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by Rob Lever Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Twitter on Thursday revealed that nearly 2,000 ads were placed on the messaging service in 2016 by a Russian media group suspected of trying to interfere with the US presidential election. A Twitter statement said the social media company shared data with congressional investigators about ads from RT, a television group with links to the Moscow government. Twitter said RT spent $274,000 in 2016 on Twitter ads […]
YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AFP) — Authorities in an English-speaking region in southwestern Cameroon on Thursday announced temporary curbs on travel and public meetings, adding to a curfew imposed in the northwest after protests by the country’s anglophone minority. The steps were announced ahead of what is expected to be a symbolic declaration of independence by Cameroon’s English speakers on Sunday. A fifth of the 22 million people in the francophone-majority West African state is English-speaking — a legacy of […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser on Thursday defended plans unveiled this week for sweeping tax cuts but said he could not guarantee they would benefit every middle-class taxpayer. The White House has moved to defend the proposed tax overhaul, which is still being crafted, from criticism that it will unduly help the wealthiest Americans or blow a hole in the federal budget. Opposition Democrats have denounced the plan as […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Senate on Thursday confirmed businessman, veteran diplomat and former presidential candidate Jon Huntsman as ambassador to Russia, filling a crucial post as a probe of Moscow’s influence on the American election widens. The 57-year-old Huntsman, who served as governor of Utah, has worked in numerous US administrations, notably as ambassador to China under Democrat Barack Obama, before running unsuccessfully for president as a Republican in 2012. Huntsman, who […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Republican US lawmaker Steve Scalise made a spirited return to Congress Thursday for the first time since being gravely wounded in a mass shooting at a June baseball practice. A beaming Scalise drew loud cheers, fist bumps, and multiple prolonged standing ovations from colleagues when he walked using crutches onto the floor of the House of Representatives and addressed the chamber, three and a half months after he nearly died in an attack […]
by Rana Moussaoui Agence France Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — The Islamic State group released a recording Thursday of what it says is its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, calling on jihadists under pressure in Syria and Iraq to “resist” their enemies. In his first alleged message in nearly a year and following reports of his possible death, the elusive jihadist leader called on his supporters to target the “media centres” of countries fighting his group. […]
by Marion Thibaut with Julien Girault in Beijing Agence France-Presse BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) – Battered by global outrage over an army crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, Myanmar has found comfort in an old friend –- China, an Asian superpower whose unflinching support is tied to the billions it has lavished on ports, gas and oil in violence-hit Rakhine state. Close to half a million Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in the last month after a militant attack sparked […]
ADELAIDE, Australia (AFP) – An Australian pizzeria that hung a taxidermied dairy cow from its ceiling to call attention to the industrialization of the farming industry has been criticized on social media for cruelty. Owners Federico and Melissa Pisanelli, who are passionate about animal welfare, defended their decision to hang the large Friesian-Hereford cow from its hind legs, saying they wanted to remind patrons of how meat was sourced. “We have worked hard to educate […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) – A panel weighing three kilogrammes fell from a plane onto a factory near Tokyo, Japanese officials said Thursday, the country’s second case in a week after a similar part landed on a car. No injuries were reported after the panel was discovered inside the factory near Narita Airport in the suburbs of the Japanese capital, a spokesman for All Nippon Airways told AFP. “After consulting with a panel manufacturer, we […]
by Hiroshi Hiyama and Richard Carter Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe officially dissolved parliament Thursday, effectively kicking off a national election campaign where he faces an unexpected and formidable challenge from the popular governor of Tokyo. Members of the lower house raised their arms and shouted “Banzai” three times — the Japanese equivalent of “three cheers” — after the speaker read out a letter from Abe officially dissolving the chamber. Voters in […]
by Alex Pigman Agence France-Presse TALLINN, Estonia (AFP) — European Union leaders will meet over dinner in Estonia on Thursday for a frank debate on the future of Europe, featuring first impressions of French President Emmanuel Macron’s new vision for the bloc.Most of the EU 28’s leaders are coming to Tallinn, including British Prime Minister Theresa May, although Brexit negotiations are not expected to be on the menu. The discussion on the EU’s future will take place over […]
MARIPOSA COUNTY, California (Reuters) — At least one person was killed and another hurt on Wednesday (September 27) when a rockslide from the famed El Capitan granite monolith in Yosemite National Park in California rained bolders onto a popular hiking trail, a park spokesman said. Search and rescue teams responded to the scene and were assessing the situation, along with a park helicopter, Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman said in a statement. Gediman said crews were […]
