Washington, United States | AFP | What is next for the smartphone, which has become the hottest-selling consumer device around the world in just over a decade? Even as top makers like Apple and Samsung unveil new handsets with new features and improved performance, smartphone sales have flattened with most …
Read More »‘We don’t need their prize’: Myanmar defiant as Amnesty pulls Suu Kyi award
Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | Myanmar authorities and citizens leapt to the defence of Aung San Suu Kyi Tuesday after Amnesty International stripped her of its top award over indifference to atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims, doubling down on support for the civilian leader in the face of global ire. …
Read More »Smartphones raising a mentally fragile generation
San Diego, United States | AFP | San Diego State University psychology professor Jean Twenge sees smartphones and social media as raising an unhappy, compliant “iGen.” QUESTION: What is the iGen? ANSWER: The iGen is the generation born in 1995 and later, and they’re the first generation to spend their …
Read More »Smartphones: a double-edged sword for terrorists
Paris, France | AFP | Bombs and guns aside, a smartphone can be a powerful weapon in the hands of a terrorist — but it can also provide intelligence services with the tools to track them down. Three years ago to the day, the Paris attacks of November 13, 2015 …
Read More »Fighting wars and disease, smartphones on the frontlines
Paris, France | AFP | At the sharp end of conflict in Syria, in a schoolchild’s bag in Kenya, whether fighting deadly diseases or studying forestry, the smartphone has become ubiquitous in just over a decade. This year, the number of users is expected to pass three billion, and AFP …
Read More »Pneumonia to kill nearly 11 mn children by 2030, study warns
Paris, France | AFP | Pneumonia will kill nearly 11 million children under five by 2030, experts warned Monday on a global day aimed at raising awareness of the biggest infectious killer of infants worldwide. While in the developed world the severe lung infection mainly affects the elderly, in developing …
Read More »Macron, Merkel, UN chief target Trump’s world view
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UN chief Antonio Guterres took turns in warning about the dangers of nationalism on Sunday as they marked the centenary of the end of World War I. Without mentioning US President Donald Trump by name, all …
Read More »Major oil producers to consider cuts after price slide
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | Major oil producers meet in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to consider reverting to output cuts after a sharp slide in crude prices revived fears of a 2014-style crash. Oil prices shed a fifth of their value in just one month after surging to …
Read More »World leaders mark 100 years since WWI Armistice in Paris
Paris, France | AFP | World leaders gathered in Paris will lead global commemorations on Sunday to mark 100 years since the end of World War I at a time of growing nationalism and diplomatic tensions. Around 70 leaders including US and Russian Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will …
Read More »Trump in Paris slams Macron’s ‘insulting’ EU army proposals
Paris, France | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Friday blasted calls by Emmanuel Macron for a European army to defend against threats from powers including the US as “very insulting”, setting a combative tone for his World War I commemorative visit to Paris. No sooner had Trump touched …
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