Other News

Japan PM Abe open to summit with N. Korea’s Kim

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a longtime hardliner on North Korea, said Tuesday he was willing to meet Kim Jong Un after the once reclusive leader’s historic summit with US President Donald Trump. Abe, who one year ago warned at the United Nations that the window for diplomacy with North Korea was closing, took a more open but still cautious tone in his latest address to the world body. […]

Instagram departures add to woes for Facebook

  by Rob Lever Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The departure of Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger adds to the woes of parent firm Facebook as it tries to repair its image hurt by privacy scandals and curb manipulation and misinformation. Instagram, created as a photo-sharing app and purchased by Facebook for $1 billion, has been one of the fastest-growing segments of the California tech giant’s “family” of applications and […]

Instagram co-founders resign from Facebook-owned company

  by Julie Charpentrat Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have announced they are leaving the photo-sharing app bought by Facebook six years ago, setting a new test for the parent company as it works to quell mounting turmoil. “Mike and I are grateful for the last eight years at Instagram and six years with the Facebook team,” Systrom said in a statement late Monday, […]

Trillanes returns to Senate office after posting bail, says he won’t go home yet

  (Eagle News) — Senator Antonio Trillanes IV will not likely leave the Senate office yet after he returned late Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 26, shortly after posting a P200,000 bail before the Makati regional trial court which issued an arrest warrant for his rebellion case in connection with his participation in the 2007 Manila Peninsula Siege. Trillanes said he is not yet ready to go home “unless this issue has been formally settled.” He said […]

Many doctors in India miss TB signs: study

by Ivan Couronne Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Many private sector doctors in India miss the signs of tuberculosis and therefore provide patients inadequate treatment, according to a new study published Tuesday involving people hired to act out the symptoms. Tuberculosis or TB, an airborne infection, remains a major public health issue in India, China and Indonesia, among other countries. It killed 1.7 million people in 2017, according to the World Health […]

Qualcomm alleges Apple gave swiped chip secrets to Intel

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Qualcomm escalated a legal war with Apple, accusing the iPhone maker of stealing secrets and sharing them with mobile chip rival Intel, according to court documents. The California mobile chipmaker on Monday added the sizzling accusation in an amendment to a lawsuit filed against Apple last year in California state court in Qualcomm’s home city of San Diego. The modified filing contends that Apple “engaged in a years-long campaign […]

China nixes US warship port visit, recalls admiral from US

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — China has pulled the plug on a US warship’s scheduled visit to Hong Kong, and scrapped plans for a top admiral to meet with his US counterpart in Washington, officials said Tuesday. The moves come as trade tensions soar between Beijing and Washington, which this week enacted new tariffs against China covering another $200 billion of its imports. The USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship, was due to visit Hong […]

NASA sees its stalled Martian robot, but still no signals

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — NASA scientists can now see their solar-powered probe that was lost in a Martian dust storm more than 100 days ago — but the vintage robot hasn’t shown any signs of life. Thanks to a high-resolution camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA said Tuesday it can see the Opportunity rover in Perseverance Valley, on the edge of a huge crater. Opportunity was descending into the valley when a dust […]

Argentina on strike as central bank chief resigns amid IMF talks

by Nina NEGRON Agence France Presse BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — Argentina was paralyzed by a general strike on Tuesday while the central bank chief resigned amid talks with the International Monetary Fund on a revised crisis loan package. As president Mauricio Macri negotiated accelerated funding from a $50 billion loan agreed with the IMF in June, the country’s beleaguered currency was hit by the news that Luis Caputo had been replaced by Guido Sandleris […]

Trump accused of trying to ‘topple’ Iran leader in UN war of words

by Christian OTTON Agence France Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump called for Iran’s international isolation in a combative and unashamedly boastful speech at the United Nations Tuesday, prompting accusations from his Iranian counterpart that he was trying to topple his government. In his second appearance before the General Assembly, Trump also lashed out at other adversaries such as Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and took aim at international institutions such as […]

Macron wants Iran to sell oil, urges dialogue

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that Iran should be allowed to keep selling oil and urged dialogue as he rejected a US push to isolate the clerical regime. Speaking to reporters after addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Macron said that Iranian sales would bring down the price of oil — a professed concern of US President Donald Trump. “It would be good for the price of oil […]

Rouhani says Trump seeking Iran leadership ‘overthrow’

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused his US counterpart Donald Trump of trying to topple his government Tuesday as he poured cold water on the idea of resuming talks with Washington after its pullout from an international nuclear accord. “It is ironic that the US government does not even conceal its plan for overthrowing the same government it invites to talks,” Rouhani said in a speech at the United Nations […]