Washington, United States | AFP | One month from Saturday, Hillary Clinton is favored to make history as the first female US president. But with a resilient Donald Trump standing in her way, the Election Day outcome remains anything but certain. The possible pitfalls — an “October surprise,” a …
Read More »Facebook’s Oculus pushes virtual reality with new gear
San José, United States | AFP | Facebook on Thursday worked to ramp up enthusiasm for its virtual reality line, unveiling new gear including a lower-end wireless headset prototype. The company’s Oculus virtual reality division is set to release in coming months a new “Touch” controller and a more affordable …
Read More »15 years on, the Afghan war still defies US timelines
Washington, United States | AFP | Fifteen years after the US invasion of Afghanistan, President Barack Obama and the American military have dug in for a long campaign that defies rigid timelines and easy barometers of victory. On October 7, 2001, in response to the 9/11 attacks, President George W. …
Read More »Twitter shares dive after Google rules out bid
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Twitter shares dove in after-hours trades Wednesday on the heels of a report that Google does not plan to bid for the culture-changing but unprofitable one-to-many messaging service. The technology news website Recode cited unnamed sources close to the situation as saying Google …
Read More »With US focused on vote, Russia takes advantage in Syria
Washington, United States | AFP | With Barack Obama’s presidency coming to a close and US policy for Syria at an impasse, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has stepped up efforts to secure its ally Bashar al-Assad in power. US officials fear the Kremlin is racing to consolidate its gains in Syria …
Read More »Pixel phones and smart machines: Google announcements
San Francisco, United States | AFP | US internet giant Google on Tuesday challenged heavyweight rivals including Apple and Amazon with an array of new gadgets aimed at digital lifestyles. Coming products to watch for: Smartphone ‘Made by Google’ Pixel is the first smartphone designed by Google, with the Silicon …
Read More »Philippines, US hold war games after Duterte tirades
Manila, Philippines | AFP | The Philippines and the United States launched war games on Tuesday against the backdrop of the unusual threat of American forces being ejected from the Southeast Asian nation, as its firebrand leader pivots to China. President Rodrigo Duterte has sustained a verbal assault on the …
Read More »Facebook expands reach with buy-and-sell ‘Marketplace’
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook launched Monday a “Marketplace” trading platform that lets users of the vast social network buy and sell goods with each other in a mighty challenge to the likes of eBay and Craigslist. The new feature puts Facebook — with a global base …
Read More »Ten years on, WikiLeaks and Assange as controversial as ever
Berlin, Germany | AFP | Celebrating its 10th anniversary this week, anonymous whistleblowing platform WikiLeaks can look back on a decade that saw it turn classified documents into global headlines and inspire a host of copycat leaks. But with founder Julian Assange hiding in Ecuador’s London embassy to evade rape …
Read More »How Kim Kardashian was robbed in Paris, millions stolen
Paris, France | AFP | US reality television star Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint at a Paris hotel by assailants disguised as police who made off with millions, mainly in jewellery, French authorities and her representative said Monday. Paris police said the loss amounted to “several million euros, mostly …
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