International

‘Burning man’ image wins AFP top prize at World Press Photo

  by Jan Hennop Agence France-Presse NETHERLANDS (AFP) — Agence France-Presse photographer Ronaldo Schemidt won the prestigious 2018 World Press Photo of the Year Award Thursday with a fiery image of a masked Venezuelan protester which judges said symbolised a country “burning.” Schemidt’s photo, taken during violent clashes with riot police and protesters demonstrating against President Nicolas Maduro’s regime in Caracas last year, invoked an instant emotion, the judges said. AFP also scooped other awards, […]

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Syria dispute boosts risk of US and Russia clash

  by Dave Clark with Francesco Fontemaggi Agence France-Presse UNITED STATES (AFP) — President Donald Trump’s threat of action against the Syrian regime places the United States and Russia at perhaps the greatest risk of conflict since the days of the Cold War. No serious observer thinks Washington or Moscow want to fight each other over Bashar al-Assad’s latest alleged use of banned chemical weapons on his country’s civil war battlefield. But the Syria conflict […]

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Vietnam eyes cryptocurrency crackdown after alleged $660 million scam

HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam has vowed to tighten regulations on cryptocurrencies as authorities investigate an alleged multi-million-dollar fraud in the country, where digital units are traded in a shadowy and unregulated market. Paying with cryptocurrencies is illegal in Vietnam, where they are not recognized as a legitimate tender by the central bank. However, there are currently no laws explicitly banning the possession of assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Regulators have battled to gain […]

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UN calls urgent Syria meeting after Trump threat

by Dave Clark Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United Nations warned world powers against letting the crisis over an alleged chemical attack against civilians in Syria from “spiraling out of control” after US President Donald Trump said, “missiles will be coming.” As tensions mounted over a face-off with Damascus-ally Russia, opponents of unilateral US action called an emergency closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council for Thursday. Britain also scheduled an […]

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US, S. Korea national security advisers to meet ahead of summits: Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s national security adviser has flown to Washington to meet his newly appointed US counterpart John Bolton, an official said Thursday in Seoul, where concerns are growing over the American’s hardline stance on the nuclear-armed North. Chung Eui-yong, who personally delivered Kim’s summit offer to Trump last month, returned to the US capital unannounced Wednesday as the two allies plan their upcoming summits with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. […]

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One killed in hot air balloon crash on S. Korea resort island

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — One person died and a dozen tourists were injured in a hot air balloon crash on South Korea’s popular resort island of Jeju Thursday morning, police said. The balloon was carrying 12 passengers and a pilot — who suffered a head injury and was later pronounced dead — police said, adding they were investigating the cause of the crash. Photos showed the deflated balloon draped over forest trees, with the […]

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Putin calls on Netanyahu not to take any ‘destabilizing action’ on Syria

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called on Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to take any action that could further destabilize the situation in Syria, following Israeli strikes against a regime military base on Monday. In a telephone call, Putin urged Netanyahu “to abstain from any action that could further destabilize the situation in the country, which would represent a threat to its security,” the Kremlin said in a statement. […]

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Key points from Facebook-Zuckerberg hearings

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg testified for nearly 10 hours over two days on Facebook’s privacy and data protection issues before committees of the Senate and House on Tuesday and Wednesday. Here are key points: Protecting the platform “It’s clear now we didn’t do enough,” Zuckerberg said on the protection of private user data and to prevent the hijacking of data on millions by Cambridge Analytica. Zuckerberg said Facebook was built […]

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Australia admits tensions with China but denies ‘deep chill’

  SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s prime minister admitted Thursday bubbling tensions with China over allegations of Beijing meddling in domestic politics, but denied there was a “deep chill” in relations after reports ministers were being refused visas. Bilateral ties took a dive late last year when Canberra announced wide-ranging reforms to espionage and foreign interference legislation, singling out China as a focus of concern. It sparked a furious response from Beijing, which summoned Australia’s ambassador […]

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Trump warns Russia missiles ‘coming’ after Syria attack

by Dave Clark © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that “missiles will be coming” in response to an alleged chemical attack in Syria, as the UN chief urged world powers to stop a face-off with Russia from spiraling out of control. With punitive US military action seemingly imminent, Russia scrambled to deflect blame from its ally Bashar al-Assad and, according to a monitor group, Syrian forces evacuated key […]

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Ivanka helps fill Trump’s absence at Latin America summit

  by Ana Fernandez © Agence France-Presse LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Ivanka Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are stepping in to fill US President Donald Trump’s absence at a summit of Latin American leaders taking place in Peru late this week. But with the US leader a no-show because of a last-minute cancellation to oversee America’s response to an alleged poison gas attack in Syria, the blaze of international attention directed at the Friday-Saturday gathering […]

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New Zealand halts new offshore oil and gas exploration

  WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand is halting all new offshore oil and gas exploration as part of its efforts to deal with climate change, the centre-left government said Thursday. “(We are) taking an important step to address climate change and create a clean, green and sustainable future for New Zealand,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. The oil and gas industry in New Zealand generates about NZ$2.5 billion a year ($1.8 billion), including NZ$1.5 […]

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