WORLD

Berlin, Germany | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday condemned President Donald Trump’s xenophobic tweets against four minority Democratic congresswomen, saying the US leader’s attacks “go against what makes America great”. “I firmly distance myself from (the attacks) and I feel solidarity towards” the women, she told journalists. “In …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar branded Donald Trump a “fascist” on Thursday as the president sought to distance himself from mocking chants of “Send her back!” directed at the Somali-born lawmaker by his supporters. “We have said this president is racist, we have condemned his racist …

Stockholm, Sweden | AFP |  Swedish prosecutors will need to decide on Friday on whether to charge rapper ASAP Rocky, whose detention in Stockholm on suspicion of assault during a street brawl has created a furore among his fans and fellow artists. Since his detention in early July, fans and …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Facebook’s planned global digital coin Libra has run into a wall of opposition in Washington that could prevent its launch as envisioned, but analysts say cryptocurrencies are likely to make gains around the world nonetheless. The plan by Facebook and its partners has generated skepticism …

Greenville, United States | AFP |  A fired-up Donald Trump took aim once more at Democratic lawmakers who “hate” America as he hit the campaign trail Wednesday, hours after an opposition bid to impeach the US president over “racist” attacks was shot down in Congress. Egging on a sea of supporters …

San Francisco, United States | AFP |  Netflix shares plunged in after-hours trade Wednesday after its quarterly update showed weaker-than-expected subscriber growth for the streaming television sector leader. Netflix said it added 2.7 million new subscribers worldwide in the April-June period, well below expectations, as the sector prepared for offerings …

Rivaz, Switzerland | AFP |  When foreigners think of Swiss specialities that might excite their taste buds, world-renowned chocolate and cheese likely come to mind. Swiss wine? Not so much. But the global reputation of Switzerland’s winemakers may be set for a boost, backed by a new export promotion strategy …

Aix-en-Provence, France | AFP |  It features an Israeli prime minister, Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike, a hit squad and a Shin Beth spy chief. But this is not another story on the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict but an opera unusually with a libretto in Hebrew, the official language of Israel. “The …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | A breakthrough technique harnessing two methods to target disease-carrying mosquitoes was able to effectively eradicate buzzing biters in two test sites in China, according to research published on Thursday. The mosquitoes targeted are a type that is particularly difficult to control called Aedes albopictus — more …

Washington, United States | AFP |  The US House of Representatives formally condemned Donald Trump on Tuesday for xenophobic attacks on four minority Democratic lawmakers and hostile language targeting immigrants, as the president denied accusations of racism. Top Republican leaders rallied around Trump, but four members of the president’s party …