democrats lashed out at the billionaire’s Twitter rant against a pro-Hillary ex-Miss Universe. Trump told The New York Times that he …
Read More »Protests turn violent over California police shooting of Olango
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | A third evening of protests in a San Diego suburb turned violent overnight, with protesters breaking car windows and throwing glass bottles at police over the latest death of an unarmed Alfred Okwera Olango, 38. Between 50 and 75 protesters took over an …
Read More »‘Philippines’ Duterte not Hitler, but wants to kill millions’
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte does not want to be branded another Hitler but he is willing to kill three million people in his crime war, his spokesman said Saturday. Duterte has faced international condemnation after on Friday likening his anti-drugs crackdown, which has left more …
Read More »Artillery fire rocks Aleppo as Syria army presses assault
Aleppo, Syria | AFP | Heavy artillery exchanges rocked Syria’s battleground second city Aleppo throughout the night as government forces pressed a two-pronged assault on rebel-held districts, an AFP correspondent reported on Saturday. The government’s offensive to recapture the whole of Aleppo has been bolstered by its Russian ally’s rejection …
Read More »Debate organizers: There were ‘issues’ with Trump’s microphone
Washington, United States | AFP | When Donald Trump complained about his microphone after his televised presidential debate Monday with Hillary Clinton, few people believed him — viewers had no trouble understanding his words. But on Friday, the well-respected Commission on Presidential Debates said that in fact, the Republican candidate …
Read More »Disgruntled customer runs amok at Apple store in France
Dijon, France | AFP | French prosecutors said Friday they would seek a fast-track trial against a young man — apparently an unsatisfied customer — who ran amok in an Apple store, smashing phones and tablets with a metal ball. The scene, captured on camera and posted on the Internet, …
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