New York, United States | AFP | Another big name in fashion photography, Bruce Weber, has been accused of sexually harassment involving a male model, according to a suit filed in New York. The 71-year-old Weber, who worked for Vogue and helped forge the image of such brands as Calvin Klein, …
Read More »Russia faces decision on Winter Olympics ban for doping
Lausanne, Switzerland | AFP | The International Olympic Committee meets from Tuesday to decide whether to bar Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympics for doping violations, in one of the weightiest decisions ever faced by the Olympic movement. The build-up to the high-stakes summit in Lausanne just 66 days before the …
Read More »Sierra Leone opposition ‘satisfied’ with police chief sacking
Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Sierra Leone’s opposition on Monday said it welcomed the replacement of the country’s police chief following his sacking amid accusations of institutional political bias and endemic corruption. Former Inspector General of Police Francis Munu was reassigned to an ambassadorial post in neighbouring Liberia after being …
Read More »Senior UN official to make rare visit to North Korea: official
United Nations, United States | AFP | A top UN official will travel to North Korea this week for talks with officials there, a UN spokesman said Monday, amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The unusual visit by Jeffrey Feltman, which begins Tuesday and runs to Friday, …
Read More »Britain and EU fail to reach Brexit deal
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Britain and the EU failed to strike a Brexit divorce deal after a dispute over the Irish border scuppered talks in Brussels on Monday, but both said they were confident of reaching an agreement later this week. British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President …
Read More »Yemen ex-president killed as fighting shakes capital
Sanaa, Yemen | AFP | Yemen’s ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed by Huthi rebels on Monday as he fled heavy fighting in Sanaa after the collapse of his alliance with the Iran-backed insurgents. Saleh, who ruled with an iron fist for three decades, had joined forces with the Shiite Huthi …
Read More »Broke South Sudan spends millions on surveillance drones
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | Cash-strapped South Sudan has spent millions of dollars on Israeli surveillance drones and security cameras aimed at fighting rampant crime in the capital Juba, officials said Monday. The first two drones and 11 cameras will be deployed by Israeli company Global Group, President Salva …
Read More »Benin encouraged by Macron’s pledge on African heritage
Cotonou, Benin | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron made a surprise announcement during his recent African tour, saying in Burkina Faso’s capital that one of his priorities was to restore African cultural treasures. African cultural heritage “should be highlighted in Paris, but also in Dakar, Lagos, Cotonou”, Macron told a …
Read More »Facebook opens new London hub, creating 800 jobs
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Social media titan Facebook will open a new office in London on Monday that is set to be its biggest engineering hub outside America, the company has announced. The investment in the office, near Oxford Street in the heart of the city’s West End district, …
Read More »DR Congo govt recruited rebels for deadly crackdown on protests: HRW
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Former militants were recruited by the Democratic Republic of Congo government for a bloody crackdown on protests against the president that left dozens of people dead last year, a rights group alleged Monday. Human Rights Watch said President Joseph Kabila’s regime had drafted in fighters previously …
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