London, United Kingdom | AFP | The European Union trades with America “very unfairly”, President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sunday, warning that his many problems with Brussels “may morph into something very big”. “The European Union has treated the United States very unfairly when it came to …
Read More »Iran grants US citizen four-day release from prison
Washington, United States | AFP | Iranian authorities granted a four-day leave on humanitarian grounds Sunday to Baquer Namazi, the oldest of a group of American citizens known to be held in the Islamic Republic. His lawyer Jared Genser said that Namazi, an 81-year-old former UNICEF official, cannot leave Iran …
Read More »Bruno Mars’ ’24K Magic’ wins Album of Year Grammy
New York, United States | AFP | Retro R&B star Bruno Mars was the surprise big winner Sunday at the Grammy Awards, with a clean sweep of the top awards including Album, Record and Song of the Year, and six overall. “24K Magic” — the Hawaii-born artist’s third studio album, …
Read More »US senator fires top aide over ‘improper relations’ with staff
Washington, United States | AFP | A prominent US senator on Saturday fired his chief of staff for improper relations with subordinates, as US lawmakers increasingly grapple with the issue of sexual harassment. Republican Senator Marco Rubio said he received by Saturday “sufficient evidence to conclude that while employed by this …
Read More »Music industry hails Jay-Z before Grammys
New York, United States | AFP | Jay-Z, who once boycotted the Grammys as biased against hip-hop, was hailed Saturday by the music industry’s power brokers ahead of the latest awards where he leads nominations. The rapper who rose from a broken home to become a hip-hop multimillionaire was contrite …
Read More »Trump says US ‘deeply respects’ Africa in letter to AU
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | President Donald Trump said the United States “deeply respects” Africans and will dispatch its top diplomat to the continent, in a letter to African leaders seen by AFP on Sunday. The letter sent last week comes after Trump provoked a firestorm of indignation among …
Read More »California wants 5 million ‘green’ cars on roads by 2030
Los Angeles, United States | California Governor Jerry Brown Friday signed an executive order detailing aims to have five million electric cars on the state’s roads by 2030 — by accelerating the production of such vehicles using financial incentives and rebates. The $2.5 billion, eight-year plan also involves the installation …
Read More »Mattis wants to keep pressure on N. Korea
Honolulu, United States | AFP | The United States and South Korea are going to keep tightening the screws on Pyongyang so that the hermit state gives up its nuclear program, Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said Friday. “As two peace-loving nations, the Republic of Korea and America welcome the Olympic …
Read More »Germany asks US court to drop Namibian genocide suit
Berlin, Germany | AFP | The German government said Friday it had asked a US court to throw out a lawsuit brought by indigenous groups from Namibia seeking reparations for the genocide of their peoples under German colonial rule. It was the first time Berlin has formally responded to the …
Read More »US sees most active flu season since 2009 ‘swine’ pandemic
Miami, United States | AFP | Flu is sweeping the United States, killing at least 37 children as influenza sends the most people nationwide in search of medical care since the 2009 “swine flu” pandemic, US officials said Friday. This year, the most common strain is H3N2, and nearly every …
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