Detroit, United States | AFP | Volkswagen said Sunday that its namesake brand sold more vehicles worldwide in 2017 than ever before, a sign it is recovering from a bruising emissions-cheating scandal three years ago. “We finished 2017 with the best performance ever for Volkswagen,” Herbert Diess, chairman of the board …
Read More »Trump: ‘I’m not a racist’
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump insisted Sunday that he was “not a racist,” after his reported denunciation of immigration from “shithole” countries triggered a global firestorm of criticism. Trump on Friday tweeted a convoluted denial about the comments, which were reported by The Washington Post and The …
Read More »Trump says immigration deal ‘probably dead’
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump appeared to give up for dead a bipartisan deal on immigration Sunday, blaming Democrats as the aftershocks of his vulgar disparagement of African countries and Haiti rumbled Washington’s political battlegrounds. Trump came back on the issue in a pair of …
Read More »White House pushes back over Trump N. Korea quote
Washington, United States | AFP | The White House on Saturday denied and corrected a quote attributed to President Donald Trump that suggested he had a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. “I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong-Un,” Trump was quoted as telling The …
Read More »Mark Wahlberg donates $1.5 million after pay gap controversy
New York, United States | AFP | American actor Mark Wahlberg announced Saturday he would donate $1.5 million (1.2 million euros) to a legal fund for victims of sexual harassment following a controversy over the massive pay gap between him and a female co-star. Ridley Scott partially re-shot his latest …
Read More »Trump gives `fake news’ awards
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Donald Trump is handing out highly anticipated “Fake News Awards”. “The Fake News Awards, those going to the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media, will be presented to the losers on Wednesday, January 17,” Trump, a former reality TV star, wrote …
Read More »Trump language on Africa unacceptable, racist: Ghana
Accra, Ghana | AFP | Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo on Saturday said Donald Trump’s reported description of African nations as “shithole countries” was unacceptable, while his predecessor branded the US head of state a racist. President Akufo-Addo tweeted that Trump’s reported language was “extremely unfortunate”, adding: “We are certainly not …
Read More »At UN, diplomats are watching Candidate Haley
United Nations, United States | AFP | One year into the job, Nikki Haley stands out as the star of President Donald Trump’s administration, and diplomats say the UN ambassador is directing some of that star power into a likely White House bid. Speculation about Haley’s presidential ambitious has picked up …
Read More »White House hails drop in Chinese trade with N.Korea
Washington, United States | AFP | The White House on Friday welcomed news of a sharp drop in Chinese trade with North Korea, saying it would help put pressure on the regime of Kim Jong-Un. China reported earlier that its imports from North Korea plunged 33 percent last year — …
Read More »US inflation modest in 2017, despite rising retail sales
Washington, United States | AFP | Healthy retail sales in 2017 are another sign of the growing strength of the US economy, but inflation was slower than expected, according to the latest government data released Friday. This combination of solid economic growth and consumer spending, that has come with falling …
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