Washington (AFP) – President Joe Biden met Friday with relatives of basketball star Brittney Griner and fellow US citizen Paul Whelan, who are both imprisoned in Russia, the White House said. In separate Oval Office meetings, Biden conferred first with…
US blacklists Russian neo-Nazi fighters, children’s rights head
Washington (AFP) – The US Treasury placed top Russian finance officials, a neo-Nazi fighter group, and a children’s rights official who allegedly directs the removal of Ukrainian children to Russia on its sanctions blacklist Thursday. Some 22 individua…
TikTok search results rife with misinformation: report
San Francisco (AFP) – TikTok is serving up misinformation to users searching for news about politics, climate change, Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and more, according to a report released Wednesday. Toxicity and false claims are a “significant threat” …
Biden tours Detroit Auto Show, highlighting electric vehicle push
Detroit (AFP) – A revived Detroit Auto Show kicked off in earnest Wednesday, with US car giants showcasing a mix of gasoline and electric vehicles (EV) ahead of an address by President Joe Biden. Wednesday’s media day opened with presentations by Gener…
Viola Davis ‘conflicted’ as ‘Woman King’ faces crucial box office battle
Toronto (Canada) (AFP) – Viola Davis said the future of big-budget Black female filmmaking in Hollywood is at stake as her ground-breaking African warrior epic “The Woman King” hits theaters this weekend. The Oscar-winning actress told AFP Wednesday sh…
Zelensky vows ‘victory’ on frontline visit to liberated Kharkiv region
Kharkiv region (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday promised “victory” on a visit to the strategic city of Izyum that was recently recaptured from Russia by Kyiv’s army in a lightning counter-offensive. The visit comes …
Republican senator proposes national 15-week US abortion ban
Washington (AFP) – A prominent Republican senator introduced a bill on Tuesday that would ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy in all 50 US states. The proposed legislation, which has no chance of passage in the Democratic-held Senate, came under i…
Twitter ex-security chief in Congress as shareholders back Musk buyout
Washington (AFP) – Twitter whistleblower Peiter Zatko told the US Congress Tuesday that the platform ignored his security concerns, with his testimony coming as company shareholders greenlit Elon Musk’s $44 billion takeover deal. The shareholder decisi…
‘Succession’ and ‘Squid Game’ big winners at television’s Emmys
Los Angeles (AFP) – Dysfunctional family saga “Succession” on Monday took top honors for best drama at the Emmys, television’s biggest night of the year, as “Squid Game” made history when Lee Jung-jae was named best actor, a first for a non-English-lan…
Uncrewed Blue Origin rocket crashes, capsule recovered
Washington (AFP) – An uncrewed Blue Origin rocket carrying research payloads crashed shortly after liftoff on Monday, but the capsule carrying experiments escaped and floated safely back to Earth, Jeff Bezos’ space company said. The company tweeted a s…