Paris, France | AFP | France’s data protection agency on Monday told messaging app WhatsApp it needs to obtain users’ permission to transfer some information to its parent company Facebook and gave it a month to comply. “Should WhatsApp fail to comply with the formal notice within the specified timescale” the …
Read More »US court urged to allow abortions for immigrant teens
Washington, United States | AFP | A US court on Monday heard arguments from lawyers for two pregnant teenaged immigrants who are being prevented from having abortions while in custody. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in a motion filed with the US District Court for the District of Columbia, identified …
Read More »Palestinians slam ‘unacceptable’ US veto of Jerusalem UN resolution
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories | AFP | The Palestinian government slammed as “unacceptable” Monday a US veto of a draft UN resolution against President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. A spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the veto was “unacceptable and threatens the stability of the international …
Read More »UN to vote Monday on measure rejecting US Jerusalem decision
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a draft resolution that would reject US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, diplomats said. Egypt requested the vote Sunday, a day after it presented the measure that is likely …
Read More »Billionaire Pinera to return as Chile’s president
Santiago, Chile | AFP | Billionaire Sebastian Pinera will return to power as Chile’s president next year, according to virtually complete results from a runoff election held Sunday. Electoral authorities said the 68-year-old conservative, who previously led the South American nation from 2010-2014, had 55 percent of the vote, with 98 …
Read More »Kremlin’s new cyber weapons spark fears and fantasies
Moscow, Russia | AFP | From Donald Trump’s election to Brexit and the Catalan crisis, accusations that the Kremlin is meddling in Western domestic affairs have heightened fears over Russian hackers, trolls and state-controlled media. While the first accusations against Moscow came following a 2016 hack attack on the US Democratic …
Read More »China opens major economic conference
Beijing, China | AFP | China opened a major economic planning conference on Monday as the country tries to pivot away from its no-holds-barred growth model. The annual Central Economic Work Conference gives leaders the opportunity to review past economic policy and plan for 2018. The pursuit of high growth propelled …
Read More »Spain breaks ring that used bank warehouses to grow marijuana
Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spanish police said Sunday they had dismantled an international hashish trafficking ring which allegedly used industrial warehouses that had been repossessed by banks to grow huge amounts of marijuana. The authorities detained two Spaniards and a British national they believe headed the ring as part …
Read More »Mammoth skeleton sells for nearly 550,000 euros at French auction
Lyon, France | AFP | The nearly intact skeleton of a woolly mammoth that lived at least 10,000 years ago was sold at auction for more than a half million euros Saturday in the southeastern French city of Lyon. The giant skeleton — mounted in a forward walking position with …
Read More »Macron criticised for celebrating 40th birthday in royal style
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday celebrated his birthday at the iconic chateau of King Francois I, a choice denounced by critics as an example of how he is “cut off from the people”. Macron, who turns 40 on Thursday, is spending the weekend with his …
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