London, United Kingdom | AFP | The top-secret leak that Britain had conditionally allowed China’s Huawei to develop its 5G network, which brought down the defence minister, does not amount to a criminal offence, police concluded Saturday. Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday sacked Gavin Williamson as defence secretary over …
Read More »UN: 1 million of Earth’s 8 million species face extinction
UN biodiversity meet wraps up, report due Monday Paris, France | AFP | Diplomats and scientists from 132 nations wrapped up six days of negotiations in Paris Saturday over the wording of a landmark report on the dire state of Nature and its impact on humanity, a UN official told …
Read More »Boeing plane skids into Florida river in crash-landing, no fatalities
Miami, United States | AFP | A Boeing 737 skidded off a runway into a river after crash-landing during a lightning storm in Florida on Friday, officials said, with terrified passengers all safely evacuated to shore from the stricken jet’s wings. The plane carrying 143 people including crew from Guantanamo Bay …
Read More »People love coffee and beer for the buzz, not the taste: study
Washington, United States | AFP | Fancy yourself a coffee connoisseur with a love for dark roasts? Or maybe hoppy pale ales are more your thing? The truth may be that our preferences for caffeine or alcoholic beverages — or indeed sugary sodas — derive not so much from the way …
Read More »Shell profit edges higher to $6 bn, beating expectations
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell on Thursday said its net profit edged higher to $6 billion in the first quarter, with gains capped by cooler oil prices and a dip in production. Profit after tax climbed two percent compared with the first three months …
Read More »UK’s May sacks defence minister Williamson over Huawei leak
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday sacked Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson following a probe into the leak of news that Britain had conditionally allowed China’s Huawei to develop its 5G network. “The Prime Minister has asked Gavin Williamson to leave the government, having lost …
Read More »In revamp, Facebook bets on small-scale connections, and romance
San José, United States | AFP | Got a crush on another Facebook user? The social network will help you connect, as part of a revamp unveiled Tuesday that aims to foster real-world relationships and make the platform a more intimate place for small groups of friends. Changes coming to the …
Read More »Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State group’s elusive leader
Baghdad, Iraq | AFP | Islamic State group chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who purportedly appeared for the first time in five years in an IS propaganda video released Monday, remains the world’s most wanted man, despite the jihadists’ “caliphate” imploding weeks ago. After declaring himself caliph in 2014, Baghdadi held sway …
Read More »Boeing wins confidence of shareholders, prepares for key 737 MAX test flight
Chicago, United States | AFP | Boeing executives successfully beat back shareholder challenges to their authority on Monday as the company signaled it expects regulators to take a key step next week in the effort to get the 737 MAX back in the air following two deadly crashes. The aerospace …
Read More »Modi’s ‘free cooking gas’ leaves bitter taste for some Indians
Naubatpur , India | AFP | Reena Devi says her life changed when she got a cooking gas connection under a billion-dollar programme championed by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meaning she no longer has to cook with wood or coal and breathe in smelly, toxic fumes. But the programme …
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