Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Up until a few years ago, Sudanese engineer Ahmed Abdallah used to manage his family’s expenses on his $400 monthly salary but he has since had to take out loans to make ends meet. With the US State Department’s announcement Friday of an end to some …
Read More »Sudan hails end of US trade embargo as ‘positive decision’
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan on Friday welcomed the US decision to end its 20-year trade embargo against Khartoum as a “positive decision”. Earlier Friday, Washington announced it was ending the embargo, citing improvements made by Sudan in its human rights record. “The leaders of Sudan, the government of Sudan …
Read More »Niger declares mourning after joint US patrol deaths
Niamey, Niger | AFP | Niger has declared three days of national mourning in memory of four of its soldiers killed alongside three US Green Berets in an ambush, state television said Friday. The joint patrol came under fire on Wednesday in southwestern Niger near the border with Mali, in what …
Read More »Bee-harming pesticides in 75 percent of honey worldwide: study
Miami, United States | AFP | Traces of pesticides that act as nerve agents on bees have been found in 75 percent of honey worldwide, raising concern about the survival of these crucial crop pollinators, researchers said Thursday. Human health is not likely at risk from the concentrations detected in a …
Read More »MEPs urged to probe Monsanto influence on research
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | A US firm pursuing a lawsuit against Monsanto is urging the European Parliament to examine its claims that the agro giant has hidden the dangers of its weedkiller, according to a letter obtained by AFP on Thursday. The letter from the Los Angeles-based firm comes amid …
Read More »Facebook ‘context’ button is latest effort to fight fake news
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook said Thursday it was testing a new “button” to allow users to get more context about a news source, in the latest move by the leading social network to curb misinformation. The new feature will allow users to get context on the source of …
Read More »Record 92 countries vying for foreign language Oscar
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | A record 92 countries have entered the race hoping to snag an Oscar for best foreign language film at next year’s awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Thursday. Among the contenders that have created a buzz this year is …
Read More »Las Vegas shooter also considered Boston and Chicago: reports
Chicago, United States | AFP | The Las Vegas gunman who carried out the deadliest mass shooting in recent US history also had scouted possible locations in Chicago and Boston, US media reported Thursday. Stephen Paddock booked two rooms during the Lollapalooza music festival in August at Chicago’s Blackstone hotel, which …
Read More »Three US Green Berets killed in Niger
Niamey, Niger | AFP | Three US Green Berets and an unknown number of Nigerien soldiers were killed in a clash on the Niger-Mali border, where Islamic State fighters have established a presence, officials from said Thursday. A joint US-Niger patrol fell into an ambush on Wednesday in the Tillaberi …
Read More »North Korea’s Kim ‘very rational’: CIA
Washington, United States | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is a rational politician and the US needs to understand that to deal with the nuclear-armed country, a top Central Intelligence Agency Korea expert said Wednesday. “Beyond the bluster, Kim Jong-Un is a rational actor,” said Yong Suk Lee, the …
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