AFP
13875 articles published since 08 Mar 2022
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YouTube scraps 2020 US election misinformation policy
YouTube will stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 US presidential election was plagued by "fraud, errors or glitches," the platform said Friday, a decision quickly criticized by anti-misinformation advocates. "We will stop removing content that advances false claims that widespread fraud, errors, or glitches occurred in the 2020 and other past US presidential elections."
France avoid S&P credit downgrade but concerns persist
France managed to avoid a fresh credit downgrade from a leading rating agency on Friday, despite mounting concern over the country's surging national debt. Leading ratings agency Fitch in April lowered its rating on France's debt, which is approaching three trillion euros ($3.2 trillion).
California law would make tech giants pay for news
A proposed law requiring internet giants to pay for news stories moved forward in California on Friday, despite Facebook owner Meta threatening to pull news from its platform if it passes. In Australia, Facebook in 2021 briefly blocked news articles over a similar law and Google threatened to pull its search engine from the country before they made deals to pay several media groups.
Fitch holds US rating on negative watch despite debt deal
Ratings agency Fitch said Friday that it is keeping the United States' "AAA" credit rating on negative watch, despite a bipartisan agreement on the debt limit to avert a catastrophic default. While the resolution of the debt ceiling impasse means the US government will be able to meet its obligations, Fitch Ratings said it maintains a "Rating Watch Negative" on the United States.
Whaling opposition rises in Iceland as govt ban looms
Opposition to whaling is on the rise in Iceland with a majority now in favour of dropping the practice, a fresh public opinion poll showed ahead of a possible government ban. The share of Icelanders in favour of the hunt has dipped slightly, to 29 percent from 32 percent four years ago, the poll showed.
Kenya court orders suspension of mass layoff of Facebook moderators
A Kenyan court on Friday ordered the suspension of the mass sacking of scores of content moderators by a subcontractor for Facebook's parent company Meta and directed the social media giant to provide counselling to the employees.
France to sell late Putin opponent's Riviera chateau
French authorities have put up for sale a luxurious multi-million-euro chateau seized from the Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky who died in 2013 and was a sworn opponent of President Vladimir Putin, the agency handling confiscated assets said Friday. He had by then become a bitter opponent of Putin.
US hiring heats up unexpectedly in May but wage gains ease
Hiring in the United States heated up again in May, according to government data released Friday, with the strong labor market defying expectations of a slowdown amid efforts to cool the economy. The United States added 339,000 jobs last month, surpassing estimates and picking up from a revised 294,000 figure in April, said the Labor Department on Friday.
French debt in spotlight as ratings agencies sound alarm
France's surging national debt is causing increasing alarm with the country risking a fresh warning on Friday over its credit rating after a downgrade. Leading ratings agency Fitch in April lowered its rating on France's debt, which is approaching three trillion euros ($3.2 trillion).
AFP
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