Kiev, Ukraine | AFP | Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky topped the first round of Ukraine’s presidential election Sunday, exit polls showed, setting him up for a run-off with the incumbent after voters expressed frustration over corruption and a stalling economy. When he announced his long-shot candidacy at the start of the …
Read More »Scientists discover how mosquitoes detect human sweat
Washington, United States | AFP | Scientists have known for decades that mosquitoes are attracted to the lactic acid contained in human sweat, but in the era before advanced genetics, the precise mechanism had remained a mystery. Now, a team of researchers at Florida International University have discovered the olfactory …
Read More »Trump threatens to close border with Mexico ‘next week’
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Friday again accused Mexico of failing to curb the flow of migrants illegally entering the US, and threatened to close the common border “next week” unless something changes. Trump’s latest tweets ramp up the tension between the neighbors, putting a specific timeframe to his threats …
Read More »UK lawmakers reject Brexit deal for third time
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British MPs on Friday rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s EU divorce deal for a third time, opening the way for a long delay to Brexit — or a chaotic “no deal” withdrawal in two weeks. The pound slipped as lawmakers defied May’s plea to end …
Read More »UK identifies fresh Huawei risks to telecom networks
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain has identified “significant” issues in Huawei’s engineering processes that pose “new risks” for the nation’s telecommunications, a government report found Thursday amid lingering global suspicion over the Chinese technology giant. “Further significant technical issues have been identified in Huawei’s engineering processes, leading to new …
Read More »Modern monetary realism
MMT is essentially a description of how money is created and destroyed by governments and by banks Project Syndicate, 2019 | JAMES K. GALBRAITH | Is Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) a potential boon to economic policymakers, or, as Harvard’s Kenneth Rogoff recently argued, a threat to “the entire global financial system” …
Read More »Venezuela: Maduro regime strips Guaido of public office
Caracas, Venezuela | AFP | Venezuela’s auditor general’s office announced Thursday it has stripped opposition leader and speaker of congress Juan Guaido of the right to hold public office for 15 years. The move, announced by Auditor General Elvis Amoroso on state television, marked another effort by President Nicolas Maduro’s regime …
Read More »WTO confirms US failed to fully comply over Boeing subsidies
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Trade Organization confirmed Thursday that Washington failed to fully comply with a 2012 order to halt subsidies to Boeing, marking a partial victory for rival aircraft maker Airbus and the EU. The ruling from the WTO appeals body was the latest blow in the decade-long clash between the …
Read More »Britain’s May seeks third Brexit vote Friday
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The British government said it intended to bring back Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal for a third vote in parliament on Friday to avoid a chaotic no-deal divorce from the EU. May’s throw of the dice comes a day after her dramatic pledge …
Read More »Boeing unveils fix to flight software after accidents
Renton, United States | AFP | US aircraft maker Boeing on Wednesday unveiled an upgraded for the MCAS flight software on the 737 MAX aircraft, following two recent crashes in which nearly 350 people died. The company is going all out to respond to safety concerns about its top-selling plane, …
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