Paris, France | AFP | Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg on Friday said he was “encouraged” and “optimistic” about the regulatory framework being suggested by France for the social media giant and other online platforms, after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. The meeting followed the drawing up of a report …
Read More »Break up Facebook, says company’s co-founder
New York, United States | AFP | One of the co-founders of Facebook called on Thursday for the social media behemoth to be broken up, warning that the company’s head, Mark Zuckerberg, had become far too powerful. “It’s time to break up Facebook,” said Chris Hughes, who along with Zuckerberg founded …
Read More »US-N.Korea tensions rise with Pyongyang launches, ship seizure
Washington, United States | AFP | The US seized a North Korean freighter in a further escalation of tensions Thursday after Pyongyang fired what was believed to be two missiles and President Donald Trump said Kim Jong Un was not ready to negotiate denuclearisation. The launch of the projectiles — identified …
Read More »Pope changes Church law to make reporting sex abuse obligatory
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Thursday passed a measure to oblige those who know about sex abuse in the Catholic Church to report it to their superiors, following a global clerical paedophilia scandal. Every diocese in the world will now be obliged to have a system …
Read More »North Korea fires missiles as US envoy visits Seoul
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea welcomed a US envoy’s visit to Seoul by firing two missiles Thursday, the South’s military said, in Pyongyang’s second launch in less than a week as it seeks to up the ante in deadlocked nuclear negotiations with Washington. It came after North Korea …
Read More »Huawei exec facing extradition appears in Canada court
Vancouver, Canada | AFP | A senior Chinese telecom executive whose arrest in Canada on a US warrant triggered a diplomatic row between Ottawa and Beijing appeared in court Wednesday to fight for her release. Canada’s justice department said the court was to set the next key dates in an extradition …
Read More »British PM rejects calls for resignation timetable
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday resisted demands from within her party to give a clear timetable for stepping down, with her spokesman insisting she would stay until Britain’s exit from the EU is finalised. “She is here to deliver Brexit in phase one and …
Read More »Prince Harry ‘over the moon’ as Meghan gives birth to a boy
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has given birth to a boy, her “over the moon” husband Prince Harry revealed to the world on Monday in a low-key announcement intended to protect their privacy. Prince Harry said that both mother and baby were “doing incredibly well” …
Read More »Refugees are ‘cross for humanity’, says Pope in Bulgaria
Sofia, Bulgaria | AFP | Pope Francis told Syrian and Iraqi refugees at a camp in Bulgaria that their experiences were “a cross for humanity” as he continued his visit to the Balkans on Monday. Arriving in Bulgaria on Sunday, Francis begun his three-day tour by urging his hosts to open …
Read More »Trump: Mueller ‘should not testify’ before US Congress
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump said Sunday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller “should not testify” before Congress on his Russia election meddling inquiry, setting up a confrontation with Democrats already irate over what they view as increasingly brazen administration stone-walling. Trump’s statement represented a reversal; …
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