New York, United States | AFP | The photo op with Santa Claus has long been a holiday mainstay for American children. But this year, shopping malls in several states are scheduling glamour shots for man’s best friend. As the Christmas shopping season kicks into high gear on Black Friday, the …
Read More »Uber in legal crosshairs over hack cover-up
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Two US states said Wednesday they are investigating Uber’s cover-up of a hack at the ride-sharing giant that compromised the personal information of 57 million users and drivers. Uber purportedly paid data thieves $100,000 to destroy the swiped information — and remained quiet …
Read More »Facebook to show people if they fell for Russian propaganda
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook on Wednesday said it will help people see if they liked or followed posts considered part of a Russian effort to meddle with last year’s US election. A software tool to be released by the end of this year will allow users to …
Read More »Sixty percent of US women ‘sexually harassed’: poll
New York, United States | AFP | Sixty percent of US women voters say they have experienced sexual harassment and more than two-thirds of them said it happened at work, a nationwide poll revealed Tuesday. The findings come as the United States grapples with sexual assault and harassment scandals that have …
Read More »Chad denies US claim its president took oil bribe
N’Djamena, Chad | AFP | Chad’s government on Tuesday denied allegations by US investigators that President Idriss Deby received a $2 million (1.7 million euros) bribe for oil rights in the country. “Faced with this umpteenth false allegation, the government of Chad formally refutes this shameful fabrication,” the government said in …
Read More »McDonald’s to demolish ‘Store No. 1’ historic replica
Chicago, United States | AFP | It has stood alone, closed to visitors, for a decade — a historic replica built on the site of the first McDonald’s franchise restaurant in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines. The fast food giant on Tuesday said it will demolish the time capsule from …
Read More »Putin informs Trump about talks with Assad: Kremlin
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday informed US counterpart Donald Trump of his talks with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, saying Damascus is in favour of conducting parliamentary and presidential polls, the Kremlin said. “Vladimir Putin informed Donald Trump of the main results of a meeting with …
Read More »Chinese oil giant and Chad deny Africa bribery scheme after US probe
Shanghai, China | AFP | Top Chinese oil company CEFC China Energy on Tuesday denied any involvement in an alleged multi-million dollar bribery scandal that US investigators say helped the giant win business advantages in Africa. US officials announced Monday that they had arrested Hong Kong’s former home affairs secretary and …
Read More »US arrests two Chinese oil company reps in Africa bribery scheme
Washington, United States | AFP | US authorities have arrested Hong Kong’s former home affairs secretary and the ex-foreign minister of Senegal for leading a multimillion dollar bribery scheme in Africa on behalf of a top Chinese energy company, with some deals arranged in the halls of the United Nations. …
Read More »Trump to shut charitable foundation: reports
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump will dissolve his charitable foundation — which acknowledged breaking federal rules on “self-dealing” last year — once an investigation concludes, US media reported Monday. In December, Trump vowed to shutter the organization to avoid any conflicts of interest, after it was …
Read More »
The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price