International

OPEC meets as Trump calls for oil taps to be kept on

by Joseph SOTINEL and Simon MORGAN Agence France Presse VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — OPEC members and other oil-producing countries gather in Vienna on Thursday to discuss cutting output to prop up prices, as US President Donald Trump urged them to keep the faucets open. Oil ministers from 20 or so countries busily criss-crossed the Austrian capital on Wednesday for preparatory negotiations ahead of the two-day meet at the headquarters of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting […]

China protests arrest of Huawei CFO in Canada, urges release: embassy

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Beijing on Wednesday protested the arrest in Canada of Chinese national Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of global telecommunications giant Huawei, and urged her immediate release as she faces extradition to the United States. “At the request of the US side, the Canadian side arrested a Chinese citizen not violating any American or Canadian law,” a statement from the Chinese embassy in Canada said. “The Chinese side firmly opposes and […]

Two US Marine planes crash while refueling off Japan: official

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Two US Marine Corps aircraft crashed during a refueling operation off the coast of Japan, a US defense official told AFP on Wednesday. The planes involved were an F-18 fighter and a C-130 tanker, the official said. In a statement, the Marine Corps said the planes had taken off from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. Search and rescue operations were underway following a “mishap.” They “were conducting regularly scheduled training […]

‘Major violence’ feared for French protests Saturday: presidency

PARIS, France (AFP) — The French government fears “major violence” from protests planned for Saturday, the presidency told AFP after weeks of demonstrations over rising living costs blamed on the government of Emmanuel Macron. “We have reasons to fear major violence,” a source said Wednesday amid calls for fresh mobilization of the “yellow vest” movement countrywide this weekend. © Agence France-Presse

First woman elected mayor of Mexico City takes office

by Yussel GONZALEZ Agence France Presse MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — The first woman elected mayor of Mexico City was sworn in Wednesday for a six-year term leading one of the world’s largest cities, in a country with a deep tradition of machismo. Claudia Sheinbaum, a 56-year-old scientist and environmentalist, rode to victory in the July elections on the same anti-establishment wave that brought her ally and mentor to power, Mexico’s new President Andres Manuel […]

Two dead, 10 hurt in petrol station blast near Rome

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Two people were killed and at least 10 injured in an explosion at a petrol station northeast of Rome on Wednesday, firefighters and police said. The blast occurred when a tanker truck carrying flammable liquid was refuelling at the petrol station on the Salaria highway 30 kilometers (18 miles) outside the capital, according to Italian media. “A firefighter died, as did a civilian,” the firefighters tweeted. Antonio Mannoni, head of police […]

Canada desperately looking to fill 430,000 vacant jobs

MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — A business group warned on Tuesday that a labor shortage in Canada is deepening, with more than 430,000 jobs at small and medium-sized firms remaining unfilled for at least four months. The job vacancy rate has risen to 3.3 percent, from 2.9 percent a year ago, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) said in a report. This is “above the records set before the 2008 financial crisis, and businesses are […]

Washington sets aside divisions for Bush funeral

by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A divided Washington led by the nation’s five living presidents put on a show of unity Wednesday at the poignant state funeral of George H.W. Bush, as America bade farewell to its 41st president. Donald and Melania Trump shared a front row pew in the National Cathedral with past presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and their wives as an honor guard brought […]

French government urges unity in face of mass protests

by Adam PLOWRIGHT and Christophe SCHMIDT Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — The French government on Wednesday urged parties across the political divide to calm the protests that have raged nationwide for more than two weeks, and signalled it was ready to make further concessions to avoid more violence. French President Emmanuel Macron appealed to rival political leaders as well as trade unions to help tamp down the anti-government anger that on Saturday led […]

Zuckerberg defends Facebook in new data breach controversy

by Dmitry ZAKS Agence France Presse LONDON, United States (AFP) — Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg pushed back Wednesday against emails showing the social media giant offering Netflix and other popular apps preferential access to people’s data even after it had tightened its privacy rules. A British parliamentary committee investigating whether the social media behemoth was being used to manipulate the results of elections published 250 pages of internal Facebook documents earlier Wednesday. They show executives […]

Panama awards $1.4 bn bridge project to Chinese group

PANAMA CITY, Panama (AFP) — The government of Panama awarded Tuesday a Chinese consortium a $1.4 billion contract to build a bridge over the Panama Canal, a day after a visit by President Xi Jinping. That tour was part of China’s efforts to extend its political and economic influence in Latin America. “Panama is moving ahead in its relations with China and without a doubt this project that begins its construction today is part of […]

Fresh 6.6 earthquake hits off New Caledonia: monitors

NOUMEA, France (AFP) — A powerful new earthquake hit off New Caledonia Wednesday just hours after a strong tremor hit the Pacific region, but there was no new tsunami alert, authorities said. The quake struck at 5:43pm local time (0643 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) some 192 kilometers east-southeast of Tadine in New Caledonia, an overseas French territory north of New Zealand. The US Geological Survey revised it to magnitude 6.6 […]