Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Bruno Mars took the top prize at the American Music Awards on Sunday at a show that paid glowing tribute to legendary divas Diana Ross and the late Whitney Houston. Mars, the retro star who found fresh success with the funky beats and R&B …
Read More »Honda recalls 800,000 minivans over faulty seats
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Honda is recalling about 800,000 of its Odyssey minivans in the United States over faulty parts blamed for 46 minor injuries, the company said, just a month after settling a huge lawsuit on other defects. The recall, which affects the 2011-2017 models sold in the US, …
Read More »US nuclear commander would resist ‘illegal’ order for strike
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | The general in command of US nuclear forces said Saturday that he would resist any “illegal” presidential order for a strike and work to find an alternative. President Donald Trump’s history of unpredictable and volatile behavior has raised concerns that he could unilaterally order an unnecessary …
Read More »Trump reverses elephant trophy decision, keeps ban
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump said Friday he will uphold a ban on importing trophies of elephants hunted and killed in Zimbabwe, pending further review, reversing his own administration’s decision from just a day earlier after a public outcry. “Put big game trophy decision on hold …
Read More »Apple pushes back release of HomePod speaker to 2018
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Apple said Friday it was delaying until early next year the release of its HomePod speaker set to compete with Amazon’s Alexa-powered devices and Google Home as a smart home and music hub. The delay means Apple will miss the key holiday shopping …
Read More »US to allow Zimbabwe elephant trophy imports
Washington, United States | AFP | Animal rights groups on Thursday strongly criticized President Donald Trump’s administration for allowing the import of Zimbabwean elephant hunting trophies. The move reverses a prohibition imposed under former president Barack Obama and is the latest rollback of Obama-era controls on a number of fronts. …
Read More »Pricing the priceless: the $450mn Da Vinci record
New York, United States | AFP | A triumph of marketing over aesthetics? Or the legitimate cost of owning a Da Vinci? The sale of a Renaissance portrait of Jesus Christ for nearly half a billion dollars has stunned the art world. Its quality and condition are debated and isolated …
Read More »Google, Facebook join news organizations in ‘Trust Project’
Washington, United States | AFP | Google, Facebook and other tech firms joined global news organizations Thursday in an initiative aimed at identifying “trustworthy” news sources, in the latest effort to combat online misinformation. Microsoft and Twitter also agreed to participate in the “Trust Project” with some 75 news organizations to …
Read More »African Union lets SADC bloc take lead on Zimbabwe
Washington, United States | AFP | The African Union will allow Zimbabwe’s southern neighbors in the SADC regional bloc to mediate in the political crisis there, a senior official told reporters after talks in Washington. Smail Chergui, the AU commissioner for peace and security, said the union hopes the Zimbabwean …
Read More »Twitter to remove ‘verification badge’ from some accounts
Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter is changing its policy on “verified” accounts, reserving the right to remove the blue badges from users who violate the online platform’s terms of service. The move came a week after Twitter launched a review of its policy following disclosures that neo-Nazi and white …
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