MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Thursday called on Russia to do all it could to stop a series of hacks of star athletes’ medical records as the Kremlin said it was ready to help. “We condemn this criminal activity and have asked the Russian Government to do everything in their power to make it stop,” said Olivier Niggli, WADA’s director general. Niggli said the hack on WADA’s computer system constituted “retaliation” […]
International
Strongest typhoon of the year Meranti hits Taiwan
Parts of Taiwan is brought to a standstill as the strongest typhoon of the year skirts past the island’s southern tip, knocking out power for more than 180,000 households. (Courtesy Agence France Presse) https://youtu.be/-gJwi_WexCg Taipei, Taiwan (AFP) — Parts of Taiwan were brought to a standstill Wednesday as the strongest typhoon of the year skirted past the island’s southern tip, knocking out power for more than 180,000 households. Although super typhoon Meranti did not […]
Human error likely caused cruise ship death: French prosecuto
MARSEILLE, France (AFP) — Human error was probably to blame for the death of a Filipino crewman on the world’s biggest cruise liner the Harmony of the Seas, a prosecutor said Wednesday. The 42-year-old electrical engineer was killed on Tuesday when a lifeboat became detached from the liner during a safety drill, sending it plunging 10 metres (35 feet) into the water while the ship was docked in the French port of Marseille. Marseille prosecutor […]
4 dead, 100 injured in Pakistan train crash: officials
MULTAN, Pakistan (AFP) — At least four people were killed and more than 100 injured when two trains collided in central Pakistan early Thursday, officials said. The accident occurred near the city of Multan when a Karachi-bound passenger train rammed into a goods train which had stopped after running over a man crossing the railway track. “At least four people have been killed and scores others wounded,” local district administration official Nadir Chattha told reporters. […]
Israeli PM thanks U.S president Obama for record ten-year military aid deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked on Wednesday (September 14) the United States president and Congress for what he called an “historic” defence aid package. In a televised statement from his office in Jerusalem Netanyahu said he is grateful to the Obama administration for supporting Israel’s security needs. Netanyahu recorded the message an hour before the aid deal was signed in Washington. “I would like to thank President Obama and his administration for this historic […]
Clinton ‘fit to serve,’ doctor says ahead of campaign comeback
by Brigitte DUSSEAU WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Hillary Clinton on Wednesday looked to head off further questions about her health, releasing new medical records showing she is “fit to serve” as president and recovering from “mild” pneumonia as she prepares to resume her campaign. The disclosure came as her Republican rival Donald Trump — in a media-savvy move — released new health data of his own during the taping of a nationally televised medical […]
Obama to give arts medals to Brooks, Freeman, Gordy next week
President Barack Obama will recognize the comedic talents of Mel Brooks, the Motown sound of Berry Gordy and the iconic voice of Morgan Freeman on September 22 when he hands out the National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal at the White House. Obama has said the star-studded annual event has been one of his favorites during his time in office. The White House released the list of honorees on Wednesday (September 14), including […]
New museum shows U.S. history from African-American perspective
The new National Museum of African American History and Culture may help heal the persistent problem of U.S. racism when it opens in 10 days, the head of the Smithsonian Institution said on Wednesday (September 14). The $540 million museum will be inaugurated by President Barack Obama as racial and cultural differences dominate the national scene, and is an ideal place for a dialogue about them, Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton said. The bronze-colored museum’s showcase […]
Captured ports handed over to Libya oil company
TRIPOLI, Libya (AFP) – by Mohamad Ali Harissi Forces opposed to Libya’s unity government handed management of four vital oil ports to the National Oil Company on Wednesday after seizing them in a blow to fragile peace efforts. Prime minister-designate Fayez al-Sarraj called for urgent talks after the ports were captured by forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar, who supports a rival administration in the country’s east. The offensive in the so-called oil crescent was […]
Juncker vows Brexit won’t kill off EU
STRASBOURG, France (AFP) – by Clément ZAMPA with Danny KEMP in Brussels European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday issued a rallying cry for unity after Brexit, saying the EU is not in danger of splitting up but must fight “galloping populism”. In his annual State of the Union speech, Juncker unveiled plans including a European Union defence headquarters in a bid to find common ground after a year of crisis and division in the bloc. […]
6.0-magnitude quake hits off Solomon Islands
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A 6.0-magnitude quake hit off the Solomon Islands on Wednesday, officials said, but Australian seismologists said it was unlikely to generate a tsunami. The quake hit some 88 kilometers (54 miles) west of the capital Honiara at a depth of about 10 kilometers, the United States Geological Survey said. Geoscience Australia estimated the quake at a much deeper 30 kilometers, but said it was of a 6.2 magnitude. “It’s too small […]
Survival chances ‘pretty good’ for Israel’s Peres: doctor
JERUSALEM, Israel (AFP) — The chances of survival for former Israeli president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres are “pretty good”, his personal doctor and son-in-law said Wednesday after the 93-year-old suffered a major stroke. “His condition is critical but stable,” Raphy Walden told journalists on a conference call. “Chances of survival are pretty good.” © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse
