Washington, United States | AFP | Barack Obama slashed US unemployment, protected child migrants and delivered health care to millions. But several 2020 candidates scorched the popular ex-president at their Democratic debate, a strategy that risks alienating voters as the party seeks to regain the White House. With party divisions over …
Read More »Britain’s Johnson suffers first electoral setback as PM
LLANELWEDD, United Kingdom | AFP | Boris Johnson suffered a setback in his first ballot box test as British prime minister on Friday after the Conservative candidate lost to a pro-EU rival in a by-election that slims his parliamentary majority to one. Thursday’s vote in the Welsh sheep farming community of …
Read More »How can China retaliate to Trump tariffs?
Beijing, China | AFP | Beijing says it is ready to retaliate if President Donald Trump goes through with his threat to impose punitive tariffs on another $300 billion in Chinese goods on September 1. The 10 percent duties would extend Washington’s border taxes to almost every import from China, with …
Read More »Trump targets China with tariffs on $300bn in goods
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump announced Thursday he will hit China with punitive tariffs on another $300 billion in goods, prompting Beijing to warn it was the wrong way to resolve the trade war. Trump’s move jolted US and Asian stock markets and came just a …
Read More »Latest Trump tariffs to directly hit consumers
New York, United States | AFP | Earlier US tariffs enacted in President Donald Trump’s trade war with China have dealt only a glancing blow to consumers, but those announced Thursday are different. “This hits consumers straight on,” Steve Pasierb, president of the Toy Association, said in an interview. “This …
Read More »Al-Qaeda heir Hamza Bin Laden killed: US media
Washington, United States | AFP | Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza, chosen heir to the leadership of Al-Qaeda, has been killed, US media reported Wednesday citing American officials. NBC News said three US officials had confirmed they had information of Hamza bin Laden’s death, but gave no details of the place …
Read More »Rivals clash with frontrunner Biden at Democratic debate
Detroit, United States | AFP | Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden went on the offensive Wednesday against his main 2020 opponents but was rapidly assailed on the debate stage over key issues like health care, race, immigration and criminal justice. Tensions rose rapidly between the former vice president and Senator Kamala Harris, the …
Read More »Buzz kill: mass bee deaths sting Russian beekeepers
Bobrovka, Russia | AFP | Anatoly Rubtsov looked despondently at the beehives lining his property. “The farm used to be loud, it sang,” he said. Today just a faint buzz is audible but an overpowering rotting stench hung in the air after his bees were likely poisoned by a pesticide. Rubtsov, …
Read More »Huawei still number two smartphone seller despite US sanctions
Washington, United States | AFP | Huawei remained the number two global smartphone vendor in the past quarter despite tough US sanctions imposed on the Chinese technology giant, market trackers said Wednesday. The Chinese firm managed to boost its sales even as the overall market declined, remaining on the heels of …
Read More »Facebook-backed research sees progress linking minds, machines
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook-backed researchers have managed to translate brain signals into spoken words, bringing the social network’s vision of linking brains and machines closer to reality. A study published this week by University of California-San Francisco scientists showed progress toward a new type of brain-computer interface. …
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