Los Angeles, United States | AFP | “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” snared North American viewers in its web this weekend, earning $35.4 million in ticket sales, final figures showed Monday. Sony’s action-packed animation sees Peter Parker make way for Miles Morales as Spider-Man — a black, Latino character new to …
Read More »Colombian ELN rebels announce Christmas ceasefire
Bogota, Colombia | AFP | Colombia’s ELN Marxist guerrilla group announced Monday a Christmas ceasefire as peace talks with the country’s government have been on hold since August. Such moves by the ELN are common this time of year and the group said it was granting a unilateral truce “at …
Read More »EU agrees to cut emissions from new cars by 37 percent by 2030
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | European Union members and the European Parliament on Monday agreed to slash carbon dioxide emissions from new cars by 37.5 percent by 2030, the European Commission announced. The announcement comes two days after the end of the COP24 summit in Poland where one of the …
Read More »Jesuits release list of 89 US priests accused of sex abuse
Chicago, United States | AFP | Jesuit authorities for 20 US states on Monday released the names of 89 priests with credible allegations of child sexual abuse dating as far back as 1950. The disclosures by the Jesuit provinces of Maryland and USA Midwest are the latest chapter in the …
Read More »UK opposition launches parliamentary confidence manoeuvre against May
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn on Monday tabled a non-binding no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Theresa May after she told MPs they will only get a delayed vote on her Brexit deal in the new year. May said a vote on the deal — …
Read More »Nissan fails to agree Ghosn replacement, as tensions with Renault grow
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | The board of automaker Nissan failed Monday to agree a replacement for former chairman Carlos Ghosn after his arrest for financial misconduct, as tensions grow in the firm’s alliance with Renault. The Japanese company removed Ghosn from his post last month after he was detained …
Read More »France to introduce tax on large internet, tech firms
Paris, France | AFP | France will introduce its own tax on large internet and technology companies from January 1, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday amid difficulties in finalising a new EU-wide levy. France has been pushing hard for a new so-called “GAFA tax” — named after Google, …
Read More »Fire at Mumbai hospital kills six, injures over 100
Mumbai, India | AFP | At least six people were killed and more than 100 injured when a fire engulfed a hospital in Mumbai on Monday, officials said, in the latest disaster to raise concerns about fire safety in India. The blaze broke out around 4:00 pm (1130 GMT) on …
Read More »France ‘the sick man of Europe’: Polish foreign minister
Warsaw, Poland | AFP | France is “the sick man of Europe” and its problems are hurting the region, Poland’s foreign minister said Monday, citing the “yellow vests” protest movement and last week’s jihadist attack. “France is the sick man of Europe, it is a drag on Europe while Poland …
Read More »Spider-Man is back on screen, but this time he’s black and Latino
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | For what seems like the umpteenth time, Spider-Man is back on the big screen. But this year, when Hollywood is under the microscope on the hot-button issue of diversity, the superhero is half-black and half-Latino. Step aside, Peter Parker. There’s a new Spidey …
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