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WASHINGTON, Dec 21, 2023 (AFP) – The White House said Thursday it was preparing a new proposal to Russia to seek the release of two imprisoned Americans after Moscow rejected an earlier attempt. “We’re working hard to see what we can do to get another proposal that might be more successful,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. The State Department said earlier this month that Russia rejected a “substantial” proposal to free the […]
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 21, 2023 (AFP) – Tens of thousands of global users of X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday reported problems using the Elon Musk-owned social network. Reports of the platform’s troubles began spiking just before 0600 GMT on monitoring site Downdetector. “User reports indicate problems at X (Twitter),” the site said. Timelines on the platform were emptied and no new posts visible, although the twitter.com site was available. With no way to post on […]
By Danny Kemp with Javier Tovar in Caracas WASHINGTON, Dec 20, 2023 (AFP) – The United States released an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for 10 American detainees and a fugitive dubbed “Fat Leonard” in a sweeping prisoner swap deal between the rival governments Wednesday. US President Joe Biden made the “extremely difficult decision” to free Alex Saab, the onetime confidant of socialist leader Maduro, who is accused by the United States […]
By Chris Lefkow and Selim Saheb EttabaWASHINGTON, Dec 20, 2023 (AFP) – The US Supreme Court played a critical role in deciding the 2000 presidential election when it halted a vote recount in Florida with Republican George W. Bush holding a razor-thin edge over Democrat Al Gore. The stage is set for the nation’s highest court to figure prominently again in a White House race as it mulls a pair of cases involving Donald Trump, […]
WASHINGTON, Dec 19, 2023 (AFP) – Pharmacy group Rite Aid was ordered Tuesday to stop using facial recognition for the next five years by a US regulator, which said the company falsely identified consumers as shoplifters using the technology. The case touches on one of the main concerns about the proliferation of artificial intelligence, and facial recognition in particular, which is deemed to potentially misidentify or discriminate against individuals, especially non-whites and women. “Rite Aid’s […]
By Camille CAMDESSUS WASHINGTON, Dec 20, 2023 (AFP) – The Democratic and Republican leaders of the US Senate said Tuesday that Washington will not be able to approve new aid for Ukraine before year’s end, as the two sides continue to seek a compromise. “As negotiators work through remaining issues, it is our hope that their efforts will allow the Senate to take swift action… early in the new year,” Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican […]
By Marc Antoine BAUDOUX STRASBOURG, France, Dec 20, 2023 (AFP) – Narcotics police the world over are sprucing up their video game skills, as cartels go increasingly online to sell drugs and recruit dealers. “Cartels have been incredibly tech savvy over recent years, reaching vast audiences,” Benjamin Shultz, foreign malign influence analyst at Deloitte, told a Council of Europe meeting. “The Sinaloa Cartel has a Twitter account with almost 200,000 followers and they tend to […]
By Huw GRIFFITH LOS ANGELES, Dec 20, 2023 (AFP) – Donald Trump is ineligible for the US presidency because of his involvement in the January 2021 assault on the Capitol, Colorado’s supreme court ruled Tuesday, setting off a political earthquake that could upend next year’s election. The stunning legal decision — which Trump’s campaign said it would appeal — drew immediate condemnation from Republicans across the spectrum, and looked set to light a fire under […]
NEW YORK, Dec 19, 2023 (AFP) – Meta’s independent oversight board on Tuesday criticized the social media titan of removing posts that showed human suffering in the Middle East conflict. The board, set up by Meta in 2020 as a supreme court of sorts for the social media titan, overturned two post removal decisions, and urged the company to respond more quickly to changing circumstances in the war between Hamas and Israel. One case involved […]
By Gabriela Montejano SALVATIERRA, Mexico, Dec 17, 2023 (AFP) – At least 12 people were killed and another dozen were wounded in an attack early Sunday on a pre-Christmas party in central Mexico, authorities in the state of Guanajuato said. The violence occurred in the town of Salvatierra, reportedly at a hacienda, or ranch, that can be rented out for festivities. “So far 12 people are reported dead,” the state’s prosecutor’s office said on X, […]
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Washington on Saturday reiterated its warning to North Korea that any nuclear attack on the United States would result “in the end of the Kim regime.” A joint statement by the US-South Korean Nuclear Consultative Group also reaffirmed that any nuclear attack by Pyongyang on South Korea “will be met with a swift, overwhelming, and decisive response.” “The United States reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to provide extended deterrence to the ROK (Republic […]
OTTAWA, Dec 16, 2023 (AFP) – Canadian federal police on Saturday charged an Ottawa youth with directing terrorist activities against Jewish people, and giving instructions on explosives. The accused, because of their young age, cannot be identified under Canadian law. No details were released. In a statement, police said they were monitoring a “concerning trend of violent extremism and terrorist use of the Internet.” Global News reported that an explosives team was sent to the […]
