International -- NationNews Barbados -- International -- nationnews.com

Finnish killings treated as first terror attack say police

HELSINKI/TURKU, Finland – Finnish police said on Saturday that an 18-year-old Moroccan man, arrested after a knife rampage that killed two people and wounded eight, appeared to have targeted women and that the spree was being treated as the country’s first terrorism-related attack. The suspect arrested following the attack on Friday after being shot in the leg by police in the city of Turku had arrived in Finland last year, police said.
Source: South Africa grants Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa has granted diplomatic immunity to Zimbabwe's first lady, Grace Mugabe, allowing her to return to Harare and avoid prosecution for the alleged assault of a 20-year-old model, a security source said on Friday. South African police had put border posts on "red alert" to prevent Mugabe fleeing and indicated she would receive no special treatment in the case involving Gabriella Engels, who says Mugabe whipped her with an electric extension cable. A security source, however, said immunity had been granted.
Trump dumps controversial chief strategist Bannon in latest upheaval

WASHINGTON/HAGERSTOWN – President Donald Trump on Friday fired his chief strategist Steve Bannon in the latest White House shake-up, removing a far-right architect of his 2016 election victory and a driving force behind his nationalist and anti-globalisation agenda. Bannon's firing, a year and a day after Trump hired him as his campaign chief, put an abrupt end to the rabble-rousing political provocateur's tumultuous tenure in a White House riven with rivalries and back-stabbing during which he clashed with more-moderate factions. He was instrumental in some of Trump's most contentious policy moves including the ban on people from several Muslim-majority countries, abandoning the Paris climate accord, tearing up international trade agreements and cracking down on illegal immigration.
Van mows down crowd in Barcelona, 13 reported killed

BARCELONA – A van ploughed into crowds in the heart of Barcelona on Thursday and Spanish media reported at least 13 people were killed, in what police said they were treating as a terrorist attack. Regional authorities said one death had been confirmed so far, with 32 injured, 10 seriously. But radio station Cadena Ser cited police sources as saying the death toll was much higher. Police said they said were searching for the driver of the van who, according to local media, fled the scene on foot.
Lincoln Memorial in Washington defaced with expletive

WASHINGTON – The Lincoln Memorial in the US capital was spray painted with expletive graffiti that was discovered on Tuesday, days after violence broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia, over an American Civil War-era monument. The graffiti appeared to read "@#!* law" spray painted in red on a column of the memorial to Abraham Lincoln, the American president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the United States. The National Park Service said in a statement that it was removing the graffiti from the monument and a Smithsonian Institution directional sign blocks away that was also vandalised with spray paint.
Grace Mugabe back in Zimbabwe after being accused of assault in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG/HARARE – Zimbabwe’s first lady, Grace Mugabe, returned home on Tuesday from South Africa after failing to turn herself in to police in Johannesburg to face charges of assaulting a model in a hotel room. There was no immediate public comment on the case from Grace, 52, a possible successor to her husband President Robert Mugabe, 93, who has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980. But Zimbabwe government sources confirmed she had returned home.
North Korea holds off on Guam missile plan as China urges 'brakes' on rhetoric

SEOUL/WASHINGTON – North Korea's leader has delayed a decision on firing missiles towards Guam while he waits to see what the United States does next, the North's state media said on Tuesday, as South Korea's president said Seoul would seek to prevent war by all means. Signs of an easing in tension on the Korean peninsula helped stock markets rally for a second day running even as the United States and South Korea prepared for more joint military drills, which infuriate the North, and experts warned it could still go ahead with its provocative plan.

Venezuela restores opposition leader Ledezma's house arrest

04 August 2017

CARACAS – Venezuela returned opposition leader Antonio Ledezma from prison to his home on Friday, hours before the government planned to inaugurate a new legislative super body authorised to expand the powers of leftist President Nicolas Maduro. Ledezma and fellow... Read More

Grand jury issues subpoenas on meeting with Russian lawyer

04 August 2017

WASHINGTON – A grand jury has issued subpoenas in connection with a June 2016 meeting that included President Donald Trump’s son, his son-in-law and a Russian lawyer, two sources told Reuters on Thursday, signalling an investigation is gathering pace into suspected... Read More

Trump administration moves to make tougher US visa vetting permanent

03 August 2017

WASHINGTON – The Trump administration moved on Thursday to make permanent a new questionnaire that asks some US visa applicants to provide their social media handles and detailed biographical and travel history, according to a public notice. The questionnaire was... Read More

US bans travel to North Korea from September 1

03 August 2017

WASHINGTON – A ban on travel by U.S. passport holders to North Korea will take effect on September 1 and Americans in the country should leave before that date, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday. Journalists and humanitarian workers may apply for exceptions... Read More

Comey signs book deal after abrupt end to FBI career

02 August 2017

FORMER FBI DIRECTOR James Comey, who was fired by US President Donald Trump, has signed a deal for a book on leadership and decision-making that will come out in spring 2018, the publisher said on Wednesday. The book deal with Macmillan's Flatiron Books comes three... Read More

Buenos Aires Herald to close after 140 years

02 August 2017

BUENOS AIRES – The Buenos Aires Herald, a storied English-language newspaper lauded for its coverage of Argentina’s 1976-1983 military dictatorship, will close after more than 140 years of publication, the newspaper said late on Monday. “Herald’s staff have been... Read More

Bank of England staff begin first strike in 50 years

02 August 2017

LONDON – Staff at the Bank of England began their first strike in more than 50 years on Tuesday in a push for higher pay, highlighting growing pressure to end tight controls on public-sector wages in Britain. The three-day strike will overlap with an interest rate... Read More

Venezuela jails opposition leaders in new crackdown

01 August 2017

CARACAS – Venezuela jailed two leading critics of President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday in a fresh blow to the opposition after the election of a new political body with power to rewrite the constitution and strengthen the hand of the leftist government. The United... Read More

US targets Venezuelan President Maduro for sanctions

31 July 2017

WASHINGTON – The United States government will designate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday for sanctions for undermining democracy, in response to Sunday’s election of a legislative superbody that Washington denounced as a “sham” vote, several sources said.... Read More

White House director Scaramucci resigns

31 July 2017

WASHINGTON – The White House said on Monday that Anthony Scaramucci, named by President Donald Trump as communications director only ten days ago, was leaving the post. The change comes days after Scaramucci delivered a profanity-laced tirade against other top Trump... Read More

German police rule out terrorism after fatal disco shooting

31 July 2017

BERLIN – An Iraqi gunman died in a shootout with German police early on Sunday after killing one person in a nightclub in the southern city of Konstanz, police said, ruling out terrorism as a motive. “The motives of the man who acted alone are unclear,” Konstanz... Read More

China must decide on further action against North Korea, says US ambassador

30 July 2017

NEW YORK – The United States is "done talking about North Korea" and China must decide if it is willing to back imposing stronger United Nations sanctions on North Korea over its two long-range missile tests this month, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley... Read More

London police arrest one at protest over death of detainee

29 July 2017

LONDON – Police in east London arrested one person after violence broke out at a protest over the death of a man who had been detained a week earlier, police said on Saturday. Rashan Charles, 20, died on July 22 after he was chased by a police officer who attempted... Read More

Venezuela braces for vote aimed at rewriting constitution

29 July 2017

CARACAS – Venezuelan protesters blocked streets on Saturday in a last-ditch effort to derail the election of a legislative super-body that opponents of President Nicolas Maduro say will give the socialist leader a stranglehold on power. The oil-rich but recession-racked... Read More

Trump replaces chief of staff Reince Priebus after six-month run

28 July 2017

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump replaced his beleaguered White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, after only six months on the job on Friday, installing retired General John Kelly in his place in a major shakeup of his top team. Trump announced the move in... Read More

Russia orders out US diplomats in sanctions retaliation

28 July 2017

MOSCOW – Russia on Friday ordered the United States to cut hundreds of diplomatic staff in retaliation for a new round of US sanctions, and said it was seizing two US diplomatic properties. Moscow’s decision, which had echoes of the Cold War, was announced by the... Read More

New immigration rules after Brexit

27 July 2017

LONDON – Freedom of movement of workers between Britain and the European Union (EU)will end when Britain withdraws from the bloc, immigration minister Brandon Lewis said on Thursday. “Free movement of labour ends when we leave the European Union in spring 2019,”... Read More

Sources: Russia used Facebook to try to spy on Macron campaign

27 July 2017

SAN FRANCISCO – Russian intelligence agents attempted to spy on President Emmanuel Macron's election campaign earlier this year by creating phony Facebook personas, according to a US Congressman and two other people briefed on the effort. About two dozen Facebook... Read More

Britain will ban sale of new fuel cars from 2040

27 July 2017

LONDON – Britain will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2040 in an attempt to reduce air pollution that could herald the end of over a century of reliance on the internal combustion engine. Britain’s step, which follows France, amounts to a victory... Read More

Prince William giving up day job

27 July 2017

LONDON – Britain’s Prince William will give up his day job on Thursday when he completes his last shift as an air ambulance pilot before focusing full-time on his royal duties. The 35-year-old prince, the second-in-line to the throne after his father, Charles, announced... Read More

US sanctions Venezuelan officials, one killed in anti-Maduro strike

26 July 2017

WASHINGTON/CARACAS – The Trump administration imposed sanctions on 13 senior Venezuelan officials as the country's opposition launched a two-day strike on Wednesday, heaping pressure on unpopular President Nicolas Maduro to scrap plans for a controversial new congress.... Read More