Washington, United States | AFP | Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar branded Donald Trump a “fascist” on Thursday as the president sought to distance himself from mocking chants of “Send her back!” directed at the Somali-born lawmaker by his supporters. “We have said this president is racist, we have condemned his racist …
Read More »Swedish prosecutor to decide on charging rapper ASAP Rocky
Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | Swedish prosecutors will need to decide on Friday on whether to charge rapper ASAP Rocky, whose detention in Stockholm on suspicion of assault during a street brawl has created a furore among his fans and fellow artists. Since his detention in early July, fans and …
Read More »Facebook’s Libra prospects dim, but cryptocurrencies roll on
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook’s planned global digital coin Libra has run into a wall of opposition in Washington that could prevent its launch as envisioned, but analysts say cryptocurrencies are likely to make gains around the world nonetheless. The plan by Facebook and its partners has generated skepticism …
Read More »Trump fires up base as impeachment bid blocked in Congress
Greenville, United States | AFP | A fired-up Donald Trump took aim once more at Democratic lawmakers who “hate” America as he hit the campaign trail Wednesday, hours after an opposition bid to impeach the US president over “racist” attacks was shot down in Congress. Egging on a sea of supporters …
Read More »Netflix shares slide on disappointing subscriber growth
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Netflix shares plunged in after-hours trade Wednesday after its quarterly update showed weaker-than-expected subscriber growth for the streaming television sector leader. Netflix said it added 2.7 million new subscribers worldwide in the April-June period, well below expectations, as the sector prepared for offerings …
Read More »Swiss specialities: chocolate, cheese and … wine?
Rivaz, Switzerland | AFP | When foreigners think of Swiss specialities that might excite their taste buds, world-renowned chocolate and cheese likely come to mind. Swiss wine? Not so much. But the global reputation of Switzerland’s winemakers may be set for a boost, backed by a new export promotion strategy …
Read More »Hebrew opera takes on Israeli-Palestinian conflict at French festival
Aix-en-Provence, France | AFP | It features an Israeli prime minister, Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike, a hit squad and a Shin Beth spy chief. But this is not another story on the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict but an opera unusually with a libretto in Hebrew, the official language of Israel. “The …
Read More »Buzz off: breakthrough technique eradicates mosquitoes
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | A breakthrough technique harnessing two methods to target disease-carrying mosquitoes was able to effectively eradicate buzzing biters in two test sites in China, according to research published on Thursday. The mosquitoes targeted are a type that is particularly difficult to control called Aedes albopictus — more …
Read More »US House votes to condemn Trump’s ‘racist comments’
Washington, United States | AFP | The US House of Representatives formally condemned Donald Trump on Tuesday for xenophobic attacks on four minority Democratic lawmakers and hostile language targeting immigrants, as the president denied accusations of racism. Top Republican leaders rallied around Trump, but four members of the president’s party …
Read More »‘One giant leap’: US marks Apollo mission 50 years on
Cape Canaveral, United States | AFP | Fifty years after a mighty rocket set off from Florida carrying the first humans to the Moon, a veteran of the Apollo 11 crew returned to its fabled launch pad Tuesday to commemorate “one giant leap” that became a defining moment in human …
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