Independent media is fleeing attacks by government and involvement by large financial groups COMMENT | MARIUS DRAGOMIR | In its March 22 edition, the Slovenian weekly magazine Mladina featured on its cover a cartoon of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán performing a Nazi salute while being hugged by right-wing politicians of …
Read More »Soda taxes work in cutting consumption, US study finds
Washington, United States | AFP | New research backs the argument that “sin taxes” lead to a reduction in consumption, justifying the use of the duties in combating obesity and other health issues, its authors say. The 2017 decision by city officials in Philadelphia to impose a beverage tax on …
Read More »Nissan profits hit ‘rock bottom’ as Ghosn weighs
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Crisis-hit Japanese car company Nissan on Tuesday unveiled net profits at a near-decade low as it battles to recover after the shock arrest of its talismanic former boss Carlos Ghosn. Net profits for the fiscal year to March 2019 came in at 319 billion yen ($2.9 …
Read More »WhatsApp urges update after ‘serious’ security breach
San Francisco, United States | AFP | WhatsApp on Tuesday encouraged its users to upgrade the app to plug a security breach that allowed sophisticated attackers to sneak spyware into phones, in the latest trouble for its parent Facebook. The vulnerability — first reported by the Financial Times, and fixed in …
Read More »Britain’s Trump? Farage surges on Brexit discontent
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Polls show his Brexit Party easily winning next week’s European Parliament polls and edging ahead of Theresa May’s Conservatives in a UK general election. Nigel Farage is channelling Donald Trump’s brand of angry populism to help turn British politics on its head. “You are in …
Read More »Man City on brink of Premier League glory
Fixtures Sunday 5pm Brighton v Manchester City, Burnley v Arsenal, Crystal Palace v Bournemouth, Fulham v Newcastle, Leicester v Chelsea, Liverpool v Wolves, Manchester United v Cardiff, Southampton v Huddersfield, Tottenham v Everton, Watford v West Ham London, United Kingdom | AFP | A thrilling Premier League title race …
Read More »Uber shifts into reverse in disappointing Wall Street debut
New York, United States | AFP | Uber shares skidded Friday in a disappointing Wall Street debut following a massive public offering from the global ride-hailing giant. After pricing at $45 for the initial public offering (IPO) — translating to a market value of $82 billion — Uber shares began …
Read More »Zuckerberg ‘optimistic’ on regulation after Macron meeting
Paris, France | AFP | Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg on Friday said he was “encouraged” and “optimistic” about the regulatory framework being suggested by France for the social media giant and other online platforms, after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. The meeting followed the drawing up of a report …
Read More »Break up Facebook, says company’s co-founder
New York, United States | AFP | One of the co-founders of Facebook called on Thursday for the social media behemoth to be broken up, warning that the company’s head, Mark Zuckerberg, had become far too powerful. “It’s time to break up Facebook,” said Chris Hughes, who along with Zuckerberg founded …
Read More »US-N.Korea tensions rise with Pyongyang launches, ship seizure
Washington, United States | AFP | The US seized a North Korean freighter in a further escalation of tensions Thursday after Pyongyang fired what was believed to be two missiles and President Donald Trump said Kim Jong Un was not ready to negotiate denuclearisation. The launch of the projectiles — identified …
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