New York (AFP) - Taylor Swift released her highly anticipated record "The Tortured Poets Department" on Friday -- the 11th studio album from the megastar who is already having a blockbuster year. "New album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Out now," she wrote on her Instagram account, ending the announcement with a heart emoji. Two hours later she posted: "It's a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album. "I'd written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here's the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs....
AFP
Beijing (AFP) - Apple has removed Meta's WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China on orders from the country's internet regulator, US media reported Friday. Mainland China has some of the world's most extensive internet censorship, with web users unable to access everything from Google to many foreign apps without workarounds such as a virtual private network (VPN). "We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree," Apple said in a statement, according to Bloomberg. "The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) ordered the removal of these a...
AFP
New York (AFP) - The judge in Donald Trump's criminal trial will look to wrap up jury selection Friday before opening arguments start next week in a historic case being heard as the former president campaigns to win back the White House. After the 12 jurors were sworn in Thursday, a pool of six alternates will be completed -- ready to step in if any of the original jury become unavailable during the case in which Trump is accused of covering up hush money paid to a porn star. The trial at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York is expected to last six to eight weeks, providing a wealth of leg...
AFP
New York (AFP) - Police arrested more than 100 pro-Palestinian student protesters at New York's Columbia University Thursday, a day after the president of the prestigious school was grilled in Congress over accusations of anti-Semitism on campus. "NYPD officers moved in to ensure the safety of the campus, the students and the staff made more than 108 arrests, and the NYPD ensured that there was no violence or injuries during the disturbance," New York Mayor Eric Adams said during a press conference. The arrests and dismantling of tents that had been erected Wednesday also attracted a crowd of...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - Startled by nighttime pounding on his door, American political strategist Rick Wilson walked out in his underwear to find policemen with guns drawn. They were responding to yet another hoax, increasingly seen as a tool of intimidation in a crucial election year. In recent months, election workers, judges, and politicians -- on both sides of the aisle -- have been "swatted," a potentially deadly prank when a caller triggers a large law enforcement response after reporting a false violent crime. The shenanigans have stoked concern in the build up to the widely anticipated Nove...
AFP
San Francisco (AFP) - Meta on Thursday introduced an improved AI assistant built on new versions of its open source Llama large language model for powering the technology. Meta AI is smarter and faster due to advances in publicly available Llama 3, the tech titan said in a blog post. "The bottom line is we believe Meta AI is now the most intelligent AI assistant that you can freely use," Meta co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a video posted on Instagram. Being open source means that developers outside of Meta are free to customize Llama 3 as they wish and the company may t...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - Joe Biden hopes to capitalize on Donald Trump being stuck in court as he hits the US presidential election campaign trail — and can't resist poking fun at his rival's predicament. While Trump was in his historic hush money trial this week, Biden embarked on a three-day swing through his birthplace, the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania. He visited his childhood home and campaigned with the Kennedys, while Trump complained about being in a "freezing" New York courtroom unable to campaign. "Under my predecessor -- who's busy right now -- Pennsylvania lost 275,000 jobs...
AFP
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United States on Thursday spoiled a long-shot Palestinian bid for full United Nations membership, vetoing a Security Council measure despite growing international distress over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The move by Israel's key ally had been expected ahead of the vote, taking place more than six months into Israel's military offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory, in retaliation for the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel. Twelve countries voted in favor of the draft resolution recommending full Palestinian me...
AFP
New York (AFP) - A panel of 12 jurors was sworn in on Thursday to sit in judgment of Donald Trump at the unprecedented criminal trial of a former US president. "We have our jury," said Judge Juan Merchan after a day of intensive questioning of dozens of potential jurors by prosecutors and Trump's defense attorneys. Merchan said he hoped to complete the selection of six alternate jurors on Friday and hold opening arguments in the blockbuster case on Monday. Trump, 77, who is seeking to recapture the White House in November, is accused of falsifying business records on the eve of his 2016 electi...
AFP
New York (AFP) - The dollar pushed higher Thursday behind a series of comments from Federal Reserve officials, dimming hopes for imminent interest rate cuts while US stocks finished mostly lower. Statements over the last day or so from New York Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams and Fed Governor Michelle Bowman have helped lift US Treasury yields as investors bet that the Fed will cut interest rates fewer times, if at all, in 2024, than was initially expected. Boris Kovacevic, global macro strategist at Convera, said it has become "a perfect environment for the Greenback to shine," a...
AFP
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