N’Djamena, Chad | AFP | Chad expressed to its United States ambassador the “injustice” of being added to the list of countries targeted by its travel ban, the acting foreign minister said Tuesday. The landlocked African country was included in the newest version of President Donald Trump’s order, which cited Chad’s …
Read More »Twitter aims to boost appeal with new 280-character tweet limit
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Twitter is testing allowing tweets to be expanded to 280 characters — double the existing limit — in the latest effort to boost flagging growth at the social network. San Francisco-based Twitter said Tuesday that the new limit, a major shift for the messaging …
Read More »Six rockets land near Kabul airport after Mattis arrives: official
Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP | US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Afghanistan Wednesday, the first member of Donald Trump’s cabinet to visit the war-torn country since he pledged to stay the course in America’s longest war. In a sign of the country’s continuing insecurity six rockets landed near Kabul international …
Read More »Twitter gets wordy!
Twitter aims to boost appeal with new 280-character tweet limit San Francisco, United States | AFP | Twitter is testing allowing tweets to be expanded to 280 characters — double the existing limit — in the latest effort to boost flagging growth at the social network. San Francisco-based Twitter said …
Read More »Russia threatens to ban Facebook in 2018
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia’s internet watchdog on Tuesday warned Facebook it would be banned in 2018 unless it complies with a law on storing local users’ data. “The law is compulsory for all,” the head of Roskomnadzor telecoms watchdog Alexander Zharov told journalists in Moscow, quoted by Interfax news …
Read More »New US travel restrictions are still ‘Muslim ban’: rights groups
Washington, United States | AFP | US rights groups on Monday pledged to keep fighting the new, open-ended version of President Donald Trump’s controversial travel restrictions, insisting they remain a disguised Muslim ban. Despite the removal of Sudan from the block on travelers from six mainly-Muslim countries, and the addition of …
Read More »Trump says NFL insults about patriotism, not race
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump denied stoking racial tensions Monday, insisting his charged comments that prompted a wave of symbolic protests by NFL players were about patriotism not race. After a volley of verbal attacks on black athletes led players across the country to kneel during …
Read More »North Korea says Trump has declared war
New York, United States | AFP | North Korea’s foreign minister on Monday accused US President Donald Trump of declaring war against his country and said Pyongyang was ready to defend itself by shooting down US bombers. The White House dismissed the claim as “absurd”. The latest threats stoked a …
Read More »US commerce secretary in Beijing ahead of Trump trip
Beijing, China | AFP | The visiting US commerce secretary told China’s premier on Monday that the warm reception he received in Beijing “augurs very well” for Donald Trump’s upcoming visit, amid tensions over trade and North Korea. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross met with Premier Li Keqiang at the headquarters of …
Read More »US calls N. Korea nuclear bomb test threat ‘shocking’
New Delhi, India | AFP | US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday it would be “shocking” irresponsibility for North Korea to carry out its threat to test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific. The new comments, made while Mattis headed for India, followed a shrill war of words between the …
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