Tag: US

American DiCarlo becomes first female UN political chief

  UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Long-serving American diplomat Rosemary DiCarlo was on Wednesday appointed to become the first woman to head UN political affairs, one of the most high-profile positions at the world body. DiCarlo will replace Jeffrey Feltman, another American who held the post of under-secretary-general for political affairs since 2012, overseeing UN efforts to end conflicts worldwide. A former deputy US ambassador to the United Nations, DiCarlo “brings more than 35 years […]

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Facebook overhauls privacy settings amid data breach outcry

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Wednesday launched a fresh effort to quell the firestorm over the hijacking of personal data, unveiling new privacy tools and settings aiming to give users more control over how their information is shared. The new features follow fierce criticism of the social network giant after it was revealed that the personal data of tens of millions of users was harvested by a British firm linked to Donald Trump’s […]

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BMW sued in US over diesel emissions

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — German luxury carmaker BMW has been sued in the United States over “defeat devices” installed in tens of thousands of vehicles in order to cheat diesel emissions tests, lawyers for the plaintiffs said Tuesday. The case, filed in federal court in New Jersey, will become a class-action suit once it is certified by a judge. The suit singles out the BMW X5 and 335D model diesel cars sold between […]

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Taiwan’s HTC to get Google boost as it posts biggest loss

  TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan’s struggling smartphone maker HTC posted its worst-ever quarterly loss on Monday, but said it expects a boost from the $1.1 billion deal with Google sealed earlier this year. The deal, completed in January, saw Google buy part of HTC’s smartphone business as the US giant looks to take greater control of its hardware business. HTC has suffered consecutive losses due to stiff competition in the smartphone sector from Apple, […]

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Uber exits SE Asia in new retreat from global markets; Grab takes over

  by Sam Reeves Agence France Presse SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Uber sold its Southeast Asian business to rival Grab on Monday, ending a bruising battle between the ride-hailing behemoths and marking the US firm’s latest retreat from international markets. Singapore-based Grab is taking over the ride-sharing and food delivery operations of Uber in the region, with the California-headquartered company to receive a 27.5 percent stake in the business in return. The sale is Uber’s […]

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Pentagon looks to counter ever-stealthier warfare

  by Sylvie Lanteaume Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US military has for years enjoyed a broad technological edge over its adversaries, dominating foes with superior communications and cyber capabilities. Now, thanks to rapid advances by Russia and China, the gap has shrunk, and the Pentagon is looking at how a future conflict with a “near-peer” competitor might play out. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson recently warned that both Russia and […]

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Facebook crisis prompts Silicon Valley soul-searching

  by Glenn Chapman Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISO, United States (AFP) — With Facebook mired in its worst-ever crisis, the rest of Silicon Valley is looking to come to terms with the dark side of its data-driven business model where tech titans have mined fortunes from what people reveal online. There are signs the crisis could spread to other internet firms that have made no secret about using what they glean from digital data […]

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Top Chinese, US officials to continue trade talks: Xinhua

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s top economic official Liu He spoke by phone with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Saturday and “agreed to continue to communicate” on trade issues, the official Xinhua news agency said. The call came at a time of heightened tensions after US President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized tariffs on as much as $60 billion of Chinese imports, targeting sectors in which Washington says Beijing has stolen American technology. Liu He, […]

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China threatens US with tariffs, says it is ‘not afraid of trade war’

by Laurent Thomet with Douglas Gillison in Washington Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China warned the United States on Friday that it was “not afraid of a trade war” as it threatened tariffs on $3 billion worth of US goods in retaliation over President Donald Trump’s moves against Chinese imports. Beijing unveiled a hit list of products that could face duties of up to 25 percent, from fresh fruit to pork and wine, […]

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Trump unveils new tariffs punishing China for ‘theft’ of American tech

by Douglas Gillison Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Thursday hit China with tariffs on up to $60 billion of imports to retaliate against the “theft” of American intellectual property, ratcheting up trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. The move was swiftly denounced by Beijing, which vowed to “fight to the end” if the United States persisted in the confrontation. The latest trade action sent stocks […]

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Dashcam video shows final seconds before fatal Uber crash

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Dashcam footage of the first fatal self-driving car crash involving a pedestrian shows the Uber vehicle operator appearing to be distracted, then gasping in horror seconds before the impact. The driver can be seen looking down at something for nearly five seconds before finally gazing up the instant before the car hit a woman in Tempe, in the US state of Arizona on Sunday. Police there released the footage […]

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EU: new rules will make data breaches ‘very expensive’ for firms

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — EU justice commissioner Vera Jourova warned Wednesday that data protection scandals such as that currently engulfing Facebook would become “very expensive” for companies from May under new EU regulations. “If some company tried this in Europe after May 2018, very likely this drastic sanction will be applied,” said Jourova, who is in charge of consumer and personal data protection, at the end of a visit to Washington. Facebook is […]

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