Cuba’s Raul Castro to leave office in 2018

Cuba’s Raul Castro to leave office in 2018

Cuban President Raul Castro on Thursday affirmed that he will leave office in April 2018, when the country’s new national legislature convenes to elect a leader for the next five years. “When the National Assembly convenes, I will conclude my second and last mandate as leader of the state and government, and Cuba will have […]

Separatist parties keep majority in Catalonia election

Separatist parties keep majority in Catalonia election

Catalan separatist parties are on track to win most seats in the new regional parliament, setting the stage for more confrontation with Spain’s government. The Citizens party, which wants Catalonia to remain a semi-autonomous part of Spain, is the biggest party, therefore, it is unclear who will be given the right to form a government, […]

Schmidt to step down as Executive Chairman of Alphabet

Schmidt to step down as Executive Chairman of Alphabet

Eric Schmidt, a long-serving Google executive, will step down as Executive Chairman of Google’s parent company Alphabet in January, the company has announced. Schmidt will become a technical advisor to the company while continuing to serve on its board. “Since 2001, Eric has provided us with business and engineering expertise and a clear vision about […]

Facebook signs multi-year music deal with Universal

Facebook signs multi-year music deal with Universal

Taking on music streaming giants like Google-owned YouTube, Facebook and Universal Music Group (UMG) have announced a global, multi-year agreement reportedly worth several hundred million dollars. As part of the deal, UMG will become the first major music company to license its recorded music and publishing catalogues for video and other social experiences across Facebook […]

Trump’s judicial nominee withdraws after viral video

Trump’s judicial nominee withdraws after viral video

Matthew Petersen, US President Donald Trump’s district court nominee who struggled to answer basic legal questions at his confirmation hearing last week, has withdrawn his nomination, the media reported. Petersen, who was up for a lifetime appointment on the US District Court for the District of Columbia, struggled to answer basic questions including how many […]

White House blames N.Korea for ‘WannaCry’ cyberattack

White House blames N.Korea for ‘WannaCry’ cyberattack

White House Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert has said that the US believes North Korea was behind the massive “WannaCry” cyberattack in May, the media reported. “After careful investigation, the US today publicly attributes the massive ‘WannaCry’ cyberattack to North Korea,” Bossert wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Monday. “The attack was widespread […]

We may not be alone: Ex-Pentagon UFO official

We may not be alone: Ex-Pentagon UFO official

A former Pentagon official who led a recently revealed government programme to research potential unidentified flying objects (UFO) said that he believes there is evidence of alien life reaching Earth, the media reported. “My personal belief is that there is very compelling evidence that we may not be alone,” Luis Elizondo told CNN on Monday […]

Data requests from India surged in 1st half of 2017 : Facebook

Data requests from India surged in 1st half of 2017 : Facebook

The Indian government requested Facebook for data 9,853 times in the first half of 2017 – up from 6,324 times in the first half of 2016 — Facebook’s latest ‘Government Requests Report’ revealed on Tuesday. Facebook restricted access to 1,228 pieces of content “in response to legal requests from law enforcement agencies and the India […]

Arab League forms ministerial delegation against US move on Jerusalem

Arab League forms ministerial delegation against US move on Jerusalem

The Arab League (AL) announced on Sunday that it has formed a ministerial delegation tasked with responding to the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The delegation will respond on the diplomatic and media levels to “the dangerous US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” Xinhua quoted AL spokesman Mhamoud […]

Egypt prepares UN resolution against US decision on Jerusalem

Egypt prepares UN resolution against US decision on Jerusalem

Egypt’s Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said on Sunday that Egypt is preparing a UN resolution against the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Speaking during a parliament session, Abdel-Aal said Egypt has begun contacting all Arab leaders and a number of foreign officials for the resolution. Xinhua news agency reported. Abdel-Aal stressed that Jerusalem […]