Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | The world’s oldest man turned 113 on Thursday and the Holocaust survivor living in Israel readied for the Bar Mitzvah he was denied a century ago, his family said. Yisrael Kristal, an observant Jew from Zarnow in what is now Poland and currently living in …
Read More »With Clinton grounded, Trump under harsh spotlight
Washington, United States | AFP | With Hillary Clinton out of action, her White House rival Donald Trump was squarely in the spotlight Wednesday — but for the wrong reasons, facing scrutiny over his foundation and branded a “disgrace” by the former top diplomat Colin Powell. The Democratic nominee is …
Read More »Clinton ‘fit to serve,’ doctor says ahead of comeback
Washington, United States | AFP | Hillary Clinton’s doctor Wednesday declared her “fit to serve” as president, in a health bulletin released a day before she returns to the fray after being grounded by pneumonia at the height of the White House race. The disclosure came as her Republican rival …
Read More »Bayer buys controversial Monsanto for $66 bn
Frankfurt, Germany | AFP | German chemicals giant Bayer said Wednesday it had agreed to buy the controversial US seeds and pesticides firm Monsanto for $66 billion, in a deal that triggered immediate criticism from environmentalists. After a months-long pursuit, Bayer said its US peer had accepted an improved offer …
Read More »DRC warlord Ntaganda on 7th day of hunger strike at ICC
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | Congolese former rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda on Wednesday again refused to attend his war crimes trial on the seventh day of a hunger strike which is posing a legal dilemma for international judges. Ntaganda is protesting his treatment in detention and has said …
Read More »Facebook, Twitter join coalition to improve online news
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook, Twitter and news organizations including Agence France-Presse have joined a coalition of media and technology groups seeking to filter out online misinformation and improve news quality on social networks. First Draft News, which is backed by Google, announced Tuesday that some 20 news …
Read More »Who says you need an egg to create an embryo?
Paris, France | AFP | We all grow up to accept certain unassailable facts: water is wet, the Earth is round, and to produce a baby you need an egg and sperm. As it turns out, the last of these may turn out not to be true. On Tuesday, scientists …
Read More »South Sudan says Clooney’s corruption report is ‘rubbish’
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | A report commissioned by actor-activist George Clooney alleging massive corruption and war profiteering by leaders of South Sudan, the world’s newest nation, is “completely rubbish”, the government said Tuesday. A spokesman for President Salva Kiir said the report released in Washington at a high-profile …
Read More »Obama, Bill step in for pneumonia-hit Clinton
Washington, United States | AFP | Former and current US presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama join the campaign trail Tuesday for Hillary Clinton, standing in for the Democratic White House hopeful while she recovers from pneumonia. Clinton is set to return to the fray on Friday after several days …
Read More »Fugitive Snowden urges Obama to pardon him
London, United Kingdom | AFP | US intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden called on President Barack Obama to pardon him, saying in comments published Tuesday it had been morally “necessary” to shine a light on mass surveillance. The former intelligence contractor has spent three years in exile in Russia after initiating …
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