Shanghai, China | AFP | China’s decision to let its currency weaken against the dollar on Monday sent global markets diving further into the red and provoked a Twitter tirade from US President Donald Trump. The deteriorating picture appeared to worsen as official Chinese media reported Beijing ceased purchases of …
Read More »Migrant rescue NGOs defy European states
Barcelona, Spain | AFP | A Spanish charity that saved 121 migrants in the Mediterranean last week vowed Monday to continue sea rescue operations, the latest NGO to defy moves by European nations to shut down a route exploited by trafficking gangs. Proactiva Open Arms founder Oscar Camps called on EU …
Read More »Trump condemns racism, white supremacy after US mass shootings
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Monday told a nation mourning the death of 31 people in two weekend mass shootings that he rejected racism and white supremacist ideology, moving to blunt criticism that his anti-immigrant rhetoric fuels violence. As flags flew at half mast at …
Read More »Black men at highest risk of US police killing: study
Washington, United States | AFP | Black men in the United States are 2.5 times more likely to be killed by the police than their white counterparts, according to a new study published Monday that quantified racial disparities in law enforcement violence. High-profile killings including those of Michael Brown, Charleena …
Read More »July 2019 hottest month globally ever recorded: EU
Paris, France | AFP | July 2019 was the hottest month across the globe ever recorded, according to data released Monday by the European Union’s satellite-based Earth observation network. “While July is usually the warmest month of the year for the globe, according to our data it also was the warmest …
Read More »French ‘climate camps’ train activists in protest
Kingersheim, France | AFP | Christine, a retiree from southwest France, has been attending marches with climate activists since November. Now she’s taking things a step further with a stay in a training camp for activists. Participants have 12 days to learn a range of techniques developed by veteran activists: …
Read More »Back to the wild: how ‘ungardening’ took root in America
Washington, United States | AFP | Retired union organizer Anna Burger lives by a busy road just a minute’s walk from a metro station in the US capital Washington, but every morning she wakes up to a birdsong symphony. Butterflies, squirrels and even the occasional deer also come to visit the …
Read More »EL PASO: 15 shot dead at Walmart store in Texas
El Paso, United States | AFP | A gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire on shoppers at a packed Walmart store Saturday, reportedly killing at least 15 people in the latest mass shooting in the United States. Although the exact scale of the tragedy in El Paso, Texas, …
Read More »Privacy missteps cast cloud over digital assistants
Washington, United States | AFP | A series of privacy missteps in recent months has raised fresh concerns over the future of voice-controlled digital assistants, a growing market seen by some as the next frontier in computing. Recent incidents involving Google, Apple and Amazon devices underscore that despite strong growth in …
Read More »Russian opposition to take to streets again, defying crackdown
Moscou, Russia | AFP | The Russian opposition vowed to stage another mass rally Saturday despite increasing pressure from authorities, who arrested nearly 1,400 people at a protest last week and have launched a criminal probe into the movement. The march along Moscow’s leafy boulevards will be the latest in a …
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