Facebook cuts ties to data brokers in blow to targeted ads

UNITED STATES - Facebook said on Wednesday it would end its partnerships with several large data brokers who help advertisers target people on the social network, a step that follows a scandal over how Facebook handles personal information.

Trump taps his doctor for White House role

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that White House doctor Ronny Jackson will replace embattled David Shulkin to be the next Veteran Affairs secretary, as the administration's shake-up added a new casualty.

Malala says she will continue fight for girls' education

ISLAMABAD - Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai on Thursday said she was excited to be back in Pakistan for the first time since she was shot in 2012 by Taliban militants angered at her championing of education for girls.

Hopes high Ethiopia's new PM will ease turmoil

The election of a new leader in Ethiopia is a sigh of relief to the citizens who are yearning for peace following months of anti-government protests.

Venezuela police cells fire kills 68

CARACAS - A total of 68 people died on Wednesday during an attempted jailbreak in Venezuela after a fire engulfed police holding cells in one of the worst tragedies in years in a overcrowded prison system.

Future of US-Iran relations 'looks bleak'

HOUSTON - Mistrust between Washington and Teheran tends to reach a higher level under the current US administration, which will further raise the risk of miscalculation and the chances of escalation when an incident occurs, said US experts.

Women face wage battle in British finance sector

LONDON - There had never been much doubt that in London's testosterone-fuelled financial sector female workers' salaries lagged far behind those of their mostly male colleagues.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Japan presses case for levy exemptions

Though Japan is not exempted from US President Donald Trump's new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, the Japanese government and steel industry have responded with restraint.

US, South Korea change gear on car market trade agreement

WASHINGTON - The US government said it has widened access to South Korea's car market while providing its manufacturers with protection from South Korean imports.

Chinese ribbon company in India rolls out better life with jobs and skills for women

VISAKHAPATNAM, India - "Here I work to make money, so that I can help my sisters to marry more decently with a better dowry," said Sri Lakshmi, a 20-year-old Indian woman.

Fortified villages found in 'uninhabited' Amazon

PARIS - Areas of the Amazon previously thought to be uninhabited may have been home to up to 1 million people in the centuries before Christopher Columbus arrived, new archaeological research has found.