International

N. Korea rocket site appears ‘operational’ again: US experts

by Francesco FONTEMAGGI WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A North Korean long-range rocket launch site appears to have resumed “normal operation status,” US experts said Thursday, calling it an “affront” to President Donald Trump’s strategy of diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang. The specialized website 38 North and the Center for Strategic and International Studies used commercial satellite imagery to track construction at the site — which they said began before last week’s aborted summit in Hanoi […]

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Convicted Australian cardinal sued over alleged abuse

  MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Convicted Australian Cardinal George Pell faced a fresh legal challenge Thursday after a civil suit was filed against him for further alleged abuse in the 1970s. Pell — the most senior Vatican official to be found guilty of child sex crimes — is currently in detention awaiting sentencing for assaulting two choirboys in Melbourne in the 1990s. He maintains his innocence and an appeal is scheduled for June. Pell had […]

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Former Trump campaign chief to be sentenced, could face life in prison

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump’s former campaign chief Paul Manafort faces potentially spending the rest of his life behind bars when a judge sentences him on Thursday for tax crimes and bank fraud. Manafort, who turns 70 in April, was convicted by a Virginia jury in August of five counts of filing false income tax returns, two counts of bank fraud and one count of failing to report a foreign bank […]

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French court to rule on cardinal accused of sex abuse cover-up

  LYON, France (AFP) — A French court on Thursday will deliver its verdict in the case of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, accused of covering up sexual abuse of minors by one of his priests. The 68-year-old archbishop and five former aides went on trial in Lyon at a time when the Catholic Church has been hit by abuse scandals in countries as far afield as Australia, Chile and the United States. The outcome of the […]

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China’s Huawei sues US over federal ban on using its products

SHENZHEN, China (AFP) — Chinese telecom giant Huawei said Thursday it was suing the United States for barring government agencies from buying the telecom company’s equipment and services. Huawei said the suit was filed in a US District Court in Plano, Texas, challenging a 2019 US defense bill that prevents US government agencies from buying Huawei equipment and services, as well as working with third parties that are Huawei customers. The lawsuit is Huawei’s latest […]

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UK father gets 16 years for ‘monstrous’ acid attack on son

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — A father was on Wednesday jailed for 16 years for planning a “monstrous” acid attack on his three-year-old son, which left the child “scarred for life”. Five other men were also convicted over the attack which prosecutors say was an attempt by the father to show that his mother was unfit to take care of the little boy. Passing sentence, Judge Robert Juckes said “even battle-hardened crown court judges were […]

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Caracas expels German envoy for backing Guaido as US tightens sanctions

by Maria Isabel SANCHEZ CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela expelled Germany’s ambassador Wednesday, hitting out at international support for opposition leader Juan Guaido as the US stepped up sanctions in a bid to force out his rival President Nicolas Maduro. Separately, Washington called for the “immediate release” of an American journalist reported to have been detained in Caracas, an incident which could further escalate tensions between Maduro and the administration of US President Donald Trump. […]

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US to punish foreign entities funding Venezuela’s Maduro

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States will impose sanctions on foreign institutions helping to finance embattled far-left Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the White House said Wednesday. The measure, announced by President Donald Trump’s national security advisor John Bolton, is the latest tightening of screws in Washington’s campaign to force Maduro from power. “The United States is putting foreign financial institutions on notice that they will face sanctions for being involved in facilitating illegitimate […]

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Ghosn out on bail after more than 100 days

by Harumi OZAWA / Natsuko FUKUE TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn left his Tokyo detention center Wednesday after more than 100 days in custody, following a shock court decision granting him bail of one billion yen ($9 million). Ghosn left the detention center in northern Tokyo flanked by guards, wearing a blue cap, a white medical face mask and a work jacket with orange reflective stripes. Unrecognisable from the tycoon who […]

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Trump warns Kim over ‘rebuilding’ of NKorea rocket site

by Sebastian Smith with Claire Lee in Seoul WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he’d be “very, very disappointed” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if reports that work is underway to rebuild a long-range rocket site are confirmed. Speaking to reporters, Trump said “it’s too early to see” if the information about work at the North Korean site is true. Warning he’d be disappointed, he added: “I don’t think […]

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North Korea food production ‘lowest for a decade’: UN

  by Sebastien Berger Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea recorded its worst harvest for more than a decade last year, the United Nations said Wednesday, as natural disasters combined with its lack of arable land and inefficient agriculture to hit production. The isolated North, which is under several sets of sanctions over its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs, has long struggled to feed itself and suffers chronic food shortages. […]

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South Korea court grants bail for ex-president Lee

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Jailed former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak was granted bail on Wednesday, nearly a year after he was arrested over corruption charges. The CEO-turned president, who served from 2008 to 2013, was found guilty on charges including bribery and embezzlement and sentenced to 15 years in prison last October. Lee appealed the decision and in January made a request for bail, citing old age and potential health complications from […]

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