London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s drawn-out drama around Brexit has featured a colourful cast of characters — crashing or catapulting their careers. Here are some of the public figures who have played pivotal roles in events: – Nigel Farage – A eurosceptic member of the European Parliament and former …
Read More »From Mao to Trump: China’s economic roller-coaster since 1949
Shanghai, China | AFP | After remarkable growth and change for decades, most economists believe China’s economy is entering a period of slower, steadier growth. The world’s second-largest economy grew 6.6 percent last year, government figures showed on Monday, the slowest rate since 1990. Here is a brief look at China’s …
Read More »China’s economy grew at slowest pace in 28 years in 2018
Beijing, China | AFP | China’s economy grew at its slowest pace in almost three decades in 2018, losing more steam in the last quarter as it battles to quell massive debt and a US trade war, official data showed Monday. The 6.6 percent growth comes in above the official …
Read More »Real progress needed at Trump-Kim II: analysts
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The planned second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un needs to make tangible progress on Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons if it is to avoid being dismissed as “reality TV”, analysts say. Their summit in Singapore in June was undoubtedly …
Read More »Britain’s Prince Philip still driving at 97
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s lack of an upper age limit for driving was in the spotlight on Friday as 97-year-old Prince Philip recovered after being involved in an accident that flipped his car. An experienced pilot and carriage racer, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband has never been one for …
Read More »Butterflies, the unlikely victims of Trump’s border wall
Mission, United States | AFP | In Mission, Texas, the construction of part of a long-promised wall on the border with Mexico to stem the tide of undocumented migrants is already in progress. Among the many who will be affected? Butterflies. Mission, located in the lower Rio Grande Valley, is …
Read More »More asteroids strike Earth since age of dinosaurs: study
From @IFLScience: Would @NASA Tell Us If An #Asteroid Was About To Hit The #Earth? https://t.co/gEFeVV9ggN #spacenews #space pic.twitter.com/G56MzTabiV — Perth Observatory (@perthobs) January 18, 2019 Tampa, United States | AFP | Between two and three times as many asteroids have struck the Earth and the Moon since the age …
Read More »Saturn’s rings are younger than the planet itself
How old are #Saturn’s rings? Data from @CassiniSaturn suggest they’re younger than the planet, forming 10–100 million years ago when dinosaurs lived on Earth: https://t.co/RVXU5Lqysh pic.twitter.com/1VjKmbMkvW — NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) January 17, 2019 Washington, United States | AFP | Saturn’s rings are younger than scientists thought and appeared within the …
Read More »In gloomy times, rights body sees ‘striking’ pushback against abuses
Berlin, Germany | AFP | A growing pushback against human rights abusers and autocrats has emerged in the last year, Human Rights Watch said Thursday, with resistance coming from a number of new sources. Smaller countries and groups like the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation are stepping up and taking …
Read More »May calls EU leaders on ‘next steps’ for Brexit
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May spoke to EU leaders Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk by telephone on Friday to discuss where to go next on Brexit. May had previously been in touch with Brussels only by text message since Tuesday, when the British parliament rejected the divorce deal she signed …
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