Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The European Union has given Facebook two weeks to answer questions raised by the scandal over personal data harvested from the social network, according to extracts of a letter obtained by AFP on Tuesday. The letter EU’s justice commissioner Vera Jourova sent Facebook’s chief operating officer …
Read More »NO PROOF: Trump ‘strongly’ denies Stormy Daniels affair
Washington, United States | AFP | The White House hit back at porn star Stormy Daniels on Monday, insisting there was “nothing to collaborate” her claims of extramarital sex with Donald Trump. In its first response to a primetime interview watched by more than 21 million Americans, the White House …
Read More »‘Pacific Rim’ dethrones ‘Black Panther’ in box office
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Smash-’em up blockbuster “Pacific Rim: Uprising” sent shockwaves through the North American box office this weekend, claiming the top spot with takings of $28 million, industry estimates showed Sunday. The action-packed sequel knocked “Black Panther” from number one after five straight weeks, according to …
Read More »Pope urges young people not to remain silent
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Sunday urged young people not to allow themselves to be silenced and to stand up for what they believe in, a day after more than a million people in the United States took part in student-led protests demanding tighter gun control. …
Read More »Doctor’s own diagnosis drives quest for a cancer cure
Bethesda, United States | AFP | Christian Hinrichs knew his life had forever changed the day he thought he was pouring milk into a glass, but heard it splashing on the floor instead. It was 2005, and the young cancer surgeon had just undergone the removal of his right eye …
Read More »Martin Luther King Jr’s granddaughter appeals for ‘gun-free world’
Washington, United States | AFP | The nine-year-old granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr. made a rousing appearance at a huge protest for gun control in Washington on Saturday, saying that like the slain civil rights leader she too has a dream — “a gun-free world.” The poised young girl …
Read More »Trump’s choice of Bolton and Pompeo stirs war fears
Washington, United States | AFP | By tapping conservative firebrand John Bolton as his national security chief and hardliner Mike Pompeo as his top diplomat, US President Donald Trump has dramatically raised the stakes in world affairs. Now, if Trump decides to abandon the Iran nuclear deal he has an adviser …
Read More »US steps up threat to quit UN rights council
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States warned Friday that it was losing patience and again threatened to quit the UN Human Rights Council after the Geneva-based body adopted five resolutions condemning Israel. US Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a statement that the council was “grossly biased …
Read More »Facebook as an election weapon, from Obama to Trump
New York, United States | AFP | The use of Facebook data to target voters has triggered global outrage with the Cambridge Analytica scandal. But the concept is nothing new: Barack Obama made extensive use of the social network in 2008 and stepped up “micro-targeting” in his 2012 re-election effort. …
Read More »Trump signs spending bill, averting government shutdown
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Friday signed a $1.3 trillion compromise federal spending bill despite being “unhappy” with many of its provisions — thereby averting what would have been the third government shutdown of 2018. Trump said he signed the measure that had passed the …
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