International

‘Hollyweed’ sign prankster arrested

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Los Angeles police on Monday arrested a local artist suspected of a New Year’s Day prank in which he altered the letters of the famous Hollywood sign to read “Hollyweed.” Zachary Cole Fernandez, 30, was booked on a misdemeanor charge when he voluntarily surrendered to the authorities with his attorney at his side. He was released on his own recognizance and ordered to appear in court on February 15, […]

Russia again denies US claims on hacking: “We are observing serious fatigue from these charges”

  (Eagle News) – Russia called as tiresome, unfounded and amateurish repeated accusations from the United States that it took part in cyberattacks to manipulate US polls, saying the unclassified US intelligence report published on Friday “has not added any substance to merit comment.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has categorically denied that any of its official agencies took part in alleged cyberattacks on the United States during the US elections. “We continue to categorically rule […]

Northern Ireland’s McGuinness to resign over political crisis

BELFAST, North Ireland (Reuters) — Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness will resign from his post in protest against his power-sharing government partners’ handling of a controversial energy scheme, he said on Monday (January 9). McGuinness’s nationalist Sinn Fein party had called on First Minister Arlene Foster of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the province’s largest pro-British party, to step aside while an investigation take place into the botched scheme it says could cost […]

Jerusalem attack must not deter from push for peace: UN chief

UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the Jerusalem truck-ramming attack on a group of Israeli soldiers but said it should not stand in the way of efforts to renew peace talks. Four people were killed and 17 wounded on Sunday when a Palestinian drove a truck into the group of soldiers visiting a tourist spot in Jerusalem. Guterres “condemns the terrorist attack by a Palestinian assailant,” said UN […]

Florida airport gunman appears in court to hear charges

by Leila MACOR Agence france Presse FORT LAUDERDALE, United States (AFP) — An Iraq war vet accused of killing five people in a shooting spree at a Florida airport appeared in court Monday to face federal charges that carry the death penalty. Esteban Santiago, 26, who had told the FBI two months before the shooting that he was hearing voices, was brought before federal judge Alicia Valle in Fort Lauderdale in handcuffs and wearing a red […]

Trump govt faces rising risk of international conflict: study

by Paul HANDLEY WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The incoming Donald Trump administration faces a world of greater risk of conflict, slower growth and more anti-democratic pressures than ever since the Cold War, a new US intelligence report released Monday said. US leadership is ebbing amid shifts in economic, political and technological power, deep changes in the global landscape “that portend a dark and difficult near future,” according to the National Intelligence Council’s “Global Trends: […]

Trump names son-in-law as senior presidential advisor

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — US President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday that his son-in-law Jared Kushner, a property developer and publisher, will serve as senior White House advisor, flouting myriad legal and ethical concerns. The incoming Republican, who has never previously held elected office, said Kushner, who also has no political experience outside his father-in-law’s campaign, would serve as “senior advisor to the president.” Kushner, whom Forbes estimates is worth $1.8 billion together with his […]

Iran mourns ‘sheikh of moderation’ Rafsanjani

by Ali Noorani Agence France-Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) – Iran began three days of mourning Monday after the death of ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a pillar of the Islamic revolution who became a leading counterweight to hardliners. Tributes poured in for the moderate cleric, including from President Hassan Rouhani, who was reportedly at Rafsanjani’s bedside before he died of a heart attack aged 82. “Islam lost a valuable treasure, Iran an outstanding general, the Islamic […]

Europe cold snap kills dozens, prompts travel chaos

by Stanislaw WASZAK Agence France-Presse WARSAW, Poland (AFP) – A cold snap gripping Europe has killed more than 30 people in recent days, left thousands of travellers stranded in snow-covered Turkey and brought fresh misery for migrants and the homeless. The double-digit sub-zero temperatures hit Poland particularly hard, with the mercury plummeting below minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit) in some regions. Sunday was the country’s worst 24 hours so far for cold-related deaths. […]

US congress certifies Trump’s Electoral College victory

(Eagle News) — The United States congress certified the Electoral College vote that gave republican Donald Trump his victory in the contentious 2016 Presidential Election after a raucous half-hour joint session punctuated by democratic challenges. Trump, whose presidential campaign was his first bid for public office, garnered 304 electoral votes, compared with 227 won by his democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton, according to the vote tallied read by Vice President Joe Biden. The electoral votes were […]

Michelle Obama gives emotional speech

(Eagle News) — First lady Michelle Obama gave her final White House speech saying “being your first lady has been the greatest honor. During a ceremony honoring the Counselor of the Year, an emotional Obama focused her remarks on empowering young people to reach their potential. https://youtu.be/J6f97y8Mok8