Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization warned Friday that a Saudi-led blockade of Yemen was threatening to undo efforts to rein in a cholera epidemic already affecting nearly one million people in the war-ravaged country. Yemen, where a multinational conflict has caused a daunting humanitarian crises, has …
Read More »Russia cuts university year for World Cup security
Moscow, Russia | AFP | The Russian government said Friday it was shortening the academic year at universities in some cities hosting the 2018 World Cup to make room in dormitories for police. The decision drew protests from the country’s largest student union and underscored the concern Russia devotes to …
Read More »Sacked Catalan parliament speaker is freed on bail
Madrid, Spain | AFP | The sacked speaker of Catalonia’s parliament left a prison near Madrid on Friday hours after supporters posted her bail of 150 000 euros ($175,000), ending her brief detention over the region’s controversial independence drive. A judge at the Supreme Court in Madrid on Thursday had …
Read More »UN to host first talks on use of ‘killer robots’
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The United Nations is set to host the first-ever talks on the use of autonomous weapons, but those hoping for a ban on the machines dubbed killer robots will be disappointed, the ambassador leading the discussions said Friday. More than 100 artificial intelligence entrepreneurs led by …
Read More »UN chief says $100 bln climate fund far from guaranteed
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said a $100 billion annual fund to help developing countries tackle climate change was crucial to achieve the goals of the Paris climate deal. “We need to mobilize the agreed $100 billion annually for developing countries,” Guterres …
Read More »Peace brings hope for Colombia’s biodiversity: Santos
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos on Friday hailed his country’s peace deal with the FARC guerrilla group as a chance to preserve his country’s biodiversity after decades of violence. “We need to reconcile also with the environment, which was a big victim of the armed …
Read More »Life expectancy up 10 years thanks to better lifestyles: OECD
Paris, France | AFP | Healthier lifestyles and higher incomes have helped increase life expectancy in the 35 OECD nations by 10 years in the past half century, according to a report published Friday. The OECD’s ‘Health at a Glance 2017’ report said the average life expectancy throughout the group …
Read More »Lebanon’s Hezbollah accuses Saudi of detaining Hariri
Beirut, Lebanon | AFP | Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday accused Saudi Arabia of detaining prime minister Saad Hariri and of asking the Shiite movement’s arch-foe Israel to launch strikes. Hariri’s sudden resignation on November 4 in a statement made from Riyadh took the Lebanese political class …
Read More »Under-fire US comic admits to sexual misconduct
New York, United States | AFP | A US comedian on Friday admitted sexual misconduct and expressed remorse after being accused of masturbating in front of women, a rare statement of contrition in the midst of Hollywood’s burgeoning sexual harassment scandal. Father of two Louis C.K. released the statement to …
Read More »EU warns Brexit talks clock is ticking
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The EU warned Britain on Thursday that time is running out to reach a divorce deal by the end of the month, a necessary step to guarantee moving the Brexit process on to trade negotiations. As Brexit talks resumed in Brussels, concerns are growing among EU …
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