Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Two South African men accused of cannibalism were given life sentences for murder on Wednesday, with the judge saying they were guilty of “the most heinous crime”, local media reported. Sitting at the Pietermaritzburg High Court, judge Peter Olsen sentenced Nino Mbatha, 33, and …
Read More »11 killed, including 5 hostages, in foiled Brazil bank robberies: mayor
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | Eleven people — six bank robbers and five hostages including a child — were killed Friday in a pre-dawn assault on two banks in a northeast Brazilian city foiled by police, the local mayor said. The violence erupted in the city of Milagres, …
Read More »Mukwege: Congolese ‘Doctor Miracle’ heals sexual atrocity victims
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | In Democratic Republic of Congo, they call him “Doctor Miracle” for his surgical skill and dedication in helping women overcome the injuries and trauma of sexual abuse and rape. Denis Mukwege is a crusading gynaecologist who has spent more than two decades treating appalling …
Read More »CNN offices evacuated after bomb threat, no explosive found
New York, United States | AFP | CNN’s New York offices were evacuated Thursday night after a bomb threat, but no explosive was found and police later gave the all clear, the network said. The roughly 90 minute drama recalled a similar evacuation in October after an explosive device was …
Read More »EU steps up fake news fight before elections
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The European Union launched Wednesday a system for member countries to alert each other to online disinformation spread by opponents such as Russia to undermine next year’s key elections. The bloc also urged Facebook and other social media platforms to follow through on pledges to …
Read More »EU steps up fake news fight before elections
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The European Union launched Wednesday a system for member countries to alert each other to online disinformation spread by opponents such as Russia to undermine next year’s key elections. The bloc also urged Facebook and other social media platforms to follow through on pledges to …
Read More »Spain court upholds disputed sex abuse gang sentence
Madrid, Spain | AFP | A Spanish court Wednesday upheld a disputed nine-year jail term for to five men who sexually abused a woman, despite two out of five judges believing the gang committed rape and calling for tougher sentences. The men were accused of raping the woman, then aged …
Read More »Cameras, drones: Rio de Janeiro to put electronic eyes on crime
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | Rio de Janeiro state is moving ahead with plans to deploy security cameras and drones to help fight crime, according to its next governor, a far-right politician loyal to president-elect Jair Bolsonaro. A tender to install 30,000 cameras will be launched soon, Wilson …
Read More »South Africa names first female top prosecutor
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | President Cyril Ramaphosa named a respected female lawyer on Tuesday to head South Africa’s prosecuting authority which had been accused of improperly protecting former president Jacob Zuma. His appointment of Shamila Batohi further distances him from Zuma’s scandal-tainted rule during which several top jobs, …
Read More »CIA chief to brief lawmakers on Khashoggi murder
Washington, United States | AFP | CIA director Gina Haspel has agreed to brief a “small group” of US lawmakers about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the chair of the Senate foreign relations committee said Monday. The briefing will take place on Tuesday at 11:00 am (1600 GMT), …
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