International

Spiegel star reporter ‘faked stories’ for years

  FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany’s respected news weekly Der Spiegel stunned the media world on Wednesday by revealing that one of its award-winning reporters had for years falsified stories. Claas Relotius “made up stories and invented protagonists” in at least 14 out of 60 articles that appeared in the magazine’s print and online editions, Spiegel wrote, warning that other outlets could also be affected. Relotius, 33, resigned after admitting to the scam. […]

Brazil high court suspends order that could free Lula

BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — The chief judge of Brazil’s supreme court suspended Wednesday an order by another justice on the tribunal that could have freed former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from prison, where he is serving time for graft. Chief Justice Jose Antonio Dias Toffoli said he had approved an objection by public prosecutors against the provisional order issued just hours earlier by the top court’s Justice Marco Aurelio Mello. Mello had ruled […]

Lawsuit adds to Facebook woes on data protection

by Rob Lever Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Facebook’s woes mounted Wednesday as it faced a lawsuit alleging privacy violations related to data leaked to a consultancy working on Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, and as a new report suggested it shared more data with partners than it had said. The suit filed by the District of Columbia attorney general is likely the first by an official US body that could impose consequences […]

George H.W. Bush secretly sponsored Filipino boy, letters reveal

CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — To the boy in the Philippines, his American benefactor and source of kind letters and gifts was known simply as “G. Walker.” To the Christian charity helping him keep his benevolence secret from the world, he was George Herbert Walker Bush — the 41st president of the United States. Compassion International, which helps poor children around the world through a network of local churches, revealed for the first time this […]

Trump orders full withdrawal of US troops from Syria

by Thomas WATKINS Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States will withdraw all of its troops from Syria, a US official said Wednesday, after President Donald Trump claimed America has “defeated ISIS” in the war-ravaged country. The stunning move will have extraordinary geopolitical ramifications — and plunges into uncertainty the fate of US-backed Kurdish fighters who have been tackling Islamic State jihadists, hundreds of whom remain in Syria. “We have defeated […]

US Federal Reserve raises lending rate; signals slower pace ahead

by Heather SCOTT Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Federal Reserve raised the benchmark interest rate on Wednesday, a move sure to anger President Donald Trump, but it also sent a clear signal it expects to slow its rate increases next year. The Fed’s fourth rate increase of the year, which sent Wall Street tumbling in mid-afternoon, moved the central bank squarely into the crosshairs of the president, who said a […]

Catholic Church’s Pope Francis accepts US bishop’s resignation over misconduct with minor

  VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Catholic Church’s Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Los Angeles auxiliary bishop Alexander Salazar over his “inappropriate behaviour” with a minor, the Vatican said Wednesday. The case is the latest in a litany of child sexual abuse scandals to have rocked the Roman Catholic Church of 1.3 billion followers around the world. The Vatican said an investigation by the Archbishop of Los Angeles had found suspicions about Salazar’s behavior […]

EU probes hack of ‘thousands’ of diplomatic cables

by Damon Wake Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The EU announced an urgent investigation Wednesday after hackers with possible links to China accessed thousands of sensitive diplomatic cables. In the latest embarrassing data breach to hit a major international organisation, the New York Times reported that hackers using similar techniques to the Chinese military gained entry to EU communications. The cables from European Union diplomatic missions around the world reveal anxiety about how […]

Migration row forces Belgian premier’s resignation

  by Matthieu DEMEESTERE Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Nationalist anger over migration brought down the Belgian government on Tuesday, forcing Prime Minister Charles Michel to offer the king his resignation. With only five months to go until planned legislative elections in May, in was not immediately clear whether King Philippe would accept Michel’s sudden departure. The palace said a decision is pending but a senior source told AFP the “most likely” outcome […]

Trump panel recommends guns in schools to keep US students safe

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A safety panel set up by US President Donald Trump in the wake of numerous school shootings recommended Tuesday that schools consider arming staff, using veterans as guards and reversing Obama-era guidelines. The Federal Commission on School Safety panel, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, was set up after the February massacre in Parkland, Florida, when a former student shot dead 17 people, sparking mass gun control protests. The […]

Trump signals retreat on wall funding, but shutdown threat remains

by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump backed off his demand for $5 billion in border wall funding Tuesday, but his subsequent offer was rejected by congressional Democrats, leaving the opposing sides struggling to avert a partial US government shutdown. Trump had stood firm for days, declaring he needed the funds to build the controversial wall, defiantly proclaiming last week that he would be “proud” to stop some […]

Thousands flee cyclone on India’s east coast

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — A powerful cyclone left one person dead and forced thousands to flee their homes on India’s east coast, officials said Tuesday. Cyclone Phethai packed winds up to 90 kilometres (55 miles) per hour, felling thousands of trees and electricity pylons, and bringing heavy rains to the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh state after making landfall on Monday. Officials said 10,600 people were moved to relief camps after being evacuated from […]