People
ISIS leader Baghdadi releases statement urging followers 'to persevere'
Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in his first purported speech in almost a year, has called on followers to persevere, according to a statement posted on the group's media outlet. "If you want to live in dignity, then you return to your religion and fighting your enemy", the Iraqi said, addressing followers in Syria. Originally from Iraq, Baghdadi has been dubbed the "most wanted man o... [Full Article...]
Malaysian PM says China-financed projects cancelled
At a press conference in Beijing before ending his five-day visit, Mahathir said Malaysia, owing to its financial woes, can not afford the projects, namely the $20 billion East Coast Rail Link for which construction already started, and the Trans-Sabah Gas Pipeline projects worth over $2 billion. [Full Article...]
Facebook Is Silently Scoring People On Whether Or Not They're Trustworthy
SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook acknowledged Tuesday it has developed tools to identify users "indiscriminately" flagging fake news as it refines its effort to combat misinformation . However, there's clearly a lot of unknowns about the score, how it's calculated, and what it's used for. But how these new credibility systems work is highly opaque , and the companies are wary of discussing them, in part... [Full Article...]
Senior ministers deal death blow to Malcolm Turnbull's prime ministership
Mr Dutton, who is mounting another bid to topple Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull , has released legal advice from Colin Biggers & Paisley Lawyers on Thursday showing he was in the clear. Mr Dutton admitted he's calling Liberals trying to win support for a second challenge after failing 48 votes to 35 in a snap leadership ballot on Tuesday. [Full Article...]
Venezuela quake map LATEST: Where did HUGE aftershock hit Venezuela?
Its epicenter was 12 miles (20 kilometers) off the sparsely populated Cariaco peninsula that has seen several devastating quakes in the past. USGS geophysicist Jessica Turner said the quake's depth, 123 kilometres below the surface, would dampen some of the shaking but not enough to prevent damage. [Full Article...]
Paul Manafort found guilty on eight counts in USA court
If the plea deal does not include cooperation by Cohen, then it is unclear if he would follow through on his previous assertion to friends , according to sources, that he is willing to talk to Mueller . Cohen agreed to a plea bargain with federal prosecutors. Meanwhile, Michael Avenatti, lawyer for one of the porn actors who was paid hush money, said he would press for the President's appearan... [Full Article...]
Saudi woman may be executed for activism, in first such case
Israa al-Ghomgham, 29, would be the first woman to be killed in Saudi Arabia exclusively for her activism. "These concerns have been raised with the Saudi government". Human-rights advocates this week are sounding the alarm about Israa al-Ghomgham and five other activists from Saudi Arabia's troubled Eastern Province. [Full Article...]
Malaysian leader tours Alibaba, meets Jack Ma on China visit
Mahathir also said that his new government will improve the efficiency of administrative approvals and introduce preferential policies for Chinese enterprises that want to expand their presence in Malaysia. Mahathir also pointed out that Malaysia had always adopted a friendly stance towards other friendly countries. In January, Alibaba Cloud, Alibaba's cloud computing arm, joined up with governmen... [Full Article...]