Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Friday gave the clearest signal yet that the US government will partially shut down at midnight, likely leaving hundreds of thousands of federal employees with coal in their Christmas stockings instead of paychecks. Concern — and frustration — in Washington …
Read More »US arrested 10,000 gang members in 2018: immigration agency
Miami, United States | AFP | The US this year arrested over 10,000 members of “transnational gangs,” its immigration enforcement agency announced Thursday — including over 2,000 members of MS-13, regularly cited as a threat by US President Donald Trump. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it also deported …
Read More »Apple risks iPhone ban in Germany after court case loss
Berlin, Germany | AFP | A German court on Thursday ruled in favour of US chipmaker Qualcomm in a patent dispute case against Apple, which could lead to a ban on sales of iPhones in Germany. This marks a second major win for Qualcomm in a month after a court …
Read More »Jim Mattis: the ‘Mad Dog’ with a big library
Washington, United States | AFP | Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a softly spoken but battle-hardened former Marine, always stood in uneasy contrast with President Donald Trump, his brash businessman boss who avoided any military service. On Thursday, after months of speculation and following Trump’s stunning decision to pull out of …
Read More »France boosts pay for police in wake of ‘yellow vest’ protests
Paris, France | AFP | The French government will give police officers a long-sought raise after a strike called in the wake of the “yellow vest” anti-government protests, which have strained security forces already on high alert after years of jihadist terror attacks. The accord was announced just before midnight …
Read More »N. Korea says denuclearisation depends on removal of US threat
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea said Thursday its commitment to denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was bound up with a “complete removal of US nuclear threats”. Following a rapid diplomatic rapprochement this year, the North’s leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump signed a vaguely-worded statement …
Read More »Putin says wants to push Russia into top five economies
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he wants to see his country’s economy in the world’s top five. “The main thing is that we need to get into a new league economically,” Putin told his annual press conference, adding: “We could very well take …
Read More »Trump stuns allies by ordering US troops home from Syria
Washington, United States | AFP | US allies were stunned Thursday after President Donald Trump declared victory over the Islamic State group in Syria and abruptly ordered the withdrawal of US ground troops from the country. The decision runs counter to long-established US policy for Syria and the region. It …
Read More »France fines Uber 400,000 euros over huge data breach
Paris, France | AFP | France’s data protection agency said Thursday that it had fined the US ride-hailing group Uber 400,000 euros ($460,000) over a 2016 data breach that exposed the personal data of some 57 million clients and drivers worldwide. Uber drew the wrath of users and regulators after …
Read More »US approves $3.5 billion Patriot missile sale to Turkey
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States said Wednesday it approved the sale of $3.5 billion in missiles to Turkey, offering an ultimatum after US outrage over the NATO ally’s plans to buy from Russia. The announcement came as President Donald Trump said that US forces would withdraw …
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