World

(FILES) In this file photo taken on March 18, 2015, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack speaks at a press conference in Washington, DC. – US President-elect Joe Biden announced several administration nominations on December 10, 2020, including Vilsack, Obama’s secretary of agriculture for two full terms, has been nominated to that same role under Biden. (Photo by Nicholas KAMM / AFP)US President-elect Joe Biden announced several administration picks Thursday, including Obama-era officials such as former national security advisor Susan Rice as White House Domestic Policy Council director and ex-chief of staff Denis McDonough as veterans affairs secretary. The appointments, laid…

Earthquakes Seismograph Photo: ShutterstockA 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off Taiwan on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, but while residents in the capital Taipei reported buildings violently shaking there were no immediate reports of damage. The quake struck off Yilan City on the island’s east coast at a depth of 74 kilometres at 9:19 pm local time (1319 GMT), according to the USGS. Taipei residents reported shaking buildings, with the quake felt across the island. “My building shook violently and I took my son and fled our home. It’s deathly terrifying,” wrote one social media user in Taipei. Chen Kuo-chang, head…

Czech President Milos Zeman is seen wearing a brace following an injury as he addresses a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart after their meeting on December 9, 2020 in Prague. (Photo by Ondrej Deml / various sources / AFP) The Czech government extended a state of emergency until December 23 on Thursday as the number of Covid-19 infections in the EU member started to surge again. The Czech Republic registered 6,402 new cases on Wednesday, the fastest growth since November 19, taking the country’s total tally since March to 563,333 cases and 9,226 deaths. “If the situation keeps…

Kelvin John Foster In this interview with the Guardian via telephone UK minister for Immigration and Future Borders, Kelvin John Foster says leaving the European Union will bring positive changes for international students coming into the United Kingdom (UK). *Are you nostalgic about leaving the EU. Is it having any negative impact on your educational system?* We recognise that the UK leaving the EU will bring changes for students who are coming into the United Kingdom. But we see it as part of having a global playing field, where we should judge people coming to the UK on what they…

US federal and state antitrust enforcers filed suit against Facebook on Wednesday claiming the social media giant abused its dominant position and seeking to unwind its acquisitions of messaging services Instagram and WhatsApp. Separate suits filed by the Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of state officials called for the divestment of Instagram and WhatsApp, services which are part of the Facebook “family” of applications. “Facebook’s actions to entrench and maintain its monopoly deny consumers the benefits of competition,” said Ian Conner, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. “Our aim is to roll back Facebook’s anticompetitive conduct and restore…

Jail Photo: Pinterest South African police were on Wednesday hunting for two prisoners who inexplicably escaped in the early hours from a high-security facility in the capital Pretoria, a correctional services spokesman said. The two on the run escaped before dawn from Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre prison, where the likes of paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius and apartheid death-squad leader Eugene de Kock, nicknamed “Prime Evil” have been held. Local media reported that the inmates had escaped by digging a hole in the wall of their cell. In a statement correctional services spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo identified the pair as Thabo…

Supporters of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) sing, dance and gesture on the main road of the Electoral Commission, in Accra, Ghana, on December 8, 2020, as Ghanaians await results of presidential and parliamentary elections that passed off peacefully, reaffirming the country’s reputation for stability in a troubled region. PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP Five people have been killed in election-related violence in Ghana, police said Wednesday, casting a shadow over a country hailed for its stable democracy. The deaths were reported as early results confirmed a tight race for the presidency and Ghana’s neighbours urged political camps to uphold…

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet attends the opening day of the 39th session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Sept. 10, 2018. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images The UN human rights chief on Wednesday voiced hope that the arrival of a new US president next month would help boost the rights situation in the country and around the world. In her annual year-end press conference in Geneva, Michelle Bachelet told reporters she was very encouraged by “a series of promising pledges” made by President-elect Joe Biden. She pointed to his defence of the immigrant rights programme…

President Donald Trump’s childhood home, located in the affluent Jamaica Estates neighborhood in New York’s Queens borough, is for sale Donald Trump’s childhood home in New York — already sold twice since 2016 — is back on the market. But this time, the real estate agency is appealing directly to the president’s fans to buy the house for the unprecedented price of $3 million and offer it to Trump as a gift. Paramount Realty agency on Tuesday launched a fundraiser on the crowdfunding site GoFundMe, calling on Trump fans to contribute towards the goal of reaching $3 million. If the…

FILE PHOTO: White House economic advisor Peter Navarro looks out from the steps of Air Force One as he waits to depart with U.S. President Donald Trump for travel to Ohio and New Jersey at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., August 6, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo An independent US federal ethics watchdog called Monday on President Donald Trump to take disciplinary action against his own trade adviser, Peter Navarro, for attacking election rivals while in his official government role. In a letter to the outgoing US leader, Henry Kerner, head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), said that Navarro…