Tag: US

Zuckerberg defends Facebook in new data breach controversy

by Dmitry ZAKS Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg pushed back Wednesday against emails showing the social media giant offering Netflix and other popular apps preferential access to people’s data even after it had tightened its privacy rules. A British parliamentary committee investigating whether the social media behemoth was being used to manipulate the results of elections published 250 pages of internal Facebook documents earlier Wednesday. They show executives holding […]

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US indicts four tied to money laundering at ‘Panama Papers’ firm

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US government announced charges Tuesday against four men it said laundered money and arranged tax avoidance schemes through the Panama firm at the center of the “Panama Papers” scandal. The four were affiliated with Mossack Fonseca, the law firm that helped thousands of clients around the world move money offshore to protect it from taxes. Named in the 11-count indictment were Ramses Owens, 50, Dirk Brauer, 54; Richard […]

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Television holds ground for news, as print fades: US study

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Television remains the biggest source of news for Americans, with print losing further ground to digital services, a survey showed Monday. The Pew Research Center report found that 47 percent of US prefer watching their news, while 34 percent opt for reading and 19 percent prefer listening. The survey suggests more troubles for the ailing newspaper sector, while television is holding its ground against online video. Among those who watch […]

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NASA’s first asteroid sample-collector arrives at target, Bennu

by Kerry SHERIDAN Agence France Presse TAMPA, United States (AFP) — NASA’s first-ever mission designed to visit an asteroid and return a sample of its dust back to Earth arrived Monday at its destination, Bennu, two years after launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The $800 million unmanned mission, known as OSIRIS-REx, made a rendez-vous with the asteroid at around 12:10 pm (1710 GMT), firing its engines a final time. “We have arrived,” said Javier Cerna, […]

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Asia stocks in relief rally after China-US deal

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong and Shanghai led a surge across Asian markets Monday after the United States agreed to suspend imposing tariffs on China for three months, while oil prices soared on expectations of a big production cut. In a much-anticipated meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at the weekend, the heads of the world’s two biggest economies hammered out a deal that will see them hold off on their tit-for-tat […]

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Trump to grant Kim Jong Un’s wishes after denuclearisation: S. Korea president

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — US President Donald Trump will grant North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un his wishes if he delivers on denuclearisation, the South Korean president said Sunday, following talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit. As officials work to arrange a second meeting between Trump and Kim, South Korea’s Moon Jae-in relayed a message to reporters given to him by the US president to pass on to the North’s leader. “And […]

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Key points of the US-China trade deal

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Saturday struck a deal at working dinner on the sidelines of the G20 summit to effectively stall their trade war. Trump hailed what he described as “an amazing and productive meeting with unlimited possibilities” for both countries, and said it was a “great honor” to work with Xi. Here are the main points of the deal: – Tariffs – […]

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US agrees to suspend new China tariffs for 90 days

  BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — The United States said Saturday that it agreed in a long-awaited summit with China to suspend new tariffs for 90 days as the two powers seek to end a trade war. The White House said a threatened increase of tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods from 10 to 25 percent, which was set to take effect on January 1, would be put off for 90 days. “If […]

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Beijing lashes out at US for South China Sea sail-by

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Friday scolded the United States for sending naval vessels close to disputed islands in the South China Sea where Beijing has built military installations. The US and its allies have in recent times sent planes and warships to the area for “freedom of navigation” operations, intended as a signal to Beijing of their right under international law to pass through the waters claimed by China. The USS Chancellorsville guided […]

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Facebook mulled charging for access to user data

by Glenn Chapman Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Wednesday said it considered charging application makers to access data at the social network. Such a move would have been a major shift away from the policy of not selling Facebook members’ information, which the social network has stressed in the face of criticism alleging it is more interested in making money than protecting privacy. “To be clear, Facebook has never […]

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Not enough ketchup: US woman attacks McDonald’s manager

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A California woman was behind bars on Wednesday for beating and choking a McDonald’s manager after discovering there wasn’t enough ketchup in her order, police said. Mayra Berenice Gallo, 24, apparently went into a rage on October 27 after ordering food through the drive-through at the fast food outlet in the town of Santa Ana. Police spokesman Anthony Bertagna told AFP that an infuriated Gallo stormed into the restaurant […]

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Google accused of manipulation to track users

  OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Seven European consumer groups filed complaints against Google with national regulators Tuesday, accusing the internet giant of covertly tracking users’ movements in violation of an EU regulation on data protection. The complaints cited a study by the Norwegian Consumer Council that concluded the Internet giant used “deceptive design and misleading information, which results in users accepting to be constantly tracked.” Council official Gro Mette Moen charged that “Google uses extremely […]

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