MONTREAL (AFP) -- Pop super star Justin Bieber announced Wednesday that he has Lyme disease.In a post on Instagram, Bieber said he will address his struggle with the illness, which is contracted through a tick bite, in a YouTube documentary."It's been a rough couple years but getting the right treatment that will help treat this so far incurable disease and I will be back and better than ever," the 25 year old entertainer wrote in the post's caption.He called out critics who he says ha

BEIRUT (AFP) -- Fugitive auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn on Wednesday accused Nissan and Japanese prosecutors of plotting against him as he staged an impassioned defence at his first public appearance since fleeing the country.In a combative news conference in Beirut, the former Renault-Nissan boss -- one of the world's most high-profile corporate executives -- slammed the financial misconduct charges he faced in Japan as "baseless".Late on Wednesday, a Lebanese prosecutor summoned Ghosn for

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that the United States has reestablished some deterrence toward Iran in the wake of the January 3 drone strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad."I think at this point with the strikes we took against KH in late December and then our actions with regard to Soleimani, I believe that we've restored a level of deterrence with them," he told reporters, referring to Kataeb Hezbollah, an armed Iraqi group

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President Donald Trump pulled back from the brink of war with Iran on Wednesday, saying that Tehran appeared to be "standing down" after firing missiles -- without causing casualties -- at US troops based in Iraq.In a televised address to the nation from the White House, Trump emphasized there were "no Americans harmed" in the ballistic missile salvo aimed at two bases.While he promised to immediately impose "punishing" new economic sanctions on

TOKYO (AFP) - Oil prices spiked Wednesday morning, rising over 4.5 percent at one point after Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles against two airbases in Iraq used by US and coalition forces. The benchmark WTI jumped as much as 4.53 percent to $65.54 a barrel before settling down slightly after Iran unleashed its first response to the US assassination of military commander Qasem Soleimani. (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President Donald Trump sought Tuesday to end confusion over the future of American troops in Iraq, saying they should stay, despite fury there over the US killing of a top Iranian general in Baghdad."At some point we want to get out, but this isn't the right point," Trump told reporters at the White House.Regardless of US efforts to clarify the troops' future following an Iraqi parliament call for their exit, regional tension and uncertainty increased.In the Iranian

TEHRAN (AFP) -- Iran's supreme leader fought back tears as a sea of black-clad mourners paid homage Monday to the top commander assassinated in a US drone strike last week that has inflamed tensions across the Middle East.In a surprise move in Baghdad where the strike was carried out, the US military informed its Iraqi counterparts that it was preparing for "movement out of Iraq".Ayatollah Ali Khamenei choked up as he prayed over the remains of Qasem Soleimani, the slain head of the Re

NEW YORK  (AFP) -- World markets were mixed after a tense trading day on Monday, with US equities ending higher and bucking a downward trend in Europe and Asia after the US killing of a top Iranian general Friday.Since he ordered a drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, US President Donald Trump has warned of a "major retaliation" if Tehran takes revenge, triggering a sell-off in stocks and a spike in crude prices."The new year has started with a bang in so far as volatili

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Hollywood's brightest stars sparkled Sunday on the red carpet at the Golden Globes, the first showbiz awards gala of 2020.Under sunny skies, the best and brightest of film and television arrived at the Beverly Hilton in their finest for the ceremony, hosted by British comedian Ricky Gervais.Here is a look at some of the trends spotted on the red carpet:Black and white Tinseltown's A-list wants to make a good impression on the first major red carpet of the year, and how bette

BERLIN (AFP) -- The leaders of Germany, France and Britain on Sunday urged Iran to drop measures that go against the 2015 nuclear deal, after Tehran announced it would no longer abide by a limit on enrichment."We call on Iran to withdraw all measures that are not in line with the nuclear agreement," German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and British PM Boris Johnson said in a joint statement.The 2015 agreement negotiated between Iran and the UN Security Counc

TEHRAN (AFP) -- Iran on Sunday announced its fifth reduction in its nuclear commitments, saying it will forego the "limit on the number of centrifuges", as tensions with the United States soar after the killing of a top Iranian commander in a US strike.Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement with the United Nations Security Council's five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany has been hanging by a thread since the US withdrew unilaterally from

From jumping bail and fleeing to Lebanon to be met with an arrest notice from Interpol, Carlos Ghosn's escape from Japan has been worthy of a Hollywood plot.Here's what we know about the former Renault-Nissan boss's flight:The exact circumstances of his departure from Japan, where he was under house arrest pending trial, are still shrouded in mystery.On Thursday, Kyodo News quoted an associate of Ghosn, Imad Ajami, as claiming the tycoon was helped by two private security operatives who pretende

TOKYO (AFP) -- Carlos Ghosn's escape from Japan is "unjustifiable" and he is thought to have left the country using "illegal methods", the Japanese justice minister said Sunday, in the first official public comments on the case.The 65-year-old former Nissan boss skipped bail and fled Japan where he was awaiting trial over multiple counts of financial misconduct that he denies.It was the latest twist in a saga that has gripped the business world and his escape from Japan has l

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President Donald Trump warned Saturday that the US is targeting 52 sites in Iran and will hit them "very fast and very hard" if the Islamic republic attacks American personnel or assets.In a saber-rattling tweet that defended Friday's US drone strike assassination of a powerful Iranian general in Iraq, Trump said 52 represents the number of Americans held hostage at the US embassy in Tehran for more than a year starting in late 1979.Trump said some of these sites ar

 BAGHDAD(AFP) -- The State Department today told US citizens to leave Iraq “immediately,” after an American strike killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.“Due to heightened tensions in Iraq and the region, we urge US citizens to depart Iraq immediately,” the State Department tweeted. “Due to Iranian-backed militia attacks at the US Embassy compound, all consular operations are suspended. US citizens should not approach the Embassy.”T