London, United Kingdom | AFP | Four people were killed Friday when an aircraft and a helicopter collided in Buckinghamshire, south England, local police said. Two people were killed in each aircraft, which came down in woods near Waddesdon Estate, near Aylesbury, according to Thames Valley Police said. Police chief …
Read More »Twitter to remove ‘verification badge’ from some accounts
Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter is changing its policy on “verified” accounts, reserving the right to remove the blue badges from users who violate the online platform’s terms of service. The move came a week after Twitter launched a review of its policy following disclosures that neo-Nazi and white …
Read More »US says people of Zimbabwe must choose own government
Washington, United States | AFP | US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday that the people of Zimbabwe must be allowed to choose their own government through democratic elections, after the military took power. “We all should work together for a quick return to a civilian rule in that …
Read More »Pope denounces healthcare inequality in rich countries
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Thursday took wealthy nations to task over unequal healthcare and systems which increasingly penalise all but the very wealthy. Healthcare is a particularly hot-button issue in the United States, where President Donald Trump has been fighting to scrap the Affordable Care …
Read More »Thousands more US troops arrive in Afghanistan: general
Washington, United States | AFP | Approximately 3,000 additional American troops have now deployed to Afghanistan under President Donald Trump’s revised strategy for the war-torn country, the Pentagon said Thursday. The Pentagon had previously put the number of US forces in Afghanistan at about 11,000 but Trump in August authorized an …
Read More »Trump tells UCLA players ‘you’re welcome,’ credits Xi
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump credited China’s President Xi Jinping Thursday with the release of three UCLA basketball players who had been held on suspicion of shoplifting. The three had apologized and thanked Trump for asking Xi to intervene in their case Wednesday on their return …
Read More »UN warns fuel running out for Yemen hospitals
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United Nations warned Wednesday that fuel supplies needed to run Yemen’s hospital generators and pump clean water will run out in less than three weeks unless the Saudi-led coalition lifts its blockade. The dire forecast came as Yemen battles one of the world’s …
Read More »US athletes released by China apologize for shoplifting, thank Trump
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Three US college basketball players detained in China for shoplifting publicly apologized Wednesday and thanked President Donald Trump for helping secure their release. Trump had personally asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to intervene to free UCLA’s LiAngelo Ball — the younger brother of Los …
Read More »Lebanon’s ‘detained’ premier to travel to France
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Lebanon’s premier Saad Hariri will travel to France “in the coming days”, a French presidential source said Wednesday, after Beirut accused Saudi Arabia of detaining him following his shock resignation. International pressure has been mounting for Hariri to return to Beirut after his prolonged stay …
Read More »France says ‘go ahead’ to African security initiatives
Dakar, Senegal | AFP | France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday encouraged African nations calling for greater autonomy over their security to “go for it”, following the launch of a regional anti-jihad force in the Sahel. France currently has its own a 4,000-strong counter-terror force named Barkhane tackling jihadists …
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