Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump reluctantly signed off on new sanctions against Russia Wednesday, bowing to domestic pressure and putting efforts to improve ties with the Kremlin in peril. Trump signed the legislation behind closed doors, after failed White House efforts to scupper or water down …
Read More »Qatar announces 5 bn euro order for warships from Italy
Doha, Qatar | AFP | Qatar announced on Wednesday a five-billion-euro order for seven warships from Italy in the midst of a nearly two-month diplomatic crisis with neighbouring Saudi Arabia and its allies. “We have signed a contract on behalf of the Qatari navy to acquire seven warships from Italy for …
Read More »TECH: Big cars with ridiculously tiny engines
There’s no substitute for cubic capacity, or so they used to say. Used to. With the development of technologies such as turbocharging and direct-injection over the past decade and some impressive weight-saving, many carmakers have been pursuing the concept of engine-downsizing with a passion. Downsizing does not mean losing power …
Read More »Thieves steal radioactive material in Mexico again
Monterrey, Mexico | AFP | Mexican authorities issued an alert Wednesday after thieves stole a piece of academic research equipment containing potentially dangerous radioactive material — at least the seventh such incident here since 2013. The thieves grabbed the nuclear densometer from the back of a truck in a shopping …
Read More »Neymar jets into Paris today for world record move
Messi to Neymar: I wish you lots of luck in this new stage in your life Paris, France | AFP | Neymar is expected to arrive in Paris on Thursday to finalise his world record 222 million euro ($260 million) move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, which will earn him around …
Read More »Strains grow in unhappy marriage of Trump, Republicans
Washington, United States | AFP | It may not yet be a full-blown divorce, but the relationship between Donald Trump and the Republican Party is fast unraveling, threatening the president’s prospects of steering legislation through Congress. Trump took barely 18 months to conquer the party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, …
Read More »Turkey, Qatar launch joint military exercises: reports
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkey and its main regional ally Qatar on Tuesday launched military exercises in the emirate that will involve some 250 Turkish troops and 30 armoured vehicles, reports said. The exercises come as Ankara presses on with its unequivocal backing of Doha in the crisis triggered by …
Read More »Rolls-Royce powers into profit; shares soar
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Rolls-Royce powered back into profit during the first half, propelled by strong deliveries for its Trent aircraft engines, lifting its share price almost ten percent Tuesday. Net profit stood at £1.58 billion ($2.1 billion, 1.77 billion euros) in the six months to June 30 compared …
Read More »‘We have fish & chips’: EU cities bid for Brexit agencies
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The battle for the spoils of Brexit began Tuesday as 23 European cities launched their bids to host two London-based EU regulatory agencies that will be forced to leave the British capital. Slick videos and glossy brochures abounded as the EU announced that 19 cities were …
Read More »Abbasi, loyal placeholder for Pakistan’s Sharif dynasty
Islamabad, Pakistan | AFP | Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, elected as Pakistan’s new prime minister Tuesday, is expected to act as a placeholder for the Sharif dynasty after three-time premier Nawaz Sharif was ousted by the Supreme Court. Considered highly intelligent and a long-time Sharif loyalist, the 58-year-old is the former federal …
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