World | Common News Update

May222019 by adminNo Comments

Officials: Last slave ship from Africa ID’d on Alabama coast

Alabama historical officials say researchers have located the wreck of the last ship known to bring enslaved people from Africa to the United States. A statement issued Wednesday by the Alabama Historical Commission says remains of the Gulf schooner Clotilda have been identified and verified after months of assessment. The commission's executive director, Lisa Demetropoulos Jones, calls the discovery "an extraordinary archaeological find." In 1860 the wooden ship illegally transported 110 people from what is now the west African nation of Benin to Mobile, Alabama. The Clotilda was then taken into delta waters north of the port and burned. The captives were later freed and settled a community that's still called Africatown.Let's block ads! (Why?) ABC News: International

May222019 by adminNo Comments

Iranian threats ‘put on hold’, says US defence chief

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The potential of attacks by Iran has been "put on hold" by US counter-measures, acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan has said.The US has warned of a threat from Iran in recent weeks and Mr Shanahan briefed lawmakers at a closed-doors meeting.Tension has risen sharply, with the US deploying military assets to the Gulf to tackle the unspecified threats.On Sunday, President Donald Trump tweeted: "If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran."He has maintained a strong anti-Iran policy since taking office and last year unilaterally withdrew the US from a nuclear deal with Iran and five world powers. US-Iran tensions explained Why the WhatsApp spies may have eyes on Iran President Trump's National Security Advise...

May212019 by adminNo Comments

Shoe giants urge Trump to end trade war

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Some of the world's biggest footwear firms are urging Donald Trump to end the US trade war with China, warning of a "catastrophic" effect on consumers.In a letter signed by 170 companies, including Nike and Adidas, they said the President's decision to lift import tariffs to 25% will disproportionately impact the working class. They also warn that higher levies threaten the future of some businesses. "It is time to bring this trade war to an end," the firms urged.Mr Trump lifted levies on $ 200bn worth of Chinese imports into the US from 10% to 25% more than a week ago after Washington and Beijing failed to reach a deal on trade.China retaliated by announcing plans to raise levies on $ 60bn of US imports from 1 June. US-China trade war: What could Beijing...

May212019 by adminNo Comments

Rise in global sea levels could have ‘profound consequences’

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Media playback is unsupported on your device Scientists believe that global sea levels could rise far more than predicted, due to accelerating melting in Greenland and Antarctica.The long-held view has been that the world's seas would rise by a maximum of just under a metre by 2100.This new study, based on expert opinions, projects that the real level may be around double that figure. This could lead to the displacement of hundreds of millions of people, the authors say. The question of sea-level rise was one of the most controversial issues raised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), when it published its fifth assessment report in 2013. It said the continued warming of the planet, without major reductions in emissions, wo...

May202019 by adminNo Comments

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party ministers all resign amid scandal

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All ministers from Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) have resigned, throwing the government into chaos. The Freedom Party's leader Heinz-Christian Strache, who was also vice-chancellor, was forced to resign at the weekend after a video sting. Mr Strache was filmed proposing to offer government contracts to a supposed Russian oligarch's niece.The FPÖ threatened a mass resignation earlier on Monday if Interior Minister Herbert Kickl was also forced out. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz had called over the weekend for Mr Kickl to be sacked, saying that as general secretary of the party he should take responsibility for the scandal. The scandal broke on Friday when footage from 2017 was published in German media, showing Mr Strache an