A British-based company that made smartphones costing thousands of pounds will be liquidated after a plan to save it failed. Vertu was known for its high-end, jewel-encrusted handsets, but recently faced financial difficulties. The company’s liquidation will result in the loss of nearly 200 jobs. One technology analyst said Vertu would have faced competition from … Read more
Wall Street stocks finished at fresh records Friday following solid bank earnings, while the dollar retreated after lackluster US data raised questions about additional Federal Reserve rate hikes. The Dow and S&P 500 ended at fresh records in anticipation that teh positive bank results foreshadow a generally strong earnings period. The records, the third in … Read more
US congressional Democrats and Republicans condemned Beijing on Friday over the recent death of Liu Xiaobo, saying the demise of the imprisoned Nobel laureate highlighted the Chinese government’s disregard for human rights. “Liu Xiaobo’s death is a tragedy and a deep affront to the basic notions of justice and human decency,” said top House Democrat … Read more
US President Donald Trump on Friday urged divided Senate Republicans to “do what is right” and pass a revised health care reform bill, after the new measure encountered early pushback from skeptics in the party. Repealing and replacing predecessor Barack Obama’s 2010 health care reforms was a central campaign pledge by Trump and many Republicans. … Read more
Dinner up the Eiffel Tower, a military parade and a controversial moment with the French president’s wife: AFP looks at the key moments of Donald Trump’s trip to Paris. In talks Thursday at the presidential Elysee Palace followed by a joint news conference, Trump and his host Emmanuel Macron appeared to set differences aside, notably … Read more
When China allowed Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo to die in police custody, it made a bet that world governments were more invested in improving trade ties than defending political dissidents. Even as Beijing has stepped up its crackdown on civil society, activists say, its trade partners have largely stepped down from their soap boxes. Lured … Read more
he Residence of France in Ghana, yesterday hosted a special gastronomic event of a few select guests. The event was a “cooking demonstration and tasting” session with international culinary advisor Chef Clément Nadeau of the recognized French brand ‘Elle et Vire’, specialist of dairy products. Nadeau shared his know-how through four dessert and pastry recipes … Read more
French President Emmanuel Macron and US counterpart Donald Trump marked France’s national day together on Friday at a military parade that showcased their warming relations. Macron invited Trump to be his guest of honour at the pomp-filled military parade down the Champs-Elysees which the two men watched with their wives. The Bastille Day celebrations were … Read more
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend a Bastille Day military parade on Friday alongside his American counterpart Donald Trump, before marking the first anniversary of a deadly terror attack in Nice. The parade on Paris’s Champs-Elysees will commemorate the centenary of the US entering WWI and will feature horses, helicopters, planes and troops. “This is … Read more
A business-as-usual approach to climate change will be “disastrous” for Asia, undoing much of the phenomenal economic growth that has helped it make vast inroads against poverty, the Asian Development Bank said in a report released Friday. A continued reliance on fossil fuels will see the world’s most populous region face prolonged heat waves, rising … Read more
Signed with pomp and fanfare on July 14, 2015, the Iranian nuclear agreement was heralded as a triumph for American diplomacy and international cooperation on nonproliferation. Two years later, it has few friends in the Trump administration or in Tehran. When it was signed in Vienna, President Barack Obama and his secretary of state, John … Read more
The world hailed Chinese Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo as a brave fighter for human rights after his death from cancer. Liu, a government critic and thorn in the side of the authorities for decades, died in custody, having been sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for “subversion”. His death brought criticism for … Read more
The Islamic State group on Thursday said two of its members were responsible for attempted attacks in Paris and Brussels last month. In a new edition of its multilingual magazine “Rumiyah”, released on the group’s propaganda channels, IS said it was behind the two previously unclaimed operations which did not kill anyone. On June 19, … Read more
US First Lady Melania Trump toured Notre Dame cathedral with her French counterpart Brigitte Macron on Thursday, stopping to pray before a statue of the Virgin Mary. The 47-year-old practising Catholic, chic in a red Dior outfit with her hair pulled up in a chignon, was in Paris at the start of a Bastille Day … Read more
French President Emmanuel Macron rolled out the red carpet to welcome Donald Trump to Paris on Thursday for an overseas trip the White House hopes will offer respite from a growing scandal back home. The US president is to be Macron’s guest of honour during celebrations for Bastille Day on Friday, France’s national day, which … Read more
President Donald Trump says the mood in the White House is “fantastic” despite intense scrutiny of his campaign’s alleged dealings with Russia. He told Reuters the administration was “functioning beautifully”. The president also defended his son, who it has emerged met a Russian lawyer during the election campaign. US media describe the White House as … Read more
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday wrapped up a four-day mission to the Gulf with little sign of progress in resolving the diplomatic crisis pitting Saudi Arabia and its allies against Qatar. Tillerson met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for the second time in 48 hours, together with a Kuwaiti mediator, … Read more
President Donald Trump says the mood in the White House is “fantastic” despite intense scrutiny of his campaign’s alleged dealings with Russia. He told Reuters the administration was “functioning beautifully”. The president also defended his son, who it has emerged met a Russian lawyer during the election campaign. US media describe the White House as … Read more
Donald Trump arrived in Paris on Thursday for a presidential visit filled with Bastille Day pomp and which the White House hopes will offer respite from rolling scandal back home. Air Force One touched down at Paris’ Orly Airport shortly after 0630 GMT at the start of a 24-hour trip during which the US leader … Read more
Clint Eastwood has cast three young Americans who stopped a terrorist attack on a high-speed train to play themselves in “The 15:17 to Paris,” according to US media. Anthony Sadler, Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos and US Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone were traveling through Europe when they overpowered a man with an … Read more