International

Catalan separatists split as Puigdemont’s comeback bid delayed

by Diego Urdaneta with Marianne Barriaux in Madrid © Agence France-Presse BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — Divisions in Catalonia’s separatist bloc burst into the open Tuesday after the region’s parliamentary speaker postponed a crucial vote to reappoint ousted president Carles Puigdemont. Roger Torrent, who like Puigdemont is pro-independence but hails from a different party, announced last minute he had delayed the parliamentary session to ensure it could later go ahead in an “effective” way after Spain’s Constitutional Court […]

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London attack accused hoped to kill Corbyn

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — A man accused of deliberately driving a van into a group of London Muslims told his trial on Tuesday that he wanted to kill the British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn. Darren Osborne said killing the leftist Labour leader would have been “one less terrorist off our streets,” while killing Labour London Mayor Sadiq Khan as well “would have been like winning the lottery.” Osborne is accused of murdering 51-year-old Makram Ali and […]

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Ousted Catalan leader’s comeback bid delayed

by Diego URDANETA (Agence France-Presse BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) – The speaker of Catalonia’s parliament postponed a crunch vote Tuesday to formally re-elect ousted president Carles Puigdemont into office, delaying his controversial comeback bid. But Roger Torrent defended Puigdemont’s right to be re-elected by Catalan lawmakers despite a court ban after separatist parties won a majority in December elections and the former regional leader was officially nominated as candidate for the presidency. “Today’s plenary session… is postponed,” he […]

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British Lords gear up for Brexit bill battle

by Alice RITCHIE Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain’s House of Lords begins scrutiny Tuesday of a key piece of Brexit legislation, as a leaked government report said Britain would be worse off whatever deal it strikes with the EU. Almost 200 peers have requested to speak during the two-day debate on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, many of them likely to be critical of its provisions to smooth Britain’s exit from the European Union, […]

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Cricket: South Africa, India battle for top spot again

by Colin BRYDEN Agence France-Presse DURBAN-CORBIÈRES, France (AFP) – South Africa and India will vie for the world number one ranking again when they meet in a six-match one-day international series, starting at Kingsmead on Thursday. The one-day games start just five days after India retained their top ranking in Tests, although second-placed South Africa closed the points gap by winning the series 2-1. South Africa are on top of the International Cricket Council one-day rankings by […]

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Wife of Taiwan activist jailed in China barred from visiting

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) – The wife of a Taiwanese democracy activist who was jailed in China in a case which further strained relations was Tuesday barred from boarding a flight to visit him in prison. Lee Ming-cheh — an NGO worker  arrested during a trip to the mainland last March — was sentenced in November to five years in prison by a court in the central province of Hunan on charges of subverting state power. Human rights […]

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Turkey detains top medical group members over Syria criticism

by Raziye AKKOC Agence France-Presse ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) – Turkey on Tuesday detained all the top members of the country’s main medical association, including its chief, after they criticized Ankara’s offensive against Kurdish militia in Syria. The arrests came after the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), which represents 80 percent of the country’s physicians, issued a statement saying that conflicts lead to “irreparable problems” and that “war is a man-made public health problem”. The TTB ended its statement […]

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US releases ‘Putin list’ of Russians eligible for sanctions

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Treasury has released a long awaited list of Russian officials and business leaders eligible for sanctions under a law designed to punish Moscow for its alleged meddling in the election that brought Donald Trump to power. The list published shortly before midnight Monday features the names of most of the senior members in President Vladimir Putin’s administration — 114 politicians altogether — and 96 business people the US considers ‘oligarchs’ […]

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Facebook to deliver more local news to US users

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook said Monday it has decided to deliver more local news to US users, in its latest effort to manage the flow of information on the enormously-influential social network. Earlier this month, Facebook announced it will ask its two billion users to rank their trust in news sources as part of an effort to combat the spread of misinformation. The changes come as the online giant seeks to address […]

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German carmakers under fire for tests on humans, monkeys

by Michelle FITZPATRICK Agence France-Presse FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — German carmakers came under fire Monday following revelations they helped finance experiments that saw humans and monkeys exposed to diesel fumes that have been linked to asthma, lung diseases and heart attacks. The disclosures sparked widespread outrage, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel who strongly condemned the latest controversy to engulf the nation’s powerful but scandal-tainted auto industry. “These tests on monkeys or even humans […]

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FBI’s No. 2, a Trump target, stepping down

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The FBI’s deputy director, Andrew McCabe, is stepping down after President Donald Trump accused him of being a Democratic partisan, a government source confirmed Monday. McCabe is stopping work immediately but will remain on the FBI payroll until March to obtain retirement benefits, the source confirmed. McCabe, 49, was expected to leave sometime early this year when he became fully eligible for a pension, after two decades in the bureau. […]

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Pentagon probes fitness-app use after map shows sensitive sites

by Thomas Watkins © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US military is reviewing how troops use fitness trackers and other devices, the Pentagon said Monday after an exercise-logging company published a map revealing potentially sensitive information about US and allied forces in places including the Middle East. The map, made by Strava Labs, shows the movements of its app users around the world, indicating the intensity of travel along a given path. The company […]

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