San Francisco, United States | AFP | The mobile application Snapchat became a social media star with messages that vanish after viewing, making co-founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy among the youngest billionaires on the planet. The history of the company, recently re-branded just Snap in an effort to be …
Read More »President Oprah? Winfrey doesn’t rule out 2020 run
Washington, United States | AFP | Media mogul Oprah Winfrey did not say she was running for president, but she didn’t rule it out either, raising the unlikely prospect of a titanic celebrity-on-celebrity duel with Donald Trump in 2020. In an interview with Bloomberg TV that aired Wednesday, host David …
Read More »Elephants are insomniacs, sleeping just 2 hours a night
Miami, United States | AFP | Elephants hardly ever sleep in the wild, getting around two hours of shut-eye per night and only in the wee hours of the morning, researchers said Wednesday. The findings in the journal PLOS ONE are based on two female wild African elephants — living …
Read More »Russian jets mistakenly bomb US-backed forces in Syria
Washington, United States | AFP | Russian warplanes bombed US-backed fighters in several small villages in northern Syria after they mistakenly thought Islamic State forces were in the area, a US general said Wednesday. Army Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend said Russian and Syrian regime aircraft attacked the villages to the …
Read More »US stocks in record surge on Trump speech, Dow ends above 21,000
New York, United States | AFP | US stocks powered to fresh records Wednesday, with the Dow topping 21,000 for the first time, after President Donald Trump struck a more conciliatory note in a major address Tuesday night. All three major US equity indices smashed past highs, with the Dow …
Read More »Trump pledges $1 trillion to rebuild infrastructure
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump pledged Tuesday to bring one trillion dollars in public and private investment to rebuild what he called America’s crumbling infrastructure. Trump made the promise in a high-stakes speech to a joint session of Congress, moving to make good on one …
Read More »Colon cancer rates rise among Gen X, millennials
Miami, United States | AFP | Colon and rectal cancer rates are rising sharply among young and middle-aged adults in the United States but doctors have yet to pinpoint why, researchers said Tuesday. Generation X and millennials face anywhere from two to four times the risk of colon and rectal …
Read More »Trump aide Conway draws ire for kneeling on White House sofa
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Kellyanne Conway has come under fire after a picture of her casually kneeling on a couch in the Oval Office was widely shared on social media. In an image captured by an AFP photographer, Conway appears on the …
Read More »Trump eyes increase in defense spending
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump teased a budget plan Monday that includes a nearly 10 percent increase in defense spending and a “large reduction” in foreign aid. Previewing measures aimed at backing up campaign promises with dollars and cents, Trump promised a “public safety and national …
Read More »‘Moonlight’ takes best pic Oscar after stunning mix-up
Hollywood, United States | AFP | Coming-of-age drama “Moonlight” won the best picture Oscar on Sunday, but not before the film industry’s biggest night was marred by one of the worst fiascos in its history, as “La La Land” was mistakenly handed the award first. Until the final minute the …
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