San Francisco, United States | AFP | Twitter shares slid Tuesday after a quarterly update worsened investor fears that the one-to-many messaging service can win enough users to be a lucrative, mainstream hit. Twitter posted a loss for the first quarter of 2016 of $80 million, compared with a loss …
Read More »Bolivia president undergoes paternity test in scandal
La Paz, Bolivia | AFP | Bolivian President Evo Morales underwent a paternity test Monday to settle a dispute with an ex-girlfriend whose child he denies fathering, his lawyer said. In a case that has plunged the 56-year-old leader into scandal, Morales had claimed he fathered a child with her …
Read More »Saudi unveils plan to live without oil by 2020
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia said Monday it would create the world’s largest wealth fund and sell shares in state energy giant Aramco as it unveiled a vast plan to transform its oil-dependent economy. The announcement of the long-term reform programme, dubbed “Saudi Vision 2030”, marks the …
Read More »ICC opens ‘preliminary examination’ into Burundi crisis
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court said Monday she was opening a preliminary probe into violence in Burundi, which has been engulfed in a deep political crisis for a year. ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said she had been following events closely since …
Read More »All the world’s a stage for Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary
Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom | AFP | Thousands of people from around the world descended upon William Shakespeare’s hometown Saturday for a day of theatre, dancing and fireworks marking the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death. Some 10,000 people turned out in Stratford-upon-Avon, central England, to see a parade revved up …
Read More »China, US join record UN signing of Paris climate deal
United Nations, UNITED STATES | AFP | A record 175 countries, including the world’s top polluters China and the United States, signed the Paris climate deal Friday, boosting hopes of quick action on combating global warming. French President Francois Hollande was the first leader to put his signature to the …
Read More »Music legend Prince dead at 57
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Pop icon Prince, whose pioneering brand of danceable funk made him one of the most influential figures in music, died Thursday at his compound in Minnesota. He was 57. The announcement came just a week after the enigmatic Grammy and Oscar winner — …
Read More »Britain cheers Queen on 90th birthday
Windsor, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday on Thursday, with her eldest son Prince Charles paying tribute in a special radio broadcast and Prime Minister David Cameron leading a parliamentary homage. The sovereign, who last year overtook her great-great grandmother queen Victoria to become …
Read More »UNHCR fears 500 dead in Mediterranean shipwreck
Rome, Italy | AFP | The UN refugee agency said on Wednesday it feared around 500 migrants from Africa had drowned in the Mediterranean after witnesses said their overcrowded boat sank. UNHCR spokeswoman Carlotta Sami said in a statement sent to AFP that survivors from Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt …
Read More »Verizon a leading contender to buy Yahoo: reports
San Francisco, United States | AFP | US telecoms giant Verizon has emerged as a leading contender to take over struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo as other big names reportedly drop out, US financial media said ahead of quarterly results Tuesday that are expected to show the portal suffering a further …
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