Washington, United States | AFP | Barack Obama’s trailblazing presidency, a first for an African-American, began 10 years ago Sunday, a historic moment that some believed ushered in a post-racial America. But given the racial politics amplified in the era of successor Donald Trump, the hope and change of 2009 …
Read More »New retail tools aim to solve e-commerce profit dilemma
New York, United States | AFP | Conventional wisdom in the Amazon era holds that the lowest price wins the battle of the retailers, leading many to just about give away items to make a sale. Yet some data suggest a more nuanced reality: while 76 percent of retailers aim …
Read More »At Detroit auto show, the future of cars is… in the future
Detroit, United States | AFP | The Detroit auto show kicked off this week with glitzy, high-production value debuts of mostly sports cars, giant trucks and SUVs — new versions of age-old themes. But tucked away in a corner of the show were the people and companies hoping for at …
Read More »Interpreters demand to stay out as Trump row throws spotlight
Washington, United States | AFP | Explosive allegations that US President Donald Trump concealed conversations with Russia have thrown an unwelcome spotlight on interpreters, whose quick wit is vital to diplomacy and who stay scrupulously in the shadows. Interpreters, whether they are working at high-stakes international summits or in low-level …
Read More »Erdogan, Trump consider creating security zone in Syria
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US counterpart Donald Trump mooted Monday the creation of a “security zone” in northern Syria as tensions rose over the fate of Kurdish fighters in the war-torn country. In a telephone conversation, the leaders “discussed the idea of creating …
Read More »US car buyers swerve away from compact cars, sedans
Detroit, United States | AFP | A persistent question shadowed all of the shiny new vehicles and highly-produced, glitzy debuts at the Detroit auto show this week: Where are the sedans? Volkswagen was among the few to trumpet a new sedan — those compact and mid-sized cars that shuttled generations …
Read More »Trump and Russia: what drives the suspicions?
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump faced new heat Monday after news reports that he has hid from aides the details of discussions with Vladimir Putin and that the FBI investigated him as a potential national security risk who might be acting on behalf of Russia. Trump …
Read More »Antarctica ice loss increases six fold since 1979
Tampa, United States | AFP | Global warming is melting ice in Antarctica faster than ever before — about six times more per year now than 40 years ago — leading to increasingly high sea levels worldwide, scientists warned on Monday. Already, Antarctic melting has raised global sea levels …
Read More »Total lunar eclipse on Jan 20-21 will be last until 2022
Washington, United States | AFP | People in North and South America, a large part of Europe and Africa may get a glimpse of a total lunar eclipse overnight from January 20 to 21, the last such event until 2022. For those in Europe and Africa, the total eclipse will …
Read More »Trump under fresh scrutiny over relationship with Russia’s Putin
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump faced uncomfortable new questions Sunday about his relationship with Vladimir Putin despite his angry dismissal of a report that he has kept top aides in the dark about his private conversations with the Russian leader. Republican lawmakers generally defended the …
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