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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Barack Obama Wednesday defended his decision to commute the sentence of transgender army private Chelsea Manning, who was jailed for 35 years for handing classified US documents to WikiLeaks. Obama was addressing his final presidential news conference a day after he pardoned 64 people and commuted the sentences of 209 others — including Manning, who will now be released in May — in one of his last acts in […]
by Park Chan-Kyong Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A Seoul court on Thursday refused to issue an arrest warrant for Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong, who had been wanted over his alleged role in a corruption scandal engulfing President Park Geun-Hye. Prosecutors’ demand for his arrest on charges of bribery, embezzlement and perjury this week sent shock waves through the Samsung group, the world’s biggest smartphone maker with revenues equivalent to a fifth […]
by Ivan Couronne WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump is poised to take office with the lowest approval ratings of any new president in recent history, but despite a chaotic transition Americans trust the billionaire on one crucial point: jobs. Since the real estate developer’s White House win in November, companies have lined up to announce new factories or jobs in the United States, including air conditioning manufacturer Carrier, Japan’s SoftBank, Ford, Fiat […]
by Michael Mathes WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Former president George H.W. Bush was admitted to an intensive care unit Wednesday suffering from pneumonia, highlighting concerns about the health of a political dynasty’s patriarch just as a new US leader prepares to enter office. Bush, 92, was initially hospitalized Saturday for shortness of breath, but was moved to intensive care “to address an acute respiratory problem stemming from pneumonia,” Bush’s office said in a […]
By Angus Mackinnon ROME, Italy (AFP)– Three earthquakes hit central Italy Wednesday in a seismic triple-punch that brought fresh terror to a snowbound mountainous area still reeling from deadly quakes last year. The epicentres were all close to the town of Amatrice, where nearly 300 people died in an earthquake in August. There were no reports of casualties in the three hours after Wednesday’s first shock struck at 10:25 am (0925 GMT). Monitors put […]
(Reuters) — The Malaysian husband of a cabin crew member aboard missing flight MH370 said on Wednesday (January 18) that he hoped to meet Prime Minister Najib Razak to discuss the possibility of extending the search for the missing aircraft. The suspension of the search for the plane that vanished in 2014 with 239 people on board was announced on Tuesday (January 17) by Malaysian, Australian and Chinese authorities in a joint statement. Calvin […]
(Reuters) — President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday (January 17) an unsubstantiated report that alleged Russia had gathered compromising material on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump was a hoax. The Russian leader was responding to unverified claims in a dossier published last week that Russian intelligence operatives had compromising information on Trump, including that he had met with Moscow prostitutes on a visit to Moscow several years ago. Putin doubted that U.S. President-elect had met […]
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — Samsung Group leader Jay Y. Lee arrived at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday (January 18), where a judge will decide whether he should be arrested over his alleged role in a corruption scandal that has rocked South Korea. The 48-year-old Lee, wearing a dark overcoat and purple necktie, did not answer questions from reporters, who tried to stall him at one point, as he entered the court building. […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China is suspending local meteorological bureaus from issuing smog alerts, media reported Wednesday, raising suspicions the government is attempting to suppress information about the country’s air pollution as public anger over the issue grows. China’s Meteorological Administration notified local bureaus Tuesday to “immediately stop issuing smog alerts”, according to a photo of a notice posted on China’s Twitter-like social media platform Weibo. Instead, the local departments can issue alerts for “fog” […]
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s transport minister Wednesday defended the suspension of the undersea search for MH370, after relatives of passengers slammed the decision, and added that it could resume if “credible new evidence” emerges. Australia, Malaysia and China — where most of the 239 on board the missing Malaysia Airlines jet lived — on Tuesday pulled the plug on the massive operation in the southern Indian Ocean almost three years since the plane vanished on March […]
GEORGIA, United States (Reuters) — According to local media, traffic was blocked as the 55,000-pound (25,000KG) truck’s rear cargo container fell in a sinkhole near a highway close to Gainesville, in Hall County, Georgia, on Tuesday (January 17). The truck was carrying 1,600 gallons (60,500 liters) of water, the Hall fire spokesman told local media. An active fuel leak was reported to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division that was called in the handle the situation […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday welcomed the decision by US President Barack Obama to commute the sentence of Chelsea Manning, jailed for leaking classified US documents, while calling for an end to a “war on whistleblowers”. “I welcome President Obama’s decision to commute the sentence of Ms. Chelsea Manning from 35 years to time served,” Assange said in a statement sent to AFP by one of his lawyers. He […]
