France braces for holiday travel chaos amid pensions strike

Trying to catch one of the few trains running PARIS, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cancelled trains, packed roads, frazzled nerves: Travellers scrambled across France on Friday to begin Christmas vacations upended by a weeks-long transport strike over a pensions overhaul that unions have vowed to defeat. Hopes of a holiday…

Over 1,000 women take feminist anthem to Chile’s streets

Created by a Chilean Feminist collective and first performed last month, the song slams violence against women SANTIAGO, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than a thousand women have taken the feminist anthem “A Rapist In Your Way” into the streets of Chile’s capital Santiago, performing the rallying cry sung in cities…

Update: Boeing’s Starliner astronaut capsule fails key test to reach space station

Boeing’s new Starliner spacecraft is in the wrong orbit during first trip to space CAPE CANAVERAL (Florida, US), Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Boeing Co’s new astronaut capsule failed after liftoff on Friday to climb high enough in orbit to reach the International Space Station, cutting short a critical unmanned test…

US accuses Venezuela of bribes to rig opposition vote

US Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams (right) and Charge d’Affaires for Venezuela James Story WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States on Friday promised further sanctions to pressure Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro, accusing him of bribing lawmakers to block the re-election of his opponent Juan Guaido. The National…

US removes Sudan from religious freedom blacklist

A Sudanese Christian woman prays during a Sunday service at the All Saints Cathedral in Khartoum WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States lifted fast-changing Sudan from a blacklist for religious freedom violations as it issued warnings to Nigeria, Cuba and Nicaragua. Sudan was the only nation removed from…

US won’t levy threatened tariffs on Brazil steel, Pres Trump told Pres Bolsonaro

BRASILIA, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said that US President Donald Trump told him in a Friday phone conversation that his administration will not levy new tariffs on Brazilian steel and aluminium as threatened earlier this month. “I had a phone conversation a few moments ago with Donald…

US Pres Trump says had ‘very good talk’ with China’s Pres Xi on trade deal

US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping WASHINGTON/BEIJING, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Donald Trump said he’d had a “very good talk” with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on a partial resolution of the countries’ huge trade war. Trump tweeted that China “already started large scale”…

Eyeing combat in outer space, US creates Pentagon Space Force

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Gen. Jay Raymond, after signing the letter of his appointment as the chief of space operations for U.S. Space Command WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Donald Trump signed l egislation Friday to create a full-fledged Pentagon force for combat in outer space – the first…

At the US-Mexican border, migrants give up hope of crossing

CIUDAD JUAREZ (Mexico), Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — In a muddy makeshift camp in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, more than 1,000 migrants had waited for weeks for a chance to request asylum in the United States, enduring cold nights and long days of uncertainty. Frustrated, many are giving…

US crew spacecraft Starliner starts unmanned flight test

WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (NNN-XINHUA) — A US spacecraft designed to fly astronauts to the International Space Station from the United States was launched on Friday morning for its maiden unmanned flight. Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft lifted off on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 6:36 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time…