New York, United States | AFP | New York pastor Fabian Arias has been in constant mourning these past two months — the coronavirus has killed 44 of his mostly Hispanic parishioners, highlighting inequalities he says are being worsened by Donald Trump’s government. Amid the tragedies, the Argentine priest is providing a …
Read More »Trump, Biden turn to new presidential campaign field — Snapchat
Washington, United States | AFP | Gone are the lively meetings, the distribution of flyers on busy campuses. The coronavirus pandemic has put an abrupt stop to traditional US political means of courting young voters — forcing presidential candidates to turn to Snapchat instead. The photo-sending app that boasts 229 million …
Read More »Corruption prosecutions nearly double in China over last year
Beijing, China | AFP | The number of prosecutions related to corruption in China nearly doubled last year, according to a report by Beijing’s top prosecutor, as President Xi Jinping ramped up his crackdown on graft. According to the annual report from the Supreme People’s Procuratorate submitted to the national parliament, …
Read More »Russia begins building first stealth bomber: report
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia has begun manufacturing the prototype of its first strategic stealth bomber, state news agency TASS reported on Tuesday, as the country presses ahead with the modernisation of its military. Quoting defence industry sources, TASS said the state-controlled United Aircraft Corporation was overseeing the project. It said material was being shipped …
Read More »Stock markets rise as reopenings trump geopolitical tensions
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Further easing of countries’ coronavirus lockdowns pushed equities higher Tuesday, with optimism stoked by the reopening of bars, cafes, pools and beaches outweighing China-US tensions that hurt the dollar. While countries including Brazil, Chile and Russia are enduring rising death and infection tolls from COVID-19, …
Read More »Trump uses Twitter to push murder conspiracy theory against critic
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump tweeted a conspiracy theory Tuesday accusing one of his media critics of murder — and prompting a demand that Twitter block the Republican leader’s “vicious lie.” The president’s attempt at character assassination of MSNBC host Joe Scarborough by spreading the baseless rumor to his nearly 80 …
Read More »UK minister quits over Cummings lockdown trip
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government was hit by its first resignation on Tuesday over the controversy surrounding his top aide Dominic Cummings’ cross-country trip during the coronavirus lockdown. Undermining attempts by ministers to try and move on from the crisis which has dominated British …
Read More »‘Bada… Bing… Bang’? HBO throws out rulebook with streaming launch
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Decades before glossy Netflix and Amazon shows began luring Hollywood A-listers to the small screen, cable network HBO helped invent premium television. Now the home of “The Sopranos,” “The Wire” and “Game of Thrones” is scrambling to catch up with its newfound online …
Read More »UK PM’s top aide Cummings defies calls to quit
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top aide Dominic Cummings defied calls to resign on Monday over allegations that he broke coronavirus rules and undermined the government’s response to the health crisis. The Brexit campaign strategist told reporters he had acted “reasonably and legally” when he …
Read More »WHO suspends hydroxychloroquine trial as COVID-19 treatment
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization said Monday it had temporarily suspended clinical trials of hydroxychloriquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19 being carried out across a range of countries as a precautionary measure. The decision came after publication last week of a study in The Lancet which …
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