WORLD

  New York, United States | AFP | Earlier US tariffs enacted in President Donald Trump’s trade war with China have dealt only a glancing blow to consumers, but those announced Thursday are different. “This hits consumers straight on,” Steve Pasierb, president of the Toy Association, said in an interview. “This …

Washington, United States | AFP | Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza, chosen heir to the leadership of Al-Qaeda, has been killed, US media reported Wednesday citing American officials. NBC News said three US officials had confirmed they had information of Hamza bin Laden’s death, but gave no details of the place …

Detroit, United States | AFP | Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden went on the offensive Wednesday against his main 2020 opponents but was rapidly assailed on the debate stage over key issues like health care, race, immigration and criminal justice. Tensions rose rapidly between the former vice president and Senator Kamala Harris, the …

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 …