WORLD

Washington, United States | AFP | US officials said Wednesday they have agreed to grant licenses to “several” firms to provide components to Chinese tech giant Huawei, which faces sanctions imposed over national security concerns. A Commerce Department spokesman said the agency had granted “narrow licenses to authorize limited and specific activities which do not …

Washington, United States | AFP | US diplomat Gordon Sondland said Wednesday President Donald Trump never spoke to him about stalled military aid to Ukraine or any alleged link to Trump’s demands for political investigations. “I never heard from President Trump that aid was conditioned on an announcement of (the investigations),” …

Paris, France | AFP |  Airlines have taken steps to reduce their carbon footprints under the gaze of public opinion, but the pressure of the bottom line means some fly with extra fuel, boosting emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases. As the highly competitive air travel industry is being pushed to reduce …

  London, United Kingdom | AFP | Jose Mourinho was on Wednesday appointed Tottenham’s new manager to replace the sacked Mauricio Pochettino, with the club languishing 14th in the Premier League. The Portuguese former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United manager signed a contract until the end of the 2022/23 …

New York, United States | AFP | Boeing’s 737 MAX got a boost Tuesday with confirmation of new orders for the still-grounded plane, but a fresh lawsuit connected to the development of the troubled aircraft poses another challenge for the company. The aviation giant, which has been in crisis mode since …

  London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Tottenham Hotspur sacked manager Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday just five months after reaching the Champions League final following a poor start to the Premier League season. “The Club can today announce that Mauricio Pochettino and his coaching staff Jesus Perez, Miguel D’Agostino and …

Beijing, China | AFP | China insisted Tuesday it alone held the authority to rule on constitutional matters in Hong Kong, as it condemned a decision by the city’s high court to overturn a ban on face masks worn by pro-democracy protesters. The statement raised hackles among activists in Hong …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | The United States faced stiff international and Palestinian criticism Tuesday over its decision to no longer consider Israeli settlements illegal, while the Jewish state’s premier cheered on the “historic” move. The United Nations and European Union stressed the decision would not change the reality that …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Google sets out to transform the video game world with its Stadia service crafted to let people access console-quality games as easily as they do email. With the Stadia launch Tuesday, the internet giant is aiming for a piece of a global video game …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right CDU braces for a tumultuous two-day party congress in Leipzig from Friday, with members smarting from recent local election drubbings and bickering over her successor. Here’s a look at what’s ailing the Christian Democratic Union in the twilight of Merkel’s reign. …