Cotonou (AFP) – A court in Benin on Thursday sentenced two former allies of President Patrice Talon to 20 years in jail on charges of “conspiring against the authority of the state”.
Benin court jails two ex
Figure skating in shock as athletes, coaches perish in US crash
Washington (AFP) – Global figure skating’s tight-knit community was in mourning on Thursday after a passenger jet crash in Washington killed two former world champion coaches and young stars from the next generation of top US talent.
Trump blames deadly Washington air collision on 'diversity'
Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump — speaking as the bodies of 67 people were being pulled from Washington’s Potomac River — launched a political attack Thursday blaming diversity hires for the midair collision between an airliner and a military helicopter.
Easterby ready for long
London (AFP) – Ireland caretaker coach Simon Easterby insisted Sam Prendergast was the “right man” to help launch the champions’ Six Nations title defence as he forecast the fly-half would be involved in a lengthy rivalry for the Test No.10 shirt with Jack Crowley.
Siao Him Fa leads on sombre day at figure skating Europeans
Tallinn (AFP) – Frenchman Adam Siao Him Fa paid tribute to the victims of the plane crash in the United States after taking the men’s singles lead on a sombre Thursday at the European figure skating championships.
American skier Shiffrin remembers air crash victims on return from injury
Courchevel (France) (AFP) – American Mikaela Shiffrin paid homage to the victims of an air crash after placing tenth at Thursday’s World Cup slalom race in Courchevel ahead of the world championships starting in Austria next week.
Lula says if Trump hikes tariffs, Brazil will reciprocate
Brasília (AFP) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Thursday that if US counterpart Donald Trump hiked tariffs on Brazilian products, he would reciprocate — but that he would prefer improved relations over a trade war.
Merkel slams successor over far
Berlin (AFP) – Germany’s ex-chancellor Angela Merkel weighed in Thursday on a controversy flaring ahead of February elections, slamming her party successor for relying on far-right support on the flashpoint issue of immigration.
New rider in town: Somalia's first woman equestrian turns heads
Mogadishu (AFP) – A strange sight appears on the streets of Mogadishu: a figure dressed all in black, including a cowboy hat, riding a horse through the beeping traffic of tuk-tuks and motorbikes.
Melbourne doubles feud as Kichenok accuses Mladenovic of 'direct threat'
Melbourne (AFP) – Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok accused France’s Kristina Mladenovic Thursday of making a “very direct threat” against her during a testy women’s doubles clash at the Australian Open.
