WORLD

Bobrovka, Russia | AFP | Anatoly Rubtsov looked despondently at the beehives lining his property. “The farm used to be loud, it sang,” he said.  Today just a faint buzz is audible but an overpowering rotting stench hung in the air after his bees were likely poisoned by a pesticide. Rubtsov, …

Washington, United States | AFP | Huawei remained the number two global smartphone vendor in the past quarter despite tough US sanctions imposed on the Chinese technology giant, market trackers said Wednesday. The Chinese firm managed to boost its sales even as the overall market declined, remaining on the heels of …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook-backed researchers have managed to translate brain signals into spoken words, bringing the social network’s vision of linking brains and machines closer to reality. A study published this week by University of California-San Francisco scientists showed progress toward a new type of brain-computer interface. …

GAGLIANO DEL CAPO, Italy | AFP | Working in an arid Italian field of crumbly soil, agronomists are battling a rampant bacterium that has already infected millions of olive trees and could threaten the entire Mediterranean basin. Xylella fastidiosa, which has no known cure, has devastated ancient olive trees in Italy’s …

Jamestown, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Tuesday denied any racist “strategy” behind a string of verbal attacks on African-Americans, but found himself being accused of “hate” by a heckler at a high-profile speech. “I have no strategy. I have zero strategy,” Trump told reporters at the White …

WHO recommends dolutegravir as preferred HIV treatment option in all populations Mexico City, Mexico | THE INDEPENDENT | Based on new evidence assessing benefits and risks, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended the use of the HIV drug dolutegravir (DTG) as the preferred first-line and second-line treatment for all …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | This week’s latest Brexit-fuelled collapse in the troubled pound is a boon for tourists and multinationals — but spells trouble for the purchasing power of UK households. Sterling tumbled Tuesday to two-year lows against the euro and dollar, plagued with concern that Britain will crash …

Shenzhen, China | AFP | Huawei’s sales unexpectedly rose in the first half of the year, company figures showed Tuesday, as executives admitted US sanctions would bring further challenges in the coming months. The Chinese tech giant has been under immense pressure this year as Washington has lobbied allies worldwide to …

Washington, United States | AFP |  When Barack Obama was elected as America’s first black president in 2008, many believed it was a watershed moment for a country bearing the scars of slavery. Just over a decade later, as the 2020 presidential campaign heats up, the divisive issue of race …

New York, United States | AFP |  A contrarian businessman with a penchant for fashion and a boyish smile, rapper A$AP Rocky has risen out of poverty in Harlem to become one of contemporary hip hop’s VIPs in the past decade. Now the 30-year-old artist faces trial on Tuesday, as …