Washington, United States | AFP | by Chris Lefkow and Joshua Melvin US Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday he had “personally approved” the dramatic raid on Donald Trump’s Florida estate and, in a highly unusual move, was requesting the warrant justifying the search be made public. The country’s top prosecutor did not reveal the reason for the unprecedented search of the home of a former US president, and condemned “unfounded attacks” on the FBI and […]
International
Gunman who tried to breach FBI Ohio office killed in standoff
Washington, United States | AFP | An armed man who fled after attempting to breach an FBI office in the US state of Ohio was killed in a standoff with police, authorities said Thursday. The incident drew nationwide attention as it occurred only a few days after the Federal Bureau of Investigation searched former president Donald Trump’s Florida home, infuriating right-wing circles, although there was no immediate indication the events were linked. The FBI said […]
French region urges youth meningitis vaccinations after death
Lyon, France | AFP | Officials in southeast France said Friday they were urging some 56,000 young people to get vaccinated against meningitis, after 12 cases over the past year that led to at least one death. The alarming number of Meningococcal B cases may be linked to a new variant of the bacteria, which infects the lining of the brain and spinal cord or the blood. “Meningitis is a serious disease that can lead to […]
Iran seeks 3 more Khayyam satellites
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) – Iran plans to commission three more versions of a satellite launched this week by Russia, Tehran’s government spokesman said Friday. The Khayyam blasted into orbit on Tuesday, prompting US accusations that it is intended for spying. Iran dismissed Washington’s claim as “childish.” “The construction of three other Khayyam satellites with the participation of Iranian scientists is on the government’s agenda,” its spokesman Ali Bahadori-Jahromi said on Twitter. A Soyuz-2.1b rocket sent […]
‘Extreme vigilance’ at vast western France fire
Hostens, France | AFP | A huge fire that has devastated swathes of southwestern France was largely contained, but firefighters face another “complicated” day, local authorities said on Friday. The 40-kilometre (25-mile) active fire front in the Gironde and Landes departments around Bordeaux “has not developed, but the weather conditions are pushing us towards extreme vigilance,” deputy prefect Ronan Leaustic told reporters. No new evacuations had been ordered on top of the 10,000 people already […]
Australian economist pleads not guilty at Myanmar junta trial: source
Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | An Australian economist detained by Myanmar’s junta has pleaded not guilty to breaching the colonial-era official secrets act, a source close to the case said on Friday. Sean Turnell was working as an adviser to Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi when he was detained shortly after the coup that ousted her government in February last year. On trial in a secretive junta court that journalists cannot access, he […]
UN watchdog warns of ‘grave’ crisis amid violence near Ukraine nuclear plant
United Nations, United States | AFP by Thibault MARCHAND with Joe STENSON in Soledar The head of the UN nuclear watchdog warned an emergency Security Council meeting on Thursday of the “grave” crisis unfolding at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, as Moscow and Kyiv traded accusations of new shelling near the facility. “This is a serious hour, a grave hour,” Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the Security […]
Sri Lankan ex-leader arrives in Bangkok after fleeing protests
Bangkok, Thailand | AFP | Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday arrived in Bangkok after his visa ran out following a month-long stint in Singapore where he had taken refuge from protesters at home. The deposed leader landed on a private jet at Don Mueang International Airport around 8pm local time (1200 GMT), a senior Thai official said. He left the airport’s VIP section around 40 minutes later with his wife and got […]
Hong Kong sees population drop as 113,200 residents leave over the past year
Hong Kong, China | AFP | Hong Kong saw a net outflow of 113,200 residents over the past year, census data showed Thursday, setting a new record in population decline as the city maintained strict pandemic curbs. The finance hub’s population started shrinking in 2020 for the first time since the SARS epidemic in 2003 — and the drop-off showed no signs of stopping, according to government figures. Mid-year estimates put Hong Kong’s population at […]
Iran brands US claim of assassination plot ‘fiction’
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran dismissed as “fiction” Thursday US allegations it had plotted to kill former White House national security adviser John Bolton in retaliation for the assassination of one of its top commanders. The US claim comes at a crunch moment in talks on reviving a nuclear deal between Iran and major powers that Washington had abandoned in 2018 but has said it wants to rejoin. Iran is now considering what European Union […]
Samsung boss gets presidential pardon: South Korea justice minister
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The heir and de facto leader of Samsung group received a presidential pardon Friday, the latest example of South Korea’s long tradition of freeing business leaders convicted of corruption on economic grounds. Billionaire Lee Jae-yong, who was convicted of bribery and embezzlement in January last year, will be “reinstated” to give him a chance to “contribute to overcoming the economic crisis” of the country, Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said. Lee […]
Brazilians march in ‘defense of democracy’
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) — Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets of several cities Thursday in “defense of democracy” in the face of President Jair Bolsonaro’s sustained attacks on the voting system, weeks ahead of elections. The demonstrations were sparked by fears the far-right leader, lagging in opinion polls, would not respect the outcome of October’s vote given his repeated attempts to cast doubt on Brazil’s electoral system. “After 200 years of independence in […]





