Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Decades after Isaac Asimov first wrote his laws for robots, their ever-expanding role in our lives requires a radical new set of rules, legal and AI expert Frank Pasquale warned on Thursday. The world has changed since sci-fi author Asimov in 1942 wrote …
Read More »US slaps sanctions over Russia rights despite revived ties
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Russians over abuses including the killing of a prominent opposition leader, days after top-level talks seemed to ease tensions between the powers. The State Department highlighted the actions against the five people, plus one …
Read More »Huawei becomes flashpoint in China-US economic showdown
Washington, United States | AFP | The US crackdown on Huawei has made the Chinese telecommunications giant the flashpoint in a monumental economic and technological showdown between the two superpowers that is testing allies of both. One day after the US moved to block Huawei from the US market and banned …
Read More »Europe’s captured media
Independent media is fleeing attacks by government and involvement by large financial groups COMMENT | MARIUS DRAGOMIR | In its March 22 edition, the Slovenian weekly magazine Mladina featured on its cover a cartoon of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán performing a Nazi salute while being hugged by right-wing politicians of …
Read More »Soda taxes work in cutting consumption, US study finds
Washington, United States | AFP | New research backs the argument that “sin taxes” lead to a reduction in consumption, justifying the use of the duties in combating obesity and other health issues, its authors say. The 2017 decision by city officials in Philadelphia to impose a beverage tax on …
Read More »Nissan profits hit ‘rock bottom’ as Ghosn weighs
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Crisis-hit Japanese car company Nissan on Tuesday unveiled net profits at a near-decade low as it battles to recover after the shock arrest of its talismanic former boss Carlos Ghosn. Net profits for the fiscal year to March 2019 came in at 319 billion yen ($2.9 …
Read More »WhatsApp urges update after ‘serious’ security breach
San Francisco, United States | AFP | WhatsApp on Tuesday encouraged its users to upgrade the app to plug a security breach that allowed sophisticated attackers to sneak spyware into phones, in the latest trouble for its parent Facebook. The vulnerability — first reported by the Financial Times, and fixed in …
Read More »Britain’s Trump? Farage surges on Brexit discontent
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Polls show his Brexit Party easily winning next week’s European Parliament polls and edging ahead of Theresa May’s Conservatives in a UK general election. Nigel Farage is channelling Donald Trump’s brand of angry populism to help turn British politics on its head. “You are in …
Read More »Man City on brink of Premier League glory
Fixtures Sunday 5pm Brighton v Manchester City, Burnley v Arsenal, Crystal Palace v Bournemouth, Fulham v Newcastle, Leicester v Chelsea, Liverpool v Wolves, Manchester United v Cardiff, Southampton v Huddersfield, Tottenham v Everton, Watford v West Ham London, United Kingdom | AFP | A thrilling Premier League title race …
Read More »Uber shifts into reverse in disappointing Wall Street debut
New York, United States | AFP | Uber shares skidded Friday in a disappointing Wall Street debut following a massive public offering from the global ride-hailing giant. After pricing at $45 for the initial public offering (IPO) — translating to a market value of $82 billion — Uber shares began …
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