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MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Wikipedia went down in at least three countries Wednesday in a protest at an upcoming European Parliament vote on a highly disputed law that could make online platforms legally liable for copyrighted material put on the web by users. In Spain, Italy, and Poland, an explanatory protest statement about the upcoming vote came up when the online encyclopedia was consulted. “The directive would threaten online freedom and would impose new filters, […]
by Rebecca Frasquet Agence France-Presse PARIS, Frace (AFP)–Facing competition from Airbnb, which will celebrate a decade this summer, top European attractions such as Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and Barcelona are out to revamp their own offerings. The move is to keep rental prices in check yet keep supply healthy as Airbnb continues to be a thorn in the side of hoteliers, ten years on from its August 11, 2008 debut as Airbed & Breakfast. After several […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP)–A New Zealand adventurer has become the first person to kayak the Tasman Sea solo after a gruelling two-month voyage that saw him pestered by a shark and battling “washing machine” conditions. Scott Donaldson set off from Australia’s Coffs Harbour on May 2 and paddled ashore at New Plymouth, on New Zealand’s North Island late Monday night. The 48-year-old’s 2,200-kilometre (1,370-mile) journey took him across one of the southern hemisphere’s most notorious […]
by Ivan Couronne © Agence France-Presse Seattle has become the first major US city to ban plastic straws and utensils in its eateries, a victory for environmentalists that will be tough to replicate elsewhere in the United States. After targeting plastic bags, environmentalists have set their sights on plastic drinking straws as a public enemy, highlighting the gap between their brief moment of utility and the enduring impact they have on marine creatures, which often […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – The United States has temporarily allowed Chinese telecoms company ZTE to resume some activities while it works to meet conditions set by Washington in a politically charged settlement reached last month. In a Federal Register notice released Tuesday, the Commerce Department gave ZTE until August 1 to continue supporting its existing US equipment and networks, lifting some restrictions put in place in April that had brought the company to the […]
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Facebook acknowledged Tuesday it was facing multiple inquiries from US and British regulators about the major Cambridge Analytica user data scandal. The leading social network offered no details but its admission confirmed reports of a widening investigation into the misuse of private data by Facebook and its partners. “We are cooperating with officials in the US, UK and beyond,” a Facebook spokesman said in response to an AFP query. “We’ve provided […]
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AFP)–The world’s top cocoa producer Ivory Coast said Monday it would invest nearly one billion euros over 10 years to replace forests that were razed to grow the bean. The West African country supplies two million tonnes of cocoa to the world market annually and the commodity is a mainstay of the economy. Mighty Earth, an NGO, had alleged in an October report that “many of the country’s national parks and […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP)–Dell, the onetime leader in personal computers and tech industry stalwart, said Monday it will become publicly traded five years after a contentious private equity buyout. The company announced a stock swap deal with its software subsidiary VMware that will result in a reorganized tech giant that returns to the stock market, with founder Michael Dell retaining control as chairman and chief executive. The move comes after a 2013 private equity […]
by Mariëtte Le Roux © Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – Australia’s iconic koala, its very existence imperilled by disease, bushfires, car strikes, and dog attacks, faces a more hopeful future thanks to scientists cracking its genetic code, a study said Monday. A mammoth effort by more than 50 researchers in seven countries uncovered 26,558 koala genes, yielding vital DNA clues for vaccines against diseases such as sexually transmitted chlamydia, which blinds the cuddly critters […]
by Katy Lee and Anne-Laure Mondesert © Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – Fashion powerhouse Dior brushed aside the whims of the Instagram generation with its deliberately low-key new haute couture collection Monday, arguing that the world’s most expensive clothes don’t need to shout about it. Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri said she wanted the French label’s latest prestige range to glorify classic craftsmanship rather than the flashy designs that rack up “likes” on social media. […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Monday said it is notifying more than 800,000 users that a software bug temporarily unblocked people at the social network and its Messenger service. The glitch active between May 29 and June 5 has been fixed, according to Facebook, which has been striving to regain trust in the aftermath of a Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal. “We know that the ability to block someone is important,” Facebook […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — A silver soup spoon that belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile on St. Helena and a hunting rifle owned by the French emperor were sold at auction in France on Sunday. Engraved with Napoleon’s coat of arms, the silver soup spoon sold for 8,375 euros ($9,700) while the rifle, originally owned by King Louis XVI, went for 80,000 euros in the sale held by the Osenat auction house at Fontainebleau. […]
