PARIS – The first lady of France, Valerie Trierweiler, has been hospitalized since Friday following allegations that President Francois Hollande has been having an affair with a French actress, a top member of Trierweiler’s staff said. Patrice Biancone, head of Trierweiler’s Elysee office, told CNN, “She needed rest. We are hoping that she will leave…
JERUSALEM – Israelis are filing past the body of ex-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who has died aged 85 of heart failure after eight years in a coma. Draped in the national flag, the body is lying in state at the parliament building in Jerusalem. A private burial will take place on Monday. Israeli and world…
MADRID – A Spanish court has declared King Juan Carlos’ youngest daughter Cristina a suspect in alleged tax and money-laundering crimes. Cristina, 48, has been linked to the business affairs of her husband, former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin, who is under investigation for alleged embezzlement of public funds. It is believed to be the…
TORONTO – A winter storm has already blanketed areas of Canada and the north-eastern US with up to 2ft (60 cm) of snow. It has been blamed for 16 deaths in recent days and the cancellation of some 3,700 flights. Schools have been closed in several US states and residents urged to stay indoors for…
LONDON – Celebrations are taking place around the world to mark the start of 2014. People in Auckland, New Zealand, were among the first to celebrate. In Australia, hundreds of thousands gathered for a spectacular firework display around Sydney’s Harbour Bridge. Similar shows took place in cities across the world, with thousands lining London’s River…
MOSCOW – Former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky is due to be released from jail following a pardon from Russian President Vladimir Putin, officials say. Mr Putin signed a decree earlier pardoning Khodorkovsky on the basis of “the principles of humanity”. The president said on Thursday that the former oil magnate had asked him for clemency because…
SANTIAGO – Left-wing candidate Michelle Bachelet has been elected Chilean president for a second time, defeating her run-off rival by a wide margin. With nearly 90% of the vote counted, Ms Bachelet had 62% to 38% for Evelyn Matthei, a former minister from the ruling centre-right coalition. Ms Bachelet first served as president in 2006-10,…
KIEV – Undeterred by an overnight crackdown by authorities, protesters in the center of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, rebuilt barricades Wednesday that had been torn down hour earlier by riot police. As the day continued, police pulled back from the city’s Independence Square, or Maidan, and the country’s leaders sought to play down fears of…
BANGKOK – Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra dissolved the nation’s parliament Monday and called for new elections. But the move did little to appease anti-government protesters who remained on the streets by the thousands. Between 100,000 and 150,000 demonstrators rallied in Bangkok, with protest leaders saying their goal Monday is to storm Shinawatra’s office, known…
WASHINGTON – America’s first black president, Barack Obama, hailed Nelson Mandela on Thursday as a source of personal inspiration whose struggle against racism in South Africa jump-started his own involvement in politics. Speaking in the White House press room shortly after the announcement of Mandela’s death, a somber-looking Obama said the 95-year-old former South African…
