Washington, United States | AFP | Major internet services including Twitter, Spotify and Amazon suffered service interruptions and outages on Friday as a US internet provider came under sustained cyber attack. The internet service company Dyn, which routes and manages internet traffic, said that it had suffered a distributed denial …
Read More »What to expect in the fight for Mosul
Washington, United States | AFP | The offensive to recapture Mosul from Islamic State jihadists has so far progressed faster than planners anticipated, but military experts fear the fighting could get tougher as US-backed Iraqi forces enter the city. Here is an overview of some factors determining the size and …
Read More »Assange, Ecuador’s awkward guest who just won’t leave
Quito, Ecuador | AFP | For Ecuador, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has become the worst kind of guest: he makes messes he doesn’t clean up, he spills secrets, he meddles, and there’s no telling when he will leave. Four years after Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadoran embassy in London, …
Read More »Philippines’ Duterte, in China, announces ‘separation’ from US
Beijing, China | AFP | Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte declared his “separation” from longstanding ally the United States, in Beijing on Thursday, as he rebalances his country’s diplomacy towards China. Duterte is in China for a four-day trip seen as confirming his tilt away from Washington and towards Beijing’s sphere …
Read More »Americans struggle to explain X-rated election to kids
Washington, United States | AFP | How should parents and teachers talk — or not — to children about the 2016 White House race, in an X-rated election season dominated by brutal insults, sex scandal and sleaze? It’s a minefield for educators as Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton …
Read More »Rwanda’s last king, Kigeli V, dies at age 80
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | The last king of Rwanda, Kigeli V, who ruled the east African nation for less than a year before being forced into exile, finally settling in the United States, died early Sunday according to his official website. He was 80. Born Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa, King Kigeli …
Read More »American to build Uganda’s refinery?
American to build refinery? Deal could be blow to sanction-strapped Russians Technocrats at the Energy Ministry and the Ministry of Finance who are working on the country’s pet project, the US$4 billion oil refinery, have learnt to stay cool under pressure. Behind their cool fronts, however, they are working in …
Read More »Google adds fact-checking to news articles
Washington, United States | AFP | Google is adding “fact check” tags to its news articles, introducing the feature amid a US presidential race roiled by heated disputes over the accuracy of information. The move, announced Thursday, will allow readers on Google news applications and websites to click on links …
Read More »Facebook launches intra-office ‘Workplace’ network
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Social network giant Facebook on Monday launched new global product Workplace, a platform that it hopes will replace intranet, mailbox and other internal communication tools used by businesses worldwide. It is intended to compete with similar office communication products including Microsoft’s Yammer, Salesforce’s Chatter …
Read More »‘Snowden’ director Stone warns of US bid to ‘control the world’
Paris, France | AFP | US filmmaker Oliver Stone warned Monday that his country’s desire to “control the world” by eavesdropping on the entire planet would end in disaster. The outspoken director of “JFK” and “Platoon” claimed Washington’s war on terror was being used as cover to “dominate the world”. …
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