Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Beijing on Wednesday protested the arrest in Canada of Chinese national Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of global telecommunications giant Huawei, and urged her immediate release as she faces extradition to the United States. “At the request of the US side, the Canadian side …
Read More »Satellite images show activity at N. Korean missile base: CNN
Washington, United States | AFP | North Korea has expanded a key long-range missile base in the months since a summit between the country’s leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump, according to satellite images published by CNN on Wednesday. The two men met in Singapore in June …
Read More »Zuckerberg defends Facebook in new data breach controversy
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg pushed back Wednesday against emails showing the social media giant offering Netflix and other popular apps preferential access to people’s data even after it had tightened its privacy rules. A British parliamentary committee investigating whether the social media behemoth was …
Read More »ICC members back court, but urge it to speed up work
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | Countries signed up to the International Criminal Court renewed their backing Wednesday for the embattled global legal body, targeted by the Trump administration, but urged it to speed up its work. “The European Union strongly supports the International Criminal Court and its work as …
Read More »Facebook accused of giving access to users’ data
London, United Kingdom | AFP | A British parliamentary committee accused Facebook on Wednesday of giving companies such as Netflix preferential access to users’ data even after it tightened its privacy rules in 2014-15. The UK parliament’s select media committee published more than 200 pages of internal Facebook emails it …
Read More »Pop star Ariana Grande’s ‘Thank U, Next’ video smashes records
New York, United States | AFP | Pop star Ariana Grande’s sugary new music video for the hit “Thank U, Next” is now the fastest to rack up 100 million views on YouTube, the platform told AFP Wednesday. After dropping Friday, the clip needed little more than three days to …
Read More »Putin rejects US claim Russia breaking arms treaty
Moscow, Russia | AFP | President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday dismissed US claims Russia is violating a major Cold War treaty limiting mid-range nuclear arms, as a senior general lashed out at Washington’s attempts to “contain” Moscow. The tense rhetoric comes a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said …
Read More »US reestablishes permanent diplomatic presence in Somalia
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States has reestablished a permanent diplomatic presence in Somalia nearly three decades after it closed its Mogadishu embassy in January 1991, the State Department said Tuesday. “This historic event reflects Somalia’s progress in recent years and is another step forward in formalizing …
Read More »Biden says he’s ‘most qualified’ to be US president
Washington, United States | AFP | Former US vice president Joe Biden has stoked speculation he may run for the White House in 2020 by saying he believes he is the “most qualified person” to be president. Biden, 76, made the remarks on Monday night while in Montana during a …
Read More »CIA chief to brief lawmakers on Khashoggi murder
Washington, United States | AFP | CIA director Gina Haspel has agreed to brief a “small group” of US lawmakers about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the chair of the Senate foreign relations committee said Monday. The briefing will take place on Tuesday at 11:00 am (1600 GMT), …
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