London, United Kingdom | AFP | The 10 candidates running to replace Britain’s outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May face the first round of voting on Thursday — when at least one will get the chop. Conservative MPs hold their first secret ballot in the governing party’s leadership contest as they begin …
Read More »Let’s tree again: Macron offers Trump replacement ‘friendship’ oak
Paris, France | AFP | French president Emmanuel Macron will send a replacement oak tree to US President Donald Trump after the original was dug up from the White House garden and died. The French leader offered the young oak to Trump during a state visit to Washington in 2018, and …
Read More »Johnson plays down no-deal Brexit as he launches bid to become PM
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Boris Johnson said Wednesday he would only take Britain out of the EU without a deal as a “last resort”, officially launching his campaign to be prime minister with a promise to unify a country still deeply divided over Brexit. The former foreign minister is …
Read More »Solo, yet tutti: App puts orchestra in your living room
Aix-en-Provence, France | AFP | It’s a musician’s dream — rehearse alongside a full orchestra, but in your own living room. And the immersive experience is possible because, yes, there’s an app for that, courtesy of a French start-up, Digital Music Solutions. “NomadPlay” is all down to an algorithm which separates …
Read More »Catalan separatists’ trial: Five key facts
Madrid, Spain | AFP | The high-stakes trial of 12 Catalan separatist leaders over their role in Catalonia’s failed 2017 independence bid is due to wrap up on Wednesday after four months of hearings. Here are five key facts about the trial: Who are the accused ? Nine former ministers in …
Read More »Travelers’ images exposed in US data breach
Washington, United States | AFP | Images of tens of thousands of travelers crossing the United States’ border have been stolen from an immigration subcontractor in a data breach, US media reported on Monday. The images were snatched from the network of a subcontractor for US Customs and Border Protection …
Read More »Beating Boris: Race to replace UK’s May kicks off
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The contest to succeed Theresa May as Britain’s next leader heated up on Monday, with candidates lining up to define themselves against the “bluff and bluster” of Brexit-backing frontrunner Boris Johnson. Ten Conservative MPs gathered enough support to qualify by Monday’s deadline for the race …
Read More »Amazon dethrones Google as top global brand
London, United Kingdom | AFP | US retail giant Amazon has moved past hi-tech titans Apple and Google to become the world’s most valuable brand, a key survey showed Tuesday. The brand value of Amazon surged by 52 percent to $315 billion, global market research agency Kantar said in its 2019 …
Read More »Huawei denies being bound by Chinese spy laws
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Huawei’s cyber security chief told the UK parliament Monday that the Chinese telecoms giant has been advised it was under no obligation to spy for Beijing if so asked by the Communist state. John Suffolk told a committee hearing that Huawei has sought guidance from …
Read More »Pope says wants to visit Iraq in 2020
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis said Monday he wants to visit Iraq as early as next year in spite of the security conditions. “An insistent thought accompanies me when I think about Iraq, where I want to go next year, so that it can look to the …
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