December 9, 2019

Ford Seals First Win With Beaver Creek Giant Slalom Victory

December 9, 2019 5:02 pm

Tommy Ford swept to the first World Cup victory of his career at the Beaver Creek giant slalom in Colorado on Sunday.

The 30-year-old American, who had led after a blistering first run on the Birds of Prey course, sealed victory with a flawless second run of 1min 14.85 for a combined time of 2:31.25.

That was good enough to edge ahead of Norwegian duo Henrik Kristoffersen and Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen, who finished second and third respectively.

Kristoffersen, third fastest after the first run, had moved into first place after clocking 1:15.42 with his second run for a total of …

Riquelme Beats Maradona As Boca Juniors Elect New President

December 9, 2019 5:02 pm

Former Argentina playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme has won a three-way battle with bitter rival Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta after his group won the elections at Boca Juniors, striking a big blow against his old foe Maradona.

The list headed by Jorge Ameal, who was club president between 2008 and 2011, won 52.8 percent of the vote from Boca’s 84,000 members, bringing Riquelme into the 33-time Argentine champions’ hierarchy.

The 41-year-old stood alongside Ameal as prospective second vice-president and helped see off the faction supported by Maradona and powerful outgoing president of Argentina Mauricio Macri, which was led by …

Real Madrid Forward Benzema Could Face Trial Over Sextape

December 9, 2019 5:01 pm

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema may be facing a criminal trial after France’s highest court of appeal on Monday dismissed his appeal challenging the legality of a blackmail investigation over a sextape featuring fellow footballer Mathieu Valbuena.

The court found that the investigative methods used in the case, in which Benzema is alleged to have colluded in blackmailing Valbuena, were within the law.

Benzema and Valbuena were both in the French national team at the time of the attempted blackmail.

In June 2015, Valbuena, who now plays for Greek club Olympiakos, filed a complaint, claiming he was the victim of …

Australian PM Says 24 Nationals Were On New Zealand Volcano

December 9, 2019 5:01 pm

At least 24 Australians were on New Zealand’s White Island when its volcano erupted unexpectedly, and an unknown number of them were missing and feared dead, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said.

Up to 50 people were visiting the popular tourist attraction when it exploded on Monday, with five confirmed dead, another 18 injured and the rest missing.

Some of the injured suffered serious burns.

Police have said they expect no more survivors will be found on the island off New Zealand’s east coast after aerial reconnaissance flights found no signs of life.

The country’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern …

Great Day For Losers: Wimpy Kid Author Gets French Medal

December 9, 2019 5:00 pm

The Wimpy Kid has finally done good — and his creator Jeff Kinney has even got a medal from France to prove it.

The American creator of the bestseller “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books was made an officer of France’s Order of Arts and Letters on Monday, an honour also conferred on Nobel laureates T. S. Eliot and Seamus Heaney as well as music megastars such as Bono and David Bowie.

As the medal was pinned to his chest, Kinney, 48, said he never expected his stories to become such a cult children’s hit, selling more than 200 …

Putin, Zelensky Meet In Paris Push To End Ukraine War

December 9, 2019 5:00 pm

Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday met Ukranian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time ever at a Paris summit aimed at agreeing measures to help end five years of conflict in the east of Ukraine.

No comprehensive peace deal is expected from the meeting — mediated by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel — but diplomats hope the summit will help to bolster trust between the two men.

The four-way talks at the Elysee Palace are expected to be followed by a hotly-awaited bilateral between wily ex-KGB agent Putin — in power for two decades — …

French Strike Snarls Commutes In Crucial Week For Macron

December 9, 2019 4:59 pm

Travellers across France endured a fifth day of turmoil on Monday amid a massive strike over planned pension reforms, as the government held a final meeting with union officials before unveiling details of the overhaul this week.

Unions have vowed to keep up the fight until President Emmanuel Macron abandons the plan, with another mass demonstration planned in Paris and other cities on Tuesday.

Most Paris metro lines were shut completely while others provided only a few trains during rush hour — leading to huge traffic jams in the capital — with network operator RATP forecasting similar disruptions for Tuesday.…

Trump Thanks Iran As American Freed In Prisoner Swap

December 9, 2019 2:50 pm

President Donald Trump had rare positive words for Iran on Saturday, thanking the US foe for a “very fair” negotiation to successfully pull off a prisoner swap that saw an American released from Iranian detention amid soaring tensions.

The exchange, which took place in neutral Switzerland, involved a Princeton graduate student jailed in Iran for espionage since 2016 and an Iranian national arrested over a year ago in Chicago.

“Thank you to Iran on a very fair negotiation,” tweeted Trump, as Xiyue Wang made his way home to his family. The US leader was expected to welcome Wang in person …

EU Budget Rules Need Rethink, Says New Commissioner

December 9, 2019 2:49 pm

The EU’s new economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said the bloc should consider loosening its strict budget deficit rules to respond to climate risks and weak growth, echoing a similar call by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The rules, which aim to enforce budgetary discipline among European Union members, were born out of the financial crisis and needed to be updated, Gentiloni told the Monday edition of the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

“We have different challenges now: the fight against climate change and the danger of having low growth and low inflation for an extended period,” he said in comments translated into German.…

Man Eats $120,000 Piece Of Art – A Banana Taped To Wall

December 9, 2019 2:49 pm

The move was bananas... or maybe the work was just too appealing.

A performance artist shook up the crowd at the Art Basel show in Miami Beach on Saturday when he grabbed a banana that had been duct-taped to a gallery wall and ate it.

The banana was, in fact, a work of art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan titled “Comedian” and sold to a French collector for $120,000.

In a video posted on his Instagram account, David Datuna, who describes himself as a Georgian-born American artist living in New York, walks up to the banana and pulls it …

Screams As Scores Die In Devastating India Factory Fire

December 9, 2019 2:48 pm

At least 43 people were killed Sunday in a devastating fire that ripped through a bag factory in the congested old quarter of the Indian capital New Delhi, with survivors describing the screams of workers trapped inside.

Police and fire officials said they had rescued at least 58 people and did not expect to find more bodies.

The blaze was the worst in Delhi since 59 movie-goers died in a cinema in 1997.

The cause of the blaze is not yet known, but the city’s poor planning and lax enforcement of building and safety codes have often been blamed for …

Ukraine Crowds Protest Over Russia Summit

December 9, 2019 2:48 pm

Some 5,000 Ukrainians rallied in Kiev on Sunday warning President Volodymyr Zelensky to resist pressure from Russia’s Vladimir Putin when the two men meet on Monday for talks on the conflict in Ukraine’s east.

Protesters held placards with slogans such as “No to capitulation”, “Stay away from Moscow” and “Russian gas is a noose around our necks” during the rally, led by Zelensky’s political opponents.

The two leaders are due to meet for the first time since Zelensky’s election in April at the talks in Paris, mediated by French and German leaders Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel.

The meeting is …

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𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬, 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤, is a nonpartisan online news portal founded on the truth to provide you with weekly, insightful articles written with precision and current updates on current events from Africa in particular and the rest of the world in general. All of our reports undergo extensive fact-checking to ensure their veracity, and we adhere strictly to the facts, no matter whose ox is gored.

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