WORLD

Washington, United States | AFP | Google has begun a new effort to block annoying ads on its Chrome browser, as part of an initiative aimed at improving the online advertising ecosystem that provides the bulk of its revenues. The new ad filtering system rolled out this week aims to …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | US federal agents said Friday they arrested 212 people in Los Angeles for violating federal immigration laws. The vast majority — 88 percent — of those arrested “were convicted criminals,” the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said in a statement. The arrests were …

Tel Aviv, Israel | AFP | Thousands of Israelis marched against corruption in Tel Aviv on Friday, in the first protest since police recommended that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be indicted for graft. Several thousand people gathered for the protest calling on Netanyahu to step down, carrying banners reading ‘Crime …

New York, United States | AFP | Coca-Cola reported a fourth-quarter loss Friday due to a one-time hit from US tax reform as growth in some non-cola beverages helped offset continued sluggishness in soda sales. The soft drink giant reported a loss of $2.8 billion in the quarter ending December …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Oxfam unveiled an action plan Friday to tackle sexual misconduct following a prostitution scandal described as “a stain on Oxfam that will shame us for years” by the charity’s global chief. The organisation said it would create a commission which will “operate at arms-length …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Seven candidates are lined up against Vladimir Putin in a Russian presidential election next month that he is all but guaranteed to win, extending his Kremlin term to 2024 with a fourth term in office. His competitors include a former reality TV star and a …

Parkland, United States | AFP | Florida teen Stacey Sayers says she is on an emotional roller coaster — happy to have survived the carnage at her high school, but overwhelmed by what her classmates have lost. The 15-year-old was one of thousands who honored the victims in a series …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Running with a lacklustre slogan, no programme and refusing to debate his opponents, it sometimes seems like Russian President Vladimir Putin is not campaigning for re-election at all. But it is unlikely to matter for the 65-year-old strongman who is cruising towards victory and a …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | A former Oxfam country director at the centre of sexual misconduct allegations embroiling the London-based charity has denied organising orgies, as Haiti announced it would open a probe into the spiralling scandal. Roland van Hauwermeiren, who led Oxfam’s team in Haiti, was one of three …

Washington, United States | AFP | The US Senate on Thursday shot down a series of immigration reform proposals including one championed by President Donald Trump, dashing hopes that Congress will soon decide on the fate of hundreds of thousands of young migrants brought to the country illegally as children. …