Articles by Agence France-Press

We found 38 results.


UN Rights Experts Condemn Assange Arrest
Agence France-Presse – The Philippine Star, 15 Apr 2019

11 Apr 2019 — UN human rights experts rallied to Julian Assange on today, criticizing Ecuador and Britain over his arrest and warning of grave consequences should he be extradited to the United States. The UN special rapporteur on arbitrary, summary or extrajudicial killings, Agnes Callamard, told AFP that Ecuador’s decision “has exposed Mr. Assange to a real risk of serious violations of his human rights.”

→ read full article

Two Koreas Will March Together at the Olympics
Agence France-Presse | PRI – TRANSCEND Media Service, 22 Jan 2018

17 Jan 2018 – The two Koreas agreed today to march together under a single flag at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony and field a united women’s ice hockey team for the Games in a further sign of easing tensions on the peninsula.

→ read full article

Publisher Wins Rights to Voynich Manuscript, a Book No One Can Read
Agence France-Presse – The Guardian, 26 Sep 2016

Tiny Spanish publisher can clone centuries-old manuscript written in language or code that no one has cracked.

→ read full article

Argentina Sues Citigroup over Debt Repayments
Agence France-Presse – The Guardian, 18 May 2015

Bank says some employees of Citi Argentina could face criminal charges due to court battle between South American nation and US hedge funds.

→ read full article

Dieudonné Arrested over Facebook Post on Paris Gunman [French shooting themselves on the foot]
Agence France-Presse – The Guardian, 19 Jan 2015

French comedian accused of justifying terrorism after linking attacker to tribute slogan by writing ‘I feel like Charlie Coulibaly’. The French government has in the past banned Dieudonné’s shows because it considers them “antisemitic”.

→ read full article

Israel Approves 380 New East Jerusalem Settler Homes
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 29 Dec 2014

Israeli authorities gave final approval on Wednesday [24 Dec 2014] to the construction of 380 new settler homes in two areas of occupied east Jerusalem, a local official said.

→ read full article

ICC Rules Out Investigation into Israeli Raid on Gaza-Bound Flotilla
Agence France-Presse at The Hague – The Guardian, 10 Nov 2014

War crimes court [International Criminal Court] says killing of Turkish activists by Israeli commandos in 2010 not of sufficient gravity to warrant inquiry.

→ read full article

Failing Sense of Smell Strong Predictor of Death
Agence France-Presse - AlterNet, 6 Oct 2014

Oct 3, 2014 – A declining sense of smell in older people is a strong predictor of death within just five years, according to new research.

→ read full article

Israel to Build 283 Homes on West Bank
Agence France-Presse – The Guardian, 8 Sep 2014

5 Sep 2014 – Israel has published tenders to build 283 homes in a West Bank settlement, days after announcing its biggest land grab on occupied Palestinian territory for three decades. That move drew international condemnation, even from its staunch ally, the US, and some Israeli cabinet ministers.

→ read full article

Obama Advisor Susan Rice: US Providing ‘Lethal’ Aid to Syrian Rebels
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 9 Jun 2014

President Barack Obama’s top foreign policy advisor Susan Rice on Friday [6 Jun 2014] said Washington was providing “lethal and non-lethal” support to select members of the Syrian opposition, offering more detail than usual on US assistance.

→ read full article

US Marines Deploy to Italy Due to Libya Threat: Official
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 19 May 2014

The US military has moved a team of marines from Spain to southern Italy as a precautionary step in case the US embassy in Libya comes under threat, officials said Wednesday [14 May 2014].

→ read full article

China Signs Mega East Africa Rail Deal
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 19 May 2014

China on Sunday [11 May 2014] signed a deal to build a $3.8 billion rail link between Kenya’s Indian Ocean port of Mombasa and Nairobi, the first stage of a line that will eventually link Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.

→ read full article

Israeli President Peres: Netanyahu Blocked 2011 Peace Deal with Palestinians
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 12 May 2014

“Netanyahu told me to wait a few days because he thought that Tony Blair could get a better offer,” Peres said, referring to the envoy of the peacemaking quartet of the EU, Russia, UN and USA. “The days passed and there was no better offer.”

→ read full article

Former Skinhead Gets Top Hungary Parliament Post
Agence France-Presse – Global Post, 12 May 2014

Hungary’s parliament voted in a former skinhead Tuesday [6 May 2014] as its deputy speaker in the first session since an election last month saw the far-right Jobbik party make significant gains.

→ read full article

US Troops Land in Lithuania amid Ukraine Crisis
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 5 May 2014

US troops arrived Saturday [26 Apr 2014] in Lithuania, part of a US contingent of 600 sent to the region to reassure NATO allies amid the escalating Ukraine crisis. Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite hailed the arrival of American forces as a “deterrence measure” in the region.

→ read full article

First Troops Land in Poland as US Beefs Up Baltic Presence
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 5 May 2014

The first American troops arrived in Poland on Wednesday [23 Apr 2014], after Washington said it was sending a force of 600 there and to the Baltic states amid rising tensions with Russia over Ukraine.

→ read full article

US Troops Land in Latvia
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 5 May 2014

Latvia on Friday [25 Apr 2014] welcomed American troops on its soil, part of a US force of 600 sent to the region to reassure the Baltic states amid concern over Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

→ read full article

US Troops Land in Estonia
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 5 May 2014

American troops landed in Estonia on Monday [28 Apr 2014] , rounding out the 600-man force sent by Washington to Poland and the Baltic states to allay concerns over the escalating Ukraine crisis.

→ read full article

Britain, France Deploy Jets to Boost Baltic Patrols
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 5 May 2014

Britain and France deployed eight fighter jets on Monday [28 Apr 2014] to reinforce NATO air patrols over the Baltics as tensions rise with Russia over Ukraine.

→ read full article

Whoopi Goldberg Debuts as Marijuana Columnist
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 28 Apr 2014

Goldberg opted to focus on how pot has helped her cope with massive headaches induced by glaucoma, an eye disorder that can lead to blindness. “It helps my head stop hurting, and with glaucoma your eyes ache, and she takes the ache out. It’s wonderful,” she said. “The high is different, too. It feels like a gentle, warm breeze at the beach.

→ read full article

Uganda President Blocks Anti-Gay Bill
Agence France-Press – TRANSCEND Media Service, 20 Jan 2014

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said there were better ways to cure the “abnormality” on Friday [17 Jan 2014]. Homosexuality was caused by either “random breeding” or a need to make money. And lesbians, he said, choose female partners because of “sexual starvation” and the failure to marry a man.

→ read full article

Brazil Confirms Secure Satellite Deal to Stifle U.S. Spying
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 2 Dec 2013

Brazil’s state-owned telecom provider Telebras signed a $560 million contract to deliver a satellite for secure communications on Thursday [28 Nov 2013], following months of outrage over revelations of US cyber-spying.

→ read full article

International Monetary Fund Strongly Suggests Countries Tax the Rich to Fix Deficit
Agence France-Presse ,The Raw Story – TRANSCEND Media Service, 21 Oct 2013

11 Oct 2013 – Tax the rich and better target the multinationals: The IMF has set off shockwaves this week in Washington by suggesting countries fight budget deficits by raising taxes.

→ read full article

Sex Abuse Victims List ‘Dirty Dozen’ Papal Candidates
Mira Oberman, Agence France-Presse - TRANSCEND Media Service, 18 Mar 2013

“We want to urge Catholic prelates to stop pretending that the worst is over regarding the clergy sex abuse and cover up crisis,” said David Clohessy, director of the US-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. “Tragically, the worst is almost certainly ahead,” he said, adding that the truth of “widespread, longstanding and deeply-rooted” abuse and coverups has “yet to surface in most nations.”

→ read full article

Court: Iceland Doesn’t Need To Repay UK and Dutch Depositors
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 4 Feb 2013

Iceland was entitled to refuse to pay immediate deposit guarantees to savers with failed online bank Icesave in Britain and the Netherlands, a European court said Monday [28 Jan 2013]. The Court of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which covers economic and trading relations between non-EU countries that are a part of the European Economic Area (EEA) single market and their European Union partners, was ruling on Reykjavik’s response to the collapse of the Icelandic banking sector in 2008-9.

→ read full article

Malawi Activists Say Scrapping Sodomy Laws an ‘Uphill Battle’
Agence France-Presse – TRANSCEND Media Service, 19 Nov 2012

Despite the Malawi government’s move to suspend a law banning same-sex relationships, activists say winning a total repeal will be an “uphill battle” in a country where homosexuality is considered a sin. “Malawi culture remains conservative,” Billy Mayaya, a leading rights activist, told AFP just hours after President Joyce Banda’s government announced the suspension of tough anti-gay laws, pending a parliamentary debate.

→ read full article

Internet Has Become ‘Surveillance Machine’: Julian Assange
Agence France-Presse – The Gazette, 5 Dec 2011

The Internet itself had become ‘the most significant surveillance machine that we have ever seen,’ Assange said in reference to the amount of information people give about themselves online. ‘It’s not an age of transparency at all … the amount of secret information is more than ever before,’ he said, adding that information flows in but is not flowing out of governments and other powerful organizations.

→ read full article

US ConocoPhillips’ China Oil Spill Six Times Size of Singapore
Agence France-Presse (AFP) – TRANSCEND Media Service, 18 Jul 2011

A huge oil spill off the Chinese coast has now contaminated an area around six times the size of Singapore, state media reported Friday [15 Jul 2011], as the government said it may seek compensation for the leak. The spill from the oil field, which the United States’ ConocoPhillips operates with China’s state-run oil giant CNOOC, has polluted a total area of almost 4,250 square kilometres (1,650 square miles), government figures showed.

→ read full article

UN Rights Council Passes ‘Historic’ Gay Rights Bill
Hui Min Neo – Agence France-Presse, 20 Jun 2011

The UN Human Rights Council passed a historic resolution Friday [17 Jun 2011] that seeks equal rights for everyone regardless of their sexual orientation, marking progress for gay rights despite strong Arab and African opposition.

→ read full article

Mystery Illnesses Plague Louisiana Oil Spill Crews
Agence France-Presse - AlterNet, 25 Apr 2011

Local chemist Wilma Subra has been helping test people’s blood for volatile solvents, and said levels of benzene among cleanup workers, divers, fishermen and crabbers are as high as 36 times that of the general population. “As the event progresses we are seeing more and more people who are desperately ill,” she said. “Clearly it is showing that this is ongoing exposure,” Subra said, noting that pathways include contact with the skin, eating contaminated seafood or breathing polluted air. “We have been asking the federal agencies to please provide medical care from physicians who are trained in toxic exposure.” She said she has received no response.

→ read full article

Johnson & Johnson Fined for Bribing Doctors
Agence France-Presse – The Raw Story, 11 Apr 2011

US authorities fined cosmetics and drugs giant Johnson & Johnson $70 million on Friday [8 Mar 2011] for bribing doctors in Europe and paying kickbacks for contracts under a UN relief program in Iraq.

→ read full article

US Supreme Court Deals Pedophilia Blow for Vatican
Agence France-Presse – The Raw Story, 5 Jul 2010

Allowing a federal appeals court ruling to stand, the decision means Vatican officials including theoretically Pope Benedict XVI could face questioning under oath related to a litany of child sex abuse cases.

→ read full article

EL SALVADOR ISSUES OFFICIAL APOLOGY FOR CIVIL WAR ABUSES
Agence France-Presse - Inquirer, 18 Jan 2010

SAN SALVADOR–El Salvador’s President Mauricio Funes on Saturday [Jan 16 2010] officially apologized as head of state for widespread rights violations carried out by government forces during the country’s 1980-1992 civil war.Funes, speaking on the anniversary of the 1992 peace agreement that ended the war between leftist guerrillas and government forces, apologized for the "grave" […]

→ read full article

SOUND FAMILIAR? US REFUSES TO ALLOW UN INSPECTORS TO INVESTIGATE ITS WMDs
Agence France-Presse, 12 Dec 2009

The United States said Wednesday [Dec 9 2009] that it remained opposed to international inspections of biological weapon sites, even though it stressed its commitment to a UN treaty covering such arms and invaded Iraq in part over its alleged stalling of — UN weapons inspectors. "When it comes to the proliferation of bio weapons […]

→ read full article

LATIN AMERICA LEFTISTS TACKLE DOLLAR WITH NEW CURRENCY
Agence France-Presse, 20 Oct 2009

October 17, 2009 — COCHABAMBA, Bolivia – Leftist Latin American leaders agreed here on the creation of a regional currency, the Sucre, aimed at scaling back the use of the US dollar. Nine countries of ALBA, a leftist bloc conceived by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, met in Bolivia where they vowed to press ahead with […]

→ read full article

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ACROSS LATIN AMERICA PROTEST SPANISH ‘GENOCIDE’
Agence France-Presse, 14 Oct 2009

October 13, 2009 "AFP" — GUATEMALA CITY – Tens of thousands of indigenous people took to the streets across Latin America on Monday [Oct 12] to protest the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s 1492 discovery of the Americas.Columbus Day is celebrated as the Day of Hispanic Heritage in Latin America, but protesters marked the holiday as […]

→ read full article

CANADIAN, U.S., U.K. LIFE, HEALTH INSURERS INVESTING HEAVILY IN TOBACCO COMPANIES
Agence France-Presse, 9 Jun 2009

Canadian Firm Sun Life Has $1 Billion in Two Companies Major U.S., Canadian and British life and health insurance companies have billions of dollars invested in tobacco companies, says a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Wesley Boyd, the study’s lead author, found that at least $4.4 billion US in insurance company […]

→ read full article

TIME TO RETHINK US SANCTONS ON CUBA: TOP REPUBLICAN SENATOR
Agence France-Presse, 23 Feb 2009

The time is right for reevaluating US sanctions on Cuba, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee says in a new report, calling for allowing Cuba to buy US goods on credit, US media reported Sunday [Feb. 22].    Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana’s opinions are attached to a report due to be […]

→ read full article