International

Anger and grief as Canada remembers Iran plane crash victims

TORONTO, Canada (AFP) — Thousands of people attended vigils Sunday in Canada for the 57 Canadian victims of the Ukrainian airliner crash in Iran, most of them from the Iranian community. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a memorial in Edmonton that “this tragedy struck our Iranian-Canadian community, leaving cities like Edmonton reeling, but this was truly a Canadian tragedy.” “We want to assure all families and all Canadians that we will not rest until there […]

89 Niger soldiers killed in jihadist attack on camp: govt

NIER, Nigeria (AFP) — A jihadist attack on a military camp in western Niger three days ago left 89 soldiers dead, according to a new toll announced by the government on public radio Sunday. “After a thorough search, the toll has been established as 89 dead among friendly forces, and 77 dead for the enemy,” said spokesman Zakaria Abdourahame. Three days of national mourning have been declared to honor the dead. The previous toll given […]

Trump warns Iran not to kill protesters, says door still open to talks

  by Jim MANNION Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump warned Iran Sunday against killing protesters who have risen up over the regime’s downing of a civilian airliner as his defense secretary left the door open to talks with Tehran without preconditions. Trump’s salvo came as Iran’s Islamic regime faced a challenge from angry street protests, having come to the brink of war with the US after a series […]

French transport strike drags on despite govt compromise on pensions

by Marie-Pierre FEREY PARIS, France (AFP) — A crippling French transport strike dragged into its 39th day on Sunday despite the government’s offer to withdraw the most contested measure of the pension reform plans that sparked the protest. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Saturday he would drop plans to increase the official age for a full pension to 64 from 62 in an effort to end a strike which has paralyzed Paris and its suburbs, […]

Iran agrees de-escalation ‘only solution’ to solve crisis with US

by David Vujanovic TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran signaled Sunday it favors a de-escalation after 10 days of heightened tensions with the United States during which both sides fired missiles and Tehran accidentally shot down a passenger aircraft. Security was stepped up in Iran’s capital after a vigil the previous night for those killed in the air disaster turned into an angry protest and police temporarily arrested the British ambassador for being there. US President […]

In the words of a general: how Iran downed airliner (excerpts of 12-minute explanation of Iran military)

  TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — The aerospace commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Saturday accepted full responsibility for the shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger jet. In remarks aired on state television, Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said the missile operator who fired on the plane did so independently because of communications “jamming”. It came as Iran acknowledged the Boeing 737 had been shot down, after denying for days Western claims that it was likely to […]

EU aviation agency warns against flying over Iran ‘until futher notice’

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The EU’s air safety agency on Saturday advised airlines to avoid flying over Iran, after Tehran admitted mistakenly shooting down a passenger jet, killing 176 people. After days of denials, Iranian authorities finally acknowledged that air defences had brought the Ukrainian airliner down with missiles, blaming “human error”. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it had re-evaluated the dangers to commercial airline operations in light of Tehran’s admission. “On the […]

Taiwan’s Tsai wins landslide in stinging result for China

  by Amber WANG / Jerome TAYLOR Agence France Presse TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen declared a landslide victory in Saturday’s election as voters delivered a stunning rebuke of Beijing’s campaign to isolate the self-ruled island and handed its first female leader a second term. Tsai, 63, announced her victory as thousands of jubilant supporters cheered and waved flags outside her party headquarters with the ongoing vote count revealing an all but […]

Ukraine demands punishment, compensation for airliner downed by Iran

  KIEV, Ukraine (AFP) — President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded Saturday that Iran punish those responsible for the downing of a Ukrainian airliner, pay compensation and apologise. “We expect Iran… to bring the guilty to the courts,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on Facebook, calling also for the “payment of compensation” and the return of remains. Tehran admitted Saturday that it accidentally downed the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) plane, killing all 176 people on board on Wednesday, […]

Harry and Meghan: Sussex shock leaves royals reeling

by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s unilateral decision to walk away from front-line royal duties has rocked the British monarchy, just as it was preparing a younger generation to take on more of the burden of representing the centuries-old institution. At 35 and 38 respectively, Harry and Meghan were set to become an increasingly important cornerstone of the monarchy in the decades to come. But their shock decision to […]

Taiwan votes in crucial election as China’s shadow looms

by Amber WANG / Jerome TAYLOR Agence France Presse Taiwanese voters headed to the polls on Saturday for a closely watched presidential and parliamentary election in which the island’s fraught relationship with China is taking centre stage. Long queues formed outside election stations before polls opened across the island at 8 am (0000 GMT) with initial results expected late in the evening. The vote will reverberate far beyond Taiwan’s borders, with the two main candidates […]

Cousin of late Oman sultan sworn in as new ruler

  Haitham bin Tariq, Oman’s culture minister and the 65-year-old cousin of late Sultan Qaboos, has been sworn in as the new royal ruler, the government said Saturday. “Haitham bin Tariq was sworn in as the new sultan of the country… after a meeting of the family which decided to appoint the one who was chosen by the sultan,” the government said in a tweet. Sultan Qaboos, the longest-reigning leader of the modern Arab world […]