Bonn, Germany | AFP | Syria told the UN climate talks in Bonn on Tuesday that it would join the Paris Agreement, leaving the United States as the only nation in the world opting to stay outside the landmark treaty. “We are going to join the Paris Agreement,” the Syrian delegate, …
Read More »Twitter to double tweet limit to 280 characters
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Twitter announced Tuesday it would double the limit for tweets to 280 characters in a bid to draw in more users and boost engagement at the social network. “We’re expanding the character limit! We want it to be easier and faster for everyone …
Read More »Who’s great again? Trump faces ‘king of China’ Xi
Beijing, China | AFP | Xi Jinping and Donald Trump have one thing in common — they both want to make their nations great again. But while China’s leader is on the rise, the US president arrives in Beijing laden down with heavy baggage. Xi will roll out the red …
Read More »Apple’s $120 mn patent award from Samsung upheld by top US court
Washington, United States | AFP | The US Supreme Court on Monday upheld a $120 million patent award Samsung was ordered to pay Apple in the latest ruling in a series of legal skirmishes between the top two smartphone makers. The US justices let stand without comment a 2016 appeals court …
Read More »Cyclist who gave Trump the finger loses her job: report
Washington, United States | AFP | Juli Briskman didn’t think twice when she gave President Donald Trump the finger as his motorcade passed her while she was cycling on a road near his golf club. “He was passing by and my blood just started to boil,” the Democrat mother of two, …
Read More »US tells DR Congo to stick to election timetable
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Monday backed plans by the Democratic Republic of Congo to hold elections in December 2018 and warned President Joseph Kabila must stick to the timeline. The election commission in Kinshasa announced on Sunday that the long-awaited presidential, legislative, regional and …
Read More »Deadly heat from climate change may hit slums hardest
Miami, United States | AFP | With sheet metal roofs, concrete floors, poor ventilation and spotty electricity, crowded urban slums in Africa can expect to get even hotter and deadlier due to global warming, US researchers said Monday. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University analyzed three informal settlements in Nairobi, including the …
Read More »FIFA trials: Key players in a global scandal
New York, United States | AFP | The FIFA scandal, which erupted in May 2015 with the arrest of seven top officials in Zurich, has several judicial tracks. One in the United States targets former North and South American officials. Others in France and in Switzerland, where FIFA is based, have …
Read More »New York marathon showcases city’s resilience after truck attack
New York, United States | AFP | Five days after the worst attack on New York since September 11, 2001, the city staged a show of defiance Sunday, with some 2.5 million people packing the streets to cheer on 50,000 marathon participants from around the world. In a befitting finish, Shalane …
Read More »A year after election, poll has Trump lower than any president in decades
Washington, United States | AFP | A new poll, released a year after Donald Trump’s stunning electoral victory, shows the US president suffering historically dismal approval ratings as the Russia investigation casts a continuing shadow. The Washington Post, which conducted the survey with ABC News, said Trump’s approval rating was “demonstrably …
Read More »