by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France Presse Facebook changed its parent company name to “Meta” on Thursday as the tech giant tries to move past being a scandal-plagued social network to its virtual reality vision for the future. The new handle comes as the company battles to fend off one of its worst crises yet and pivot to its ambitions for the “metaverse,” which would blur the lines between the physical world and the digital […]
Tag: US
Biden denounces coup and ‘horrific violence’ in Myanmar
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden on Tuesday denounced the military coup and “horrific violence” in Myanmar at a summit with ASEAN leaders, the White House said. Addressing the virtual summit, Biden “expressed grave concerns about the military coup and horrific violence in Burma and called on the country’s military regime to immediately end the violence, release those unjustly detained, and restore Burma’s path to democracy,” a statement said. Myanmar’s military […]
Activist fund says Royal Dutch Shell should break itself up
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – A leading activist investor called Wednesday for Royal Dutch Shell to break itself up, bolster its low-carbon investment and return more cash to shareholders. Bemoaning how the Anglo-Dutch giant’s stock valuation has lagged that of oil industry rivals, activist Daniel Loeb called for a “bold strategy” shift from the oil giant as he announced that he took a stake in the company. “Shell has too many competing stakeholders pushing […]
Chinese hypersonic test like a “Sputnik moment’: top US general
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pentagon’s top general said Wednesday that China’s recent test of an earth-circling hypersonic missile was akin to the Soviet Union’s stunning launch of the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, which sparked the superpowers’ space race. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed for the first time the Chinese test of a nuclear-capable missile that would be very difficult to defend against. “What we saw was […]
US panel recommends Pfizer Covid vaccine for younger children
by Issam AHMED WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A medical panel of US government advisors endorsed the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in five-to-11-year-olds Tuesday, paving the way for younger children to get their shots within weeks. The independent experts concluded the known benefits — both directly to kids’ health but also in ending school and other disruptions — outweighed the known risks. After a day of presentations and debate, the final vote was 17 in favor […]
US mall shooting leaves two dead, four hurt
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Two people were killed Monday and four others were injured — including a police officer — when a gunman opened fire in a shopping mall in the US state of Idaho. Police in Boise were called to the mall with reports “that at least one person was shot and down,” the city’s police chief Ryan Lee told reporters. They exchanged fire with a man matching the description 911 callers […]
Bomb cyclone slams rain-starved US west, bringing floods
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A “bomb cyclone” brought floods and landslides to drought-hit California as forest fire-scarred landscapes were unable to soak up record-breaking rains. Severe thunderstorms deluged the northern part of the state, with strong winds pummeling the area, toppling powerlines and trees and leaving at least two people dead. The cyclone roared in from the Pacific Ocean and struck San Francisco and Oakland, as well as the states of Oregon and […]
Children to be exempt from US travel vaccine requirements
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Covid vaccine requirements taking effect next month for people entering the United States by air will not apply to children, a senior US official said Monday. “For children under 18 there is a uniform exemption from that vaccination requirement,” the senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters two weeks ahead of the reopening of US borders to much of the world. The Biden administration announced earlier this […]
Inquiry into Alec Baldwin shooting focuses on custody of gun
by Huw GRIFFITH with Brian KNOWLTON in Washington Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The police investigation into a fatal shooting with a prop gun fired by actor Alec Baldwin on a film set was focusing Saturday on the specialist in charge of the weapon and the assistant director who handed it to Baldwin. Ukraine-born cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was struck in the chest and died shortly after the incident Thursday in New […]
Biden delays release of JFK assassination files
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House said Friday it would delay the release of long-classified documents related to the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy. President Joe Biden wrote in a statement that the remaining files “shall be withheld from full public disclosure” until December 15 next year — nearly 60 years after Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, Texas in 1963. In 2018, former president Donald Trump released several thousand secret files on […]
US targeting Feb. 2022 to launch new lunar program Artemis
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — NASA is aiming to launch its uncrewed lunar mission Artemis 1 in February next year, the space agency said Friday, the first step in America’s plan to return humans to the Moon. The agency had initially hoped to launch the test flight by the end of this year, with astronauts set to walk on the Moon by 2024. It achieved a major milestone Wednesday when it stacked the Orion […]
Grief, anger over death on Alec Baldwin movie
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Actors and movie makers in Hollywood were mourning the death of a rising star of their business Friday, but there was also anger over how Halyna Hutchins could have been killed when Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun. “I am gutted and just so mad right now,” tweeted filmmaker Rachel Morrison. “No shot, no scene and no movie is worth the loss of life. #RIPHalynaHutchins” Hutchins was cinematographer […]





