London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes his debut on the global stage at the G7 summit this weekend, where all eyes will be on his chumminess with US President Donald Trump. The summit in France opens on Saturday, the one-month anniversary of the gaffe-prone Brexit cheerleader …
Read More »Macron, Putin see chance on Ukraine but clash on Syria
Bormes-les-Mimosas, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron and Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Monday agreed changes in Ukraine had bolstered the chances of peace in its east but clashed on Syria, as the Russian leader made a rare bilateral visit to a key EU power. Macron, who hosted Putin at …
Read More »Controversial study links tap water during pregnancy to lower IQ
Controversial study links fluoridated water during pregnancy to lower IQ Washington, United States | AFP | A study published Monday linked consumption of fluoridated tap water during pregnancy to lower IQ scores in infants, a finding at odds with decades of public health messaging extolling the mineral’s benefits in reducing …
Read More »Google, Facebook, Amazon decry French digital tax as ‘discriminatory’
Washington, United States | AFP | American tech giants Amazon, Facebook and Google joined forces on Monday to decry the French digital tax as retroactive and discriminatory. President Donald Trump is considering retaliating against the tax — approved July 11 — with punitive tariffs on French wine imports, prompting an …
Read More »It is Messi vs Ibrahimovic for FIFA goal of the year
Lausanne, Switzerland | AFP | Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are the star names on the 10-player short-list announced on Monday by FIFA for its Puskas award for goal of the year. They are joined by three women and five men, with goals scored between July 16, 2018 and July …
Read More »Father hopes for justice as Cardinal Pell waits on appeal verdict for child sex abuse crimes
Sydney, Australia | AFP | The father of one of the victims of jailed Australian Cardinal George Pell said Monday he hoped “justice would prevail” as a court prepared to rule on an appeal against his conviction of child sex abuse crimes. Pell, the former Vatican number three, is appealing against …
Read More »Wildlife summit to discuss how to save Africa’s rhinos, elephants
Wildlife summit mulls trade rules to counter ‘unprecedented’ species declines Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Conservationists warned of “unprecedented” species declines Saturday as countries met in Geneva to tighten rules on trade in elephant ivory and products from other endangered animal and plants. Thousands of conservationists and policymakers from more …
Read More »Is Trump’s love affair with Fox News fading?
Washington, United States | AFP | Last month after Donald Trump watched Fox News lob what he called “softball questions” at a Democratic lawmaker, the US president delivered a crisp smackdown of his favorite network: “Fox sure ain’t what it used to be.” After years of often fawning coverage by Fox, …
Read More »Fears in US of bad peace deal with the Taliban
Washington, United States | AFP | An Afghanistan peace agreement that the US seems close to reaching with the Taliban has prompted worries that President Donald Trump’s desire to quickly withdraw US troops could further plunge the country into civil war. Trump said Friday he was pleased with talks on ending …
Read More »US issues warrant for seizure of Iranian tanker in Gibraltar
Washington, United States | AFP | The US Justice Department issued a warrant Friday for the seizure of the Iranian oil supertanker Grace 1, one day after a Gibraltar judge allowed the release of the detained vessel. The Justice Department alleged the ship was part of a scheme “to unlawfully access …
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