New York, United States | AFP | Apple said Monday that it would buy leading song recognition app Shazam in a fresh bid to secure an edge in the intensifying battle of streaming services. Apple, whose streaming service has rapidly grown but still has only half the paid subscribers of Spotify, …
Read More »Putin calls for Mideast talks to resume, including on Jerusalem
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin called Monday for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to resume, including on Jerusalem, following the controversial US decision to recognise the city as Israel’s capital. Speaking on state television during a visit to Egypt, Putin stressed the importance of “the immediate resumption of …
Read More »Uber’s London licence battle set for May/June
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Uber’s appeal against losing its licence in London will be heard in May or June next year, a court determined Monday. London’s transport authority said in September that it would not renew the ride-hailing company’s licence to operate in the British capital owing to public …
Read More »Golden Globes: Hollywood’s test of the Weinstein effect
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | The nominations will be unveiled Monday for the Golden Globes, kicking off an awards season expected to be overshadowed by the sexual misconduct scandal engulfing the movie industry. The announcements, which come two days before the influential Screen Actors Guild nominations, are the first …
Read More »Qatar signs $8-bn deal to buy 24 Typhoon fighters from UK
Doha, Qatar | AFP | Qatar signed a multi-billion-dollar deal Sunday to buy 24 Typhoon fighters from Britain, its second major defence agreement this week, which comes during the worst political crisis in the region for years. The $8-billion (6.8-billion-euro) deal was signed in Doha by Qatar’s Defence Minister Khalid …
Read More »Palestinians ‘walking away’ from talks with Pence snub: US
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States accused the Palestinian Authority Sunday of “walking away” from a chance to discuss peace in the Middle East by snubbing Vice President Mike Pence on an upcoming visit. A top official in Pence’s office said the vice president was looking forward to …
Read More »Rwanda to host top US diplomat
Acting Assistant Secretary Yamamoto to meet Kagame Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Donald Yamamoto will spend two days on an official visit to Kigali between Dec.13 and 14. It will be the conclusion of a two-week trip to four African countries and …
Read More »Thousands rally in Morocco against US Jerusalem move
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Morocco’s capital Rabat on Sunday as demonstrations against US President Donald Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital continued to spread. Waving Palestinian flags, a sea of demonstrators marched from Rabat’s Bab el-Had square to Morocco’s parliament building, down …
Read More »Abbas to Egypt for talks with Sisi on Trump move
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was to meet Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo Monday over US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Egypt’s presidency said. Trump’s move has drawn near universal condemnation, and Palestinian officials say Abbas will refuse to meet …
Read More »New protests flare over Trump’s Jerusalem declaration
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | New protests flared in the Middle East and elsewhere Sunday over US President Donald Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a move that has drawn global condemnation and sparked days of unrest in the Palestinian territories. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Palestinians …
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