Macron reform drive is make-or-break for French unions

Facing a wave of reforms by President Emmanuel Macron touching nearly every aspect of daily life, French unions kick off a wave of strikes Tuesday that analysts say will test how much weight they still carry. Facing a wave of reforms by President Emmanuel Macron touching nearly every aspect of daily life, French unions kick off a wave of strikes Tuesday that analysts say will test how much weight they still carry. Workers...

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20 years after Viagra, Pfizer seeks another miracle drug

It has been 20 years since Viagra was introduced, and Pfizer is still searching for another drug with as much earning power as the revolutionary blue erection pill. If anything, the chances for another miracle drug may be waning as the pharmaceutical giant constrains its research and development budget amid broader cost-cutting efforts. Pfizer forecasts it will spend $7.4 to $7.9 billion this year on R&D, compared...

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Martin Luther King Jr. quotes

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated 50 years ago -- on April 4, 1968 -- in Memphis, Tennessee. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated 50 years ago -- on April 4, 1968 -- in Memphis, Tennessee. Here are some of the most memorable quotes of the US civil rights leader known for his soaring rhetoric: On racism "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged...

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Martin Luther King Jr: the dream, the man, the legacy

Towards the end of his life, Martin Luther King Jr. lamented that his dream had "turned into a nightmare." The US civil rights leader was a weary man when he was cut down by an assassin's bullet at the age of 39 on the balcony of a motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. He was also a controversial man -- unlike the iconic figure celebrated today with a national holiday and an imposing granite memorial in Washington. "He's...

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Macedonia, Greece seek to settle name spat at last

The Greek and Macedonian foreign ministers meet in Vienna on Friday for UN-mediated talks aimed at translating progress in their bitter dispute over the ex-Yugoslav republic's name into a deal. The long-running spat, which has sparked emotional protests by thousands of people in recent weeks in both countries, has raged since Macedonia became an independent country in 1991. Greece objects to its northern neighbour's...

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Foreign companies in China brace for VPN crackdown

Chinese people and foreign firms are girding for a weekend deadline that will curb the use of unlicensed software to circumvent internet controls, as the government plugs holes in its "Great Firewall". Chinese people and foreign firms are girding for a weekend deadline that will curb the use of unlicensed software to circumvent internet controls, as the government plugs holes in its "Great Firewall". A virtual private...

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Happ, Springer open MLB season with homers in triumphs

Chicago Cubs leadoff hitter Ian Happ smashed the opening pitch of the 2018 Major League Baseball season for a home run Thursday as the Cubs beat the Miami Marlins 8-4. Chicago Cubs leadoff hitter Ian Happ smashed the opening pitch of the 2018 Major League Baseball season for a home run Thursday as the Cubs beat the Miami Marlins 8-4. Marlins pitcher Jose Urena endured a nightmare start in the first game of the new campaign,...

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Child footballers 'offered boots and underwear for sex work'

Trainee footballers at Argentinian giants Independiente were coaxed into underage prostitution with offers of football boots or even just underwear, a Buenos Aires public prosecutor has said. The shocking revelation of an illicit sex network operated at one of Argentina's most prestigious and successful clubs was made after a 17-year-old told an Independiente psychologist he had been encouraged, alongside another 19-year-old...

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Ryder chases clubhouse leaders Glover, Tway at rain-hit Houston Open

Former US Open winner Lucas Glover and Kevin Tway ignited hopes of securing the last Masters berth on Thursday with seven-under par 65s at the rain-hit Houston Open. Former US Open winner Lucas Glover and Kevin Tway ignited hopes of securing the last Masters berth on Thursday with seven-under par 65s at the rain-hit Houston Open. Glover and Tway were out in the morning, teeing-off after a two-hour delay after heavy overnight...

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Out of this world Inside Japan's space colony centre

A newly created Space Colony Research centre led by Japan's first female astronaut is bringing cutting-edge technology to bear on one of mankind's greatest questions: Can we live in space? A newly created Space Colony Research centre led by Japan's first female astronaut is bringing cutting-edge technology to bear on one of mankind's greatest questions: Can we live in space? Tucked away in high-tech laboratories at the...

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Referee warned about Smith, Warner in 2016: report

A match referee warned of disgraced Australian cricketers Steve Smith and David Warner "being involved in a ball-tampering incident" in the domestic Sheffield Shield in 2016, a media report said Friday. The report came after Smith and Warner were stripped of the captaincy and vice-captaincy and banned for a year from the sport after being caught up in a plot to alter the condition of the ball during the third Test against...

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Sweden's Lindberg surges to ANA Inspiration lead

Sweden's Pernilla Lindberg closed with back-to-back birdies to grab the first-round lead at the ANA Inspiration with a seven-under par 65. Sweden's Pernilla Lindberg closed with back-to-back birdies to grab the first-round lead at the ANA Inspiration with a seven-under par 65. Lindberg had seven birdies without a bogey at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California, powering past Japan's Ayako Uehara and Spain's Beatriz...

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