International

Facebook, Google ‘manipulate’ users to share data despite EU law: study

OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Facebook and Google are pushing users to share private information by offering “invasive” and limited default options despite new EU data protection laws aimed at giving users more control and choice, a government study said Wednesday. The Norwegian Consumer Council found that the US tech giants’ privacy updates clash with the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which forces companies to clarify what choices people have when sharing private information. “These […]

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Pentagon chief Mattis reduced to carrying out orders he dislikes

by Sylvie Lanteaume  © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)–From housing undocumented migrants to scrapping joint exercises with South Korea or setting up a new Space Force — US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, one-time favorite of Donald Trump, now finds himself reduced to carrying out presidential orders despite his disapproval. US media say that the retired Marine general has been demoted in Washington’s power circles by the arrival of former CIA chief Mike Pompeo as […]

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Eritrea’s top diplomat in Ethiopia for historic talks

by Chris Stein Agence France-Presse ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AFP) – Ethiopia rolled out the red carpet and hosted a dinner for Eritrea’s top diplomat on Tuesday as the two nations took the next step in a historic initiative aimed at ending decades of conflict and hostility. The thaw between the foes who fought a bitter border war 20 years ago comes after an olive branch was dramatically offered by new Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed. […]

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New York’s Central Park goes officially car-free

  NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – New York’s iconic Central Park officially goes car-free Wednesday after the final vehicle drives through the green oasis and tourist magnet in the heart of America’s most populous urban jungle. City officials, park and cycling advocates were to join a bike ride late Tuesday behind the last car driving through the Manhattan park at 7:00 pm, restoring the green space to its original use as a refuge and […]

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Trump claims victory on travel ban, but border crackdown on hold

  by Michael Mathes / Sébastien Blanc  © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – The US Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban targeting Muslim-majority nations, but the president’s “zero tolerance” crackdown on illegal immigration was put on hold for lack of places to detain families arrested at the Mexican border. The court ruling handed a major victory to Trump in a tortuous legal battle over the Republican leader’s efforts to […]

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Temer, Pence discuss Venezuela, Brazilian kids separated at US border

  by Yanina Olivera © Agence France-Presse BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazilian President Michel Temer and US Vice President Mike Pence discussed Tuesday the fate of Brazilian children stranded at America’s southern border and Venezuela’s deepening crisis. “I pointed out that our government is ready to help transport Brazilian children back to Brazil, if that is the wish of their families, the authorities of both countries will continue to be in touch with this issue,” Temer […]

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Rights groups sound alarm over rising Nicaraguan toll

  MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AFP) — Nicaraguan human rights groups expressed renewed concern Tuesday over a rising death toll from months of protests against the government of President Daniel Ortega. The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) has reported at least 212 people dead, but told AFP on Tuesday it was investigating possible new deaths in recent days. Another group, the Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights (ANPDH) published a report Tuesday putting the death toll at 285, […]

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Melania Trump to visit immigrant children holding centers

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Melania Trump will meet undocumented child immigrants this week, several days after a previous visit as lawmakers engage in high-stakes wrangling over immigration policy. The first lady’s husband, President Donald Trump, has made an about-face to end the practice of separating migrant families that had led to shocking scenes of children crying out for their parents while held in caged enclosures and given only emergency blankets in the frigid spaces. […]

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UN Palestinian refugee agency struggles to meet deficit

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency needs more than $200 million to fund projects until the end of the year, with extra pledges so far unable to minimize a massive slash in donations from the United States. “Schools may not be able to open on time in August,” Miroslav Lajcak, the president of the General Assembly, told a pledging conference for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian […]

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UK lawmakers approve expanding London’s Heathrow airport

by Alice RITCHIE Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Members of Parliament (MPs) overwhelmingly approved on Monday long-awaited plans to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, after decades of acrimonious debate over its potential impact. Lawmakers, by a wide margin of 296 votes, backed expansion proposals agreed earlier this month by Prime Minister Theresa May’s government, overcoming vehement opposition from MPs with constituencies nearby where residents fear increased pollution […]

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US defence chief visits China as tensions simmer

  by Paul Handley © Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) – US Defense Secretary James Mattis arrived in Beijing on his first ever visit to China on Tuesday, aiming to find room for military cooperation as security tensions between the two superpowers edge higher. With Washington and Beijing locked in an escalating trade war, and the Pentagon alarmed over China’s placement of weapons on disputed islands in the South China Sea, Mattis said he would seek […]

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Europe will strike back in case of new US tariffs: France

by Joseph Schmid Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – The European Union will retaliate again if US President Donald Trump imposes more tariffs on EU goods to remedy what he calls “unfair” trade relations, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday. The EU on Friday imposed a range of tariffs on goods worth 2.8 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in a tit-for-tat response to Trump’s decision to apply stiff tariffs on European steel and aluminium […]

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