United States | AFP | Donald Trump came to Florida on Saturday to witness the dawn of a new space age. But not everyone in America had their eyes to the sky. As Trump witnessed the successful launch of American astronauts into space from US soil for the first time in …
Read More »Growing US-China rivalry seen fueling UN paralysis amid virus crisis
United Nations, United States | AFP | For nearly a decade, the UN Security Council has been frequently paralyzed by Russia’s obstinacy over the Syrian crisis. Today, however, it is the US-China rivalry that has infected a growing array of issues, according to officials and diplomats. As recently as 2017, an …
Read More »NASA astronauts head for ISS on historic SpaceX flight
United States | AFP | Two veteran NASA astronauts were headed for the International Space Station on Saturday after Elon Musk’s SpaceX became the first commercial company to launch a rocket carrying humans into orbit, ushering in a new era in space travel. SpaceX’s two-stage Falcon 9 rocket with astronauts Robert …
Read More »Going viral: the dark online gags soothing youthful angst
Washington, United States | AFP | Climate change, debt, mental health struggles and now the coronavirus: life is no laughing matter. But for under-30s the best way to stay sane is often to wisecrack. “We joke that we post because none of us can afford therapy,” says Chuck Wentzell, 26, a …
Read More »Violence divides protesters, as ‘chaos’ grips Minneapolis
Minneapolis, United States | AFP | Flames light up the skyline and the smell of acrid smoke fills the streets in a Minneapolis neighborhood rocked by protest, a few hundred meters from a besieged police station. “The real reason we’re here is because the police keep killing black folk all around …
Read More »Backlash to Trump cutting WHO ties as virus grips Latin America
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | US President Donald Trump faced a broad backlash Saturday over his decision to sever ties with the UN’s health agency during a pandemic, as the coronavirus surged in Latin America and Europe further reopened from lockdown. The EU called on Washington to reconsider its decision to …
Read More »Drive-in UK care home visits for socially distant times
Banbury, United Kingdom | AFP | The cars snaking past the bunting-adorned entrance of a British care home point to an era when even cherished family visits have to be socially distant because of the coronavirus. Gracewell of Adderbury home for the elderly, in central England, is trying out drive-through family …
Read More »Bad tempered post-Brexit talks enter crucial phase
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Britain and the EU will attempt to revive their imperilled trade talks on Tuesday, entering a crucial week of negotiations that could mark the final hope for a deal. Hundreds of officials will hold video talks all week from London and Brussels, the fourth and last …
Read More »Coronavirus hopes and fears centre on ‘immunity’
Paris, France | AFP | Could exposure to the coronaviruses that cause the common cold help protect against COVID-19? Is herd immunity closer than previously thought? As nations lift lockdowns and experts worry about a potential second peak in cases, our ability to ward off infection is one of the hottest …
Read More »Officer charged with murder as violent protests sweep US
Minneapolis, United States | AFP | Violent protests erupted across the United States late Friday over the death of a handcuffed black man in police custody, with murder charges laid against the arresting Minneapolis officer failing to quell boiling anger. Demonstrators clashed with police for a fourth straight night in …
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