Washington, United States | AFP | The United States has accused Moscow of openly breaching Cold War-era treaties by developing what Russian President Vladimir Putin called a new generation of “invincible” hypersonic weapons and submarines. Putin unveiled the new arsenal Thursday in a state of the nation address, challenging Washington …
Read More »Israel police grill Netanyahu on new fraud case
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli police arrived on Friday at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home where media reports said they were to question him for an eighth time over allegations of fraud and bribery. An AFP journalist saw police arriving at Netanyahu’s official Jerusalem residence in two vehicles at …
Read More »France, US ‘will not tolerate impunity’ on Syria chemical weapons
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron and his US counterpart Donald Trump vowed there would be “no impunity” in the event of further chemical weapons use in Syria in a telephone call Friday. The leaders also urged Russia to put “maximum pressure” on its ally Damascus to …
Read More »Tillerson to take first Africa trip next week
Washington, United States | AFP | US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Africa next week, the State department said Thursday, in his first visit to the continent since President Donald Trump entered office. Tillerson will travel to “N’Djamena, Chad; Djibouti, Djibouti; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Nairobi, Kenya; and …
Read More »Syria regime strikes rebel enclave as aid trucks wait
Wafideen Checkpoint, Syria | AFP | Syrian and Russian forces kept up military pressure on rebel-held Eastern Ghouta Thursday as their controversial unilateral truce failed to yield a humanitarian breakthrough. More than 40 trucks loaded with aid were unable to reach the 400,000 people living in the battered enclave, prompting …
Read More »Trump tariffs fuel sell-off in steel and aluminium firms
Hong Kong, China | AFP | Steel and aluminium producers across Asia sank Friday on news of Donald Trump’s controversial tariffs, though some analysts said the long-term effects on the sector might not be as bad as thought. The president said Thursday he would slap levies of 25 percent on …
Read More »Mobile phones help transform disaster relief
Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Mobile phones are helping transform how relief agencies respond to humanitarian crises by enabling them to pin point where aid is needed most after hurricanes, earthquakes and other disasters. At the same time, mobile apps that need just a few taps of the finger to …
Read More »Facebook apologises for censoring prehistoric Venus statue
Vienna, Austria | AFP | Facebook apologised on Thursday for censoring the prehistoric “Venus of Willendorf” figurine, considered a masterpiece of the paleolithic era. “Our advertising policies do not allow nudity or implied nudity but we have an exception for statues. Therefore, the ad with this image should have been …
Read More »Aid convoy blocked in Syria despite UN ceasefire order: official
United Nations, United States | AFP | About 40 trucks are loaded and ready to ferry relief supplies to Syria’s bomb-and-siege shattered Eastern Ghouta, but there has been no let up in fighting despite a UN ceasefire resolution, a top UN official said Wednesday. Mark Lowcock, the UN under secretary-general for …
Read More »Facebook jobs service spreading to more countries
New York, United States | AFP | Facebook on Wednesday announced that its year-old job-hunting service is expanding to dozens more countries, aiming to connect members with local work. Facebook vice president Alex Himel described the move into more than 40 countries as a “new stage of the diversification of the …
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