PARIS – Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been put under investigation over alleged irregularities in his 2012 re-election campaign finances, a statement by the Paris prosecutor’s office said. The decision, which was announced on Tuesday, is seen as a blow to the 61-year-old politician’s hopes of running for president again in 2017. He was…
MUNICH – Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister says if the Syrian political process fails, President Bashar al-Assad will have to be removed “by force.” “I believe Bashar al-Assad is weak and I believe Bashar al-Assad is finished,” Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview in Munich, Germany. Saudi Arabia…
WASHINGTON – Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders have shaken up the US presidential race with decisive victories in the New Hampshire primary. Billionaire Mr Trump is likely to get more than twice the number of votes of the next Republican candidate. Senator Bernie Sanders, who beat Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by a huge…
RIO DE JANEIRO – Prosecutors in Brazil are recommending that football star Neymar be charged over four counts of fraud in relation to a tax case prior to his transfer to Barcelona in 2013. It is alleged that companies were set up as fronts in order for the striker to pay a lower rate of…
TEXAS – A rare case of the Zika virus being transmitted through sex, not a mosquito bite, has been reported in the US. A patient infected in Dallas, Texas, is likely to have been infected by sexual contact, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) told the BBC. The person had not travelled to infected areas…
NEW YORK – Donald Trump loomed large over the final Republican debate before the Iowa caucuses, despite not being on stage. His absence was mocked by his rivals, who tried to fill the space vacated by Mr Trump’s boycott by attacking each other on immigration and other issues. Mr Trump decided to withdraw after Fox…
OXFORD – A college at Oxford University says it has decided not to remove a statue of the British imperialist Cecil Rhodes. Campaigners want the statue torn down, arguing that Rhodes, a 19th Century businessman and politician in southern Africa, represented white supremacy. They have described Oriel College’s decision as “outrageous, dishonest and cynical” and…
PARIS – French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira has stepped down from her job, shortly before MPs are due to debate plans to strip people convicted of terrorism of their citizenship. Ms Taubira was known to disagree with the controversial proposals, The citizenship plans were put forward after the 13 November Paris attacks in which 130…
DAVOS – Global chief executives are more pessimistic about growth than this time last year, according to a survey. Only 27% of interviewees thought growth would improve, against 37% in 2015, the report by consultants PwC showed. Business leaders are increasingly worried about geopolitical risks, as well as China’s economic slowdown and the falling oil…
CHARSADDA – Militants raided a university in northwest Pakistan, timing their attack to a ceremony at the school to ensure maximum casualties. As security forces combed the campus block by block after the massacre Wednesday, they counted the bodies of at least 21 students. Four militants were also killed, said army spokesman Lt. Gen. Asim…
