WORLD

Beijing, China | AFP | A propaganda app that puts China’s powerful President Xi Jinping in anyone’s pockets has become a hit in the country — with a helpful nudge from Communist Party officials. Millions have downloaded the app, which tracks the amount of time users spend browsing inspirational quotes from …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Samsung on Wednesday unveiled its first folding handset as part of an effort to rev up demand in the slumping smartphone sector. The South Korean giant’s Galaxy Fold, unveiled at a San Francisco event, services as a smartphone with a 4.6-inch display and unfolds …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester four-piece The 1975 were the big winners at the 2019 Brit Awards in London on Wednesday. Here are the main winners: British album of the year — “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships” by The 1975 British male solo artist — George Ezra …

  París, France | AFP | Breakdancing has been invited as a new sport by the organisers of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the head of the local organising committee said Thursday. Skateboarding, climbing and surfing, which have already been added to the programme for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, have been invited …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Barclays rebounded sharply into profit in 2018, as a vast hit from the previous year on the sale of its African business was not repeated, the British bank announced Thursday. The lender’s performance came despite vast litigation costs and a new charge on the impact …

Paris, France | AFP | Air France-KLM, which was badly hit last year by strikes and management upheaval, reported on Wednesday that its annual net profits rose by 150 percent to 409 million euros ($463 million). “The strong performance of our front-line teams and continued cost control helped partly offset the …

Mumbai, India | AFP | Suraj Nachre works long hours and regularly misses meals but he treasures his job as a driver for a food delivery startup — working in a booming industry that highlights India’s expanding apps-based gig-economy. The 26-year-old is one of hundreds of thousands of young Indians who, …

Washington, United States | AFP | Once declared too radical by Democratic leaders, the policies pushed by Bernie Sanders including universal health care have tilted toward mainstream party acceptance, themes he and several rival progressives will uphold on the US presidential campaign trail. Sanders on Tuesday became the latest figure to …

Paris, France | AFP | The fashion world has been plunged into mourning by the death of legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld, the rapier-witted dandy who ruled over the industry for half a century. Chanel, the iconic French fashion house he led for nearly four decades, on Tuesday confirmed his passing, …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain will strip citizenship from a UK teenager who joined the Islamic State group in Syria but now wants to return home with her newborn baby, a lawyer for her family said Tuesday. Shamima Begum’s fate has stirred controversy since she and two friends fled London to join the …