International

Facebook faces criminal probe of data deals: report

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — US prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into Facebook’s practice of sharing users’ data with companies without letting the social network’s members know, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. A grand jury in New York has subpoenaed information from at least two major smartphone makers about such arrangements with Facebook, according to the Times. Regulators, investigators and elected officials around the world have already been digging into the […]

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US ups pressure on Europe over 5G infrastructure from China’s Huawei

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US upped pressure on Europe Wednesday to avoid turning to Huawei for 5G telecom infrastructure, with a top commander saying NATO forces would cease communicating with their German colleagues if Berlin teams up with the Chinese firm. The US and several other Western nations, fearful of the security risks posed by a company closely tied to the Chinese government, have shut Huawei out of tenders for the development of […]

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Venezuela calls public sector back to work as blackout recedes

by Maria Isabel SANCHEZ and Marc BURLEIGH CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela’s public employees were called to return to work Thursday after the government ended a nearly week-long hiatus caused by an unprecedented nationwide blackout that deepened widespread anger against President Nicolas Maduro. Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said in an address on state television Wednesday that Maduro decided the public sector would resume work on Thursday, although state schools would remain closed for an extra […]

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Eight killed, 37 rescued, in Lagos building collapse

by Emmanuel Akinwotu and Celia Lebur Rescuers on Wednesday recovered eight bodies and rescued 37 people alive from the wreckage of a collapsed four-storey building in the Nigeria’s economic capital Lagos Children had been attending an “illegal school” inside the residential building when the structure collapsed, officials said. “Thirty-seven people were rescued alive and eight were recovered dead,” Ibrahim Farinloye of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said in a statement. Earlier officials said dozens […]

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British MPs vote to reject no-deal Brexit

by Alice RITCHIE LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British MPs voted to reject a no-deal Brexit on Wednesday, prompting Prime Minister Theresa May to announce she will put her EU divorce plan to parliament for a third time in the coming days. britain May warned that if MPs did not adopt the deal there could have to be a lengthy delay to Brexit that would see Britain elect members to the European Parliament in elections […]

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US pilots reported problems with Boeing 737 MAX

  by Delphine TOUITOU Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US decision on Wednesday to ground the Boeing 737 MAX came after authorities noted similarities between two recent crashes, eerily echoing reports from American pilots who complained of problems with the plane late last year. At least four US pilots filed reports following the October crash of a Lion Air flight in Indonesia shortly after takeoff and all complained the aircraft suddenly […]

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US grounds Boeing 737 MAX amid growing safety concerns

  by Heather Scott Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) –The ban on the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft became worldwide on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump joined Canada and other countries in grounding the aircraft amid mounting global fears for the jets’ airworthiness. US authorities said new evidence showed similarities between Sunday’s deadly crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 and a fatal accident in Indonesia in October. The Federal Aviation […]

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Building containing a school collapses in Lagos, many casualties feared including schoolchildren

A three-storey residential building collapsed Wednesday in a densely-populated part of Lagos, and local media said there could be many casualties, including schoolchildren. The Nigerian news station Channels TV reported that a primary school was located on the top floor of the building, “with pupils feared killed and others trapped.” The collapse occurred in the Itafaji area of Lagos Island. A spokesman for the Nigerian emergency services, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the incident. “I can’t give […]

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Britain says to scrap tariffs on 87% of imports in no-deal Brexit

Britain will slash import tariffs in case of a no-deal Brexit and will not apply customs checks on the border with Ireland, the government said on Wednesday. Under the new system, which would come into force if Britain leaves the EU on March 29 without an agreement, tariffs would be retained but reduced for some agricultural products to protect British producers. The new regime is aimed at avoiding a jump in prices of EU imports […]

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EU needs to hear UK plan before deciding Brexit delay: Barnier

The European Union must hear from Britain how it plans to proceed with Brexit before deciding whether to delay the divorce, negotiator Michel Barnier said Wednesday. On Tuesday, British MPs rejected the Brexit withdrawal plan that Prime Minister Theresa May had agreed with EU negotiators — with just 16 days to go before Britain is due to leave the bloc. The lawmakers are to vote again on Wednesday to indicate how they plan to proceed, […]

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Environment damage behind 1 in 4 global deaths, disease: UN

by Patrick GALEY A quarter of all premature deaths and diseases worldwide are due to manmade pollution and environmental damage, the United Nations said Wednesday in a landmark report on the planet’s parlous state. Deadly smog-inducing emissions, chemicals polluting drinking water, and the accelerating destruction of ecosystems crucial to the livelihoods of billions of people are driving a worldwide epidemic that hampers the global economy, it warned. The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) — a report […]

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Ethiopia cannot read black boxes, ‘might’ send them abroad: airline

Ethiopia does not have the equipment to analyse the black boxes from Sunday’s deadly Ethiopian Airlines plane crash, and is considering sending them abroad, a spokesman for the airline said Wednesday. “It could be sent abroad because there is no equipment to read it here,” said spokesman Biniyam Demssie. The airline’s chief executive Tewolde GebreMariam earlier told CNN the black boxes would have to be examined outside the country, in a destination to be chosen […]

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