TSMC sees profit boost from iPhone 7

  Taipei / AP Apple’s new iPhone 7 series gave Taiwan microchip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) a boost Thursday as the firm announced profits were up by almost a third compared with last year. The company was also set to benefit from the demise of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7, analysts said, after the South Korean smartphone giant had ...

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Thailand’s beloved king, unifying figure, dies at 88

Bangkok / AFP Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-serving monarch, has died at the age of 88, the palace announced on Thursday, leaving a divided nation bereft of a rare figure of unity. “Although the team of doctors treated him to the best of their ability, his condition deteriorated,” the Royal Household Bureau said in a statement. “At 15:52 ...

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Washington Post backs Clinton for president

  Washington / AFP The Washington Post on Thursday became the latest US newspaper to emphatically endorse Hillary Clinton for the White House, saying it was swayed as much by her competence as by the alarming specter of a Donald Trump presidency. “Hillary Clinton has the potential to be an excellent president of the United States, and we endorse her ...

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Brexit battle reaches UK high court

  London / AFP The battle over Brexit reached the High Court on Thursday in a legal challenge to Prime Minister Theresa May’s right to start negotiations for Britain to leave the EU without a vote in parliament. The move could delay Brexit if successful and set up an unprecedented constitutional face-off between the courts and the government. It was ...

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Dutch mull assisted suicide for those who feel life is over

  The Hague / AFP The Dutch government is mulling a new law to give elderly people who are not sick the legal right to assisted suicide if they feel their lives are “complete”. “People who believe after deep reflection that they have completed their lives, should be able under strict conditions to end their lives in the dignified manner ...

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Scottish leader unveils new independence plan

  Glasgow / AFP Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Thursday unveiled plans for a new independence referendum in case her demands for more autonomy and for Scotland to stay in Europe’s single market are not met. Sturgeon said she would publish a draft referendum bill next week, accusing the British government of pushing for a “hard Brexit” and stirring ...

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US hits radar sites in first strikes on Yemen rebels

  Dubai / AP The US military directly targeted Yemen’s Houthi rebels for the first time on Thursday, hitting radar sites controlled by the insurgents after US warships came under missile attacks twice in four days. The Iran-backed rebels have denied carrying out the attacks, which saw missiles fired at US warships in the Red Sea on Sunday and Wednesday ...

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UN appoints new secretary-general

  United Nations / AFP The UN General Assembly on Thursday formally appointed Antonio Guterres as the new secretary-general of the United Nations, replacing Ban Ki-moon. The 193 member states adopted by acclamation a resolution appointing the former prime minister of Portugal for a five-year term beginning January 1. The former prime minister of Portugal who also served as UN refugee ...

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Wonder Woman to be UN envoy for women’s empowerment

  United Nations / AFP The United Nations is enlisting the super-powers of Wonder Woman for a new campaign to empower women and girls. The comic and television series heroine will be officially designated as the UN honorary ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls during a ceremony attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on October 21. DC Entertainment President ...

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Russian, Syrian warplanes pound Aleppo

  Beirut / AFP Russian and Syrian warplanes pounded Aleppo again on Thursday after two days of heavy bombardment that killed more than 70 civilians, as world powers prepared for last-ditch weekend talks on a ceasefire. More than 20 air strikes hit the rebel-controlled east at dawn on Thursday, killing seven civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group ...

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