Beijing, China | AFP | A Chinese company has scrapped plans to purchase German semiconductor equipment maker Aixtron after US President Obama blocked the deal, the company said Thursday. The Chinese government-backed Grand Chip Investment said its offer could no longer be fulfilled after Washington rejected the inclusion of Aixtron’s …
Read More »America to copy Rwanda drone delivery system
When the Rwanda government, in partnership with the American company Zipline launched an emergency medical supplies system on Oct.13, nobody could have anticipated the interest it would generate, writes The Independent Correspondent. The latest information is that the American government now wants to copy the Rwanda system and use it to …
Read More »Silicon Valley: Trump would be a disaster for innovation
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Silicon Valley, the hub of the US tech industry, is traditionally a Democratic political stronghold. But that has perhaps never more been more true than in this election year, with a presidential contest featuring a Republican nominee seen here as more interested in …
Read More »Medical delivery drones take flight over Rwanda
Muhanga, Rwanda | AFP | “Three, two, one, launch!” And with that, catapulted from a ramp, the small fixed-wing drone buzzes into the air towards its pre-programmed destination, the Kabgayi hospital two kilometres away. On Friday Rwanda inaugurated a drone operation that its backers hope will kickstart a revolution in …
Read More »Facebook launches intra-office ‘Workplace’ network
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Social network giant Facebook on Monday launched new global product Workplace, a platform that it hopes will replace intranet, mailbox and other internal communication tools used by businesses worldwide. It is intended to compete with similar office communication products including Microsoft’s Yammer, Salesforce’s Chatter …
Read More »US vows response to Russian hack at ‘time and place of our choosing’
Washington, United States | AFP | Directly accusing Russia of trying to manipulate the 2016 US presidential election, the United States on Friday issued a stark warning that it would act when it wants to protect its interests. “We will take action to protect our interests, including in cyberspace, and …
Read More »Can Africa’s mobile money revolution reduce poverty?
Dakar, Senegal | AFP | When farmer Isaac Tondo fell on lean times in Liberia’s long rainy season, his brother in the capital sent 8,000 Liberian dollars (US$87) to his Lonestar mobile money account, ensuring his children’s school fees would still be paid. Across Africa more and more people — …
Read More »Fugitive Snowden urges Obama to pardon him
London, United Kingdom | AFP | US intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden called on President Barack Obama to pardon him, saying in comments published Tuesday it had been morally “necessary” to shine a light on mass surveillance. The former intelligence contractor has spent three years in exile in Russia after initiating …
Read More »Missing comet lander Philae spotted at las
Paris, France | AFP | Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft has finally spotted the tiny lander Philae stuck in a dark crack on the surface of its comet home — the first glimpse since the robot lab crashlanded in 2014, ground controllers said Monday. The European Space Agency (ESA) released a photograph …
Read More »Sick throng Indian capital’s new, high-tech clinics
New Delhi, India | AFP | For asthma sufferer Mohan Lal, regular visits to the Indian capital’s hospitals were a nightmare of waiting in endless queues in sweltering corridors that swarm with mosquitoes. But a spotless and air-conditioned clinic boasting innovative diagnostic technology and sharply-dressed doctors has just opened in …
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