Other News

East-west clash as Czechs vote for new president

by Jan FLEMR Agence France-Presse PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AFP) — Czech President Milos Zeman appeared Saturday to be heading for a run-off as voting began on day two of a presidential election pitting the pro-Russian incumbent against a flock of more liberal pro-European rivals. Opinion surveys show the divisive 73-year-old ex-communist, who is also staunchly anti-Muslim and pro-Chinese, leading the pack of nine candidates ahead of Jiri Drahos, 68-year-old pro-European former head of the Czech […]

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Canada hopes G7 summit serves as springboard for new ideas

by Michel COMTE Agence France-Presse OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada hopes the upcoming G7 summit it is hosting will serve as a springboard for fresh ideas on key issues including climate change, the global economy and security, the lead organizer told AFP. “The G7 serves well as a proving or testing ground for discussions that could eventually go into the G20 or the United Nations or international financial institutions,” Peter Boehm, Canadian Prime Minister Justin […]

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Top takeaways from Consumers Electronics Show

LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — The 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, drew some 4,000 exhibitors from dozens of countries and more than 170,000 attendees, showcased some of the latest from the technology world. Here are highlights from the show: Artificial intelligence battle The duel between Amazon and Google for supremacy in artificial intelligence played out at the show. Amazon pushed its “Alexa Everywhere” strategy bringing its digital assistant to […]

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Facebook joins Europol talks to fight Islamist propaganda

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Facebook took part this week in key talks with European police agencies on how to stop and eliminate violent and terror-related Islamic jihadist posts, in an evolving battle against such propaganda. Representatives from the giant social network travelled to The Hague for Thursday’s unprecedented talks at Europol’s headquarters in the city, officials said Friday. They were also joined by Instagram officials and police from Britain, France and Belgium, aiming “to […]

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Naked Cowboy bravely sings of love for Trump in Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — The Naked Cowboy, whose white underpants, bronzed chest and cowboy hat are fixtures in New York’s Times Square, took his act to Mexico City this week, bravely singing of his love for Donald Trump and his border wall. Robert John Burck is famous for busking on Broadway sporting just a guitar and tighty-whities emblazoned with the words “Naked Cowboy” in red, white and blue, even in the dead of winter. […]

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British crown jewels buried in biscuit tin during WWII

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Precious stones from Britain’s crown jewels were hidden in a biscuit tin and buried at Windsor Castle during World War II, a BBC documentary to be shown on Sunday reveals. Gems, including the Black Prince’s Ruby from the Imperial State Crown, were buried under a secret exit from the mediaeval castle used in times of emergency. The operation, intended to ensure the priceless gems did not fall into Nazi hands, […]

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Myanmar army’s admission of killings a ‘positive step’: Suu Kyi

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has welcomed an unprecedented army admission that security forces carried out extra-judicial killings of Rohingya Muslims as a “positive step”, state-backed media reported Saturday. After months of staunch denials of abuse, the army on Wednesday said a probe found four members of the security forces helped kill 10 Rohingya militant suspects at Inn Din village on September 2, leaving their bodies in a hastily […]

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Fourth petition questioning constitutionality of one-year extension of Mindanao martial law filed

(Eagle News)– A fourth petition questioning the constitutionality of the one-year extension of martial law in Mindanao has been filed before the Supreme Court. The group led by Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao and former Commission on Elections chairman Christian Monsod said the approval of Congress of the declaration was “unwarranted and unjustified” given the absence of “actual rebellion” as required for such a declaration in the Constitution. They said the claims of the supporters […]

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Bitcoin shouldn’t become the new Swiss bank account: Mnuchin

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Dominant digital currency bitcoin should not be allowed to become the Swiss bank account of the modern era used to hide illicit activity, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday. Mnuchin pledged to work with other governments, including within the Group of 20, which includes the world’s major economies, to monitor the activity of those who invest heavily in the cryptocurrency. “One of the things we will be working with the G20 on is […]

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UK blames protests as Trump cancels London trip

by Alice Ritchie © Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The British government blamed the threat of mass protests for President Donald Trump’s decision Friday to cancel a visit to London to open the new US embassy, and warned that criticism of the White House risked harming US-UK relations. Trump said he was abandoning next month’s trip because he did not like the location and cost of the new embassy building. But Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson […]

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Baseball: Cubs agree with Bryant on unprecedented $10.85 million deal

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Chicago Cubs slugger Kris Bryant agreed on a one-year, $10.85 million (8.89 million euros) deal with the Chicago Cubs on Friday, a record for a player in his first year of eligibility for salary arbitration. Bryant’s deal surpasses the $10 million deal Ryan Howard made with the Philadelphia Phillies before the 2008 season. Bryant and Howard each won National League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in their first […]

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Italian govt mulling three offers for ailing Alitalia

MILAN, Italy (AFP) —  Friday Italy’s government said Friday it is considering three bids for troubled airline Alitalia from Lufthansa, EasyJet and a private equity firm, and hopes to have a deal wrapped up by May. “I can confirm that the goal is to complete a deal before the elections”, Economic Development Minister Carlo Calenda said on the La7 television channel, referring to Italy’s general election due on May 4. The three offers received are from German airline giant Lufthansa, US […]

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