UPDATE 1-Vancouver approves ban on plastic straws, bags from next year
Vancouver voted late on Wednesday to ban the use of plastic straws and bags from April next year, making it the first major Canadian city to enact such a wide-reaching ban, according to the city. The move, aimed at cutting the use of plastic bags and …
UPDATE 1-Sudan approves law to "dismantle" former regime – state TV
Sudanese transitional authorities approved a law late on Thursday to “dismantle” the regime of former president Omar al-Bashir, responding to a key demand of protest movement that helped overthrow him in April, state TV reported. The Sudanese Professi…
UPDATE 1-N.Korea's Kim expressed 'great satisfaction' over rocket test -KCNA
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a “successful test” of a super-large multiple launch rocket system and expressed “great satisfaction,” state media said on Friday. North Korea fired two short-range projectiles into the sea off its east coast on…
Assad approves $9.2 bln budget
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday approved a $9.2-billion budget for his war-torn country, official media reported. The 2020 budget, approved by Syria’s parliament before being signed off by Assad, sees the country’s deficit rise by 54 per…
Brazil frees volunteer firefighters accused of setting Amazon blazes
A Brazilian judge on Thursday ruled to free four volunteer firefighters jailed this week on accusations they had set fires in the Amazon rainforest to drum up donations, according to court documents. The firefighters operate in the Alter do Chao regio…
Maltese PM's former aide released in Daphne murder enquiry
Maltese police said on Thursday that they had released Keith Schembri, the prime minister’s former chief of staff, who had been under arrest for questioning in connection with the 2017 murder of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Schem…
UCF suspends sorority amid hazing accusations
The University of Central Florida has suspended a sorority amid complaints that members forced others to drink and take drugs until they blacked out during hazing. An anonymous online post described a friend’s initiation into a group within Pi Beta Ph…
7 dead after plane crashes near Canadian city
Police in the Canadian city of Kingston say seven people have died after a small plane crashed in the area Wednesday evening. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has sent a team of four investigators to the scene of the crash, where they’re exam…
UPDATE 1-Spain's Socialists, Catalan separatists to continue talks on new government
Spain’s Socialists and Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) said on Thursday they would again meet on Dec. 3 after initial talks in which they agreed the need for dialogue to break a deadlock on forming a new government. Th…
CORRECTED-Spain's Socialists, Catalan separatists to continue talks on new government
Spain’s Socialists said on Thursday they had a “constructive dialogue” with the Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) during their first official meeting to negotiate the formation of a new Spanish government. In a statement…
Texas chemical fire rages for second day, thousands evacuated
A major fire at a Texas petrochemical plant continued to burn for a second day on Thursday, with the 60,000 people forced to evacuate still uncertain as to whether they could return home in time to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. The fiery blast i…
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