Tag: US

Spotify soars in $26 billion stock debut

  by Shaun Tandon / Ali Bekhtaoui Agence France Presse   NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Spotify soared Tuesday to a value of more than $26 billion in its long-awaited stock debut as the market delivered a ringing endorsement of the future of music streaming. In one of the largest public offerings ever in the tech sector, Spotify on its first day topped the market capitalization of other high-profile recent market entrants, including Twitter, […]

NASA hires Lockheed Martin to build quiet, supersonic plane

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — NASA has inked a deal with Lockheed Martin to develop a supersonic “X-plane” that could break the sound barrier without a sonic boom, officials said Tuesday. The $247.5 million contract allows for the design, building and testing of a plane that would make its first test flight in 2021, NASA said. The experimental plane “will cruise at 55,000 feet (16,764 meters) at a speed of about 940 mph (1,513 kph) […]

Teachers return to streets to protest US school funding

  by Nova Safo Agence France Presse CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — A teachers’ protest entered its second day in the US state of Oklahoma on Tuesday as lawmakers faced a spreading schoolhouse revolt against a decade of deep cuts to public education. The teachers’ union organizing the demonstration estimated at least 20,000 people rallied outside the capitol building in Oklahoma City and filled every floor of the rotunda inside — chanting “We’re not leaving” […]

Female suspect dead, several hurt in YouTube shooting

  by Josh Edelson Agence France Presse SAN BRUNO, United States (AFP) — Gunfire erupted at YouTube’s offices in California Tuesday, leaving at least three people injured and sparking a panicked escape before the suspected shooter — a woman — apparently committed suicide. Amid a chaotic scene in the city of San Bruno, a woman believed to be the shooter was found dead at the scene of the Google-owned video sharing service. “We have one […]

Washington, Beijing flexing muscles in trade dispute

by Delphine TOUITOU Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The temperature is rising between the United States and China but the simmering confrontation has not yet boiled over into a trade war since the tit-for-tat countermeasures so far have been confined to a few specific products. Beijing on Monday imposed tariffs on 128 American goods, retaliating for President Donald Trump’s decision last month to slap import duties of 25 percent on steel and […]

China slaps retaliatory tariffs on 128 US imports

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Monday imposed new tariffs on 128 US imports worth $3 billion, including fruits and pork, in retaliation to US duties on steel and aluminium, fuelling fears of a trade war. Beijing’s move, which the Xinhua news agency said was decided by the custom tariffs commission of the State Council, follows weeks of heated rhetoric and threats between the world’s two biggest economies. President Donald Trump has repeatedly railed against China’s […]

Los Angeles museum celebrates the art of the selfie

by Javier Tovar © Agence France-Presse GLENDALE, United States (AFP) — There’s an art to taking the perfect selfie — from the angle, to the focus, cropping out that pesky outstretched arm and above all, the smile. In a celebration of self-portraits in the social media age Tommy Honton and Tair Mamedov are set to open the Museum of Selfies in Los Angeles this Sunday — an interactive exhibition exploring the history and cultural phenomenon of […]

US, S. Korea begin low-key army drills amid diplomatic thaw

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The United States and South Korea kicked off a low-key joint military drill Sunday as a diplomatic thaw over North Korea gathered pace. Tension on the flashpoint peninsula have showed signs of easing in recent months after the isolated, nuclear-armed North proposed summits with the South and their “imperialist enemy” the US. The annual Foal Eagle drill — a series of field training exercises involving some 11,500 American and 290,000 […]

1968, key events in “The Year That Changed America”

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The year 1968 featured a series of tumultuous events in the United States. Here are some of the most notable occurrences during the year: January 23  North Korea captures the USS Pueblo, claiming the US Navy intelligence vessel violated its territorial waters. One member of the Pueblo’s crew was killed in the attack and the other 82 held for 11 months before being released. January 30  North Vietnamese troops launch the […]

Leaked Facebook memo questions cost of growth

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook troubles worsened late Thursday with the leak of a two-year-old memo from a high-ranking executive hinting that the social network was determined to grow despite risks to users. The 2016 memo published by news website Buzzfeed was written by veteran Facebook executive Andrew Bozworth, considered part of chief executive Mark Zuckerberg’s inner circle. “The ugly truth is that we believe in connecting people so deeply that anything that […]

US gives boats to Vietnam amid South China Sea tensions

HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — The US delivered six patrol boats and equipment worth a combined $20 million to Vietnam, the US embassy in Hanoi said Thursday, as the former foes boost ties amid continuing tensions in the South China Sea. Hanoi and Washington have improved defense links in recent years as they seek to counter Beijing’s growing might in the disputed and resource-rich waterway. The US Coast Guard gave its Vietnamese counterpart six fast-response Metal […]

US court rules Trump illegal payments suit can proceed

by Cyril Julien Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A federal court in the US state of Maryland on Wednesday ruled a lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of receiving illegal foreign payments via his sprawling business empire can move forward. But while Judge Peter Messitte rejected the motion to dismiss the suit, he limited its scope to the nation’s capital. The lawsuit — which was brought by Washington and Maryland — alleged that […]