International

Canadian sub makes first trip to Asia-Pacific in 50 years

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — A Canadian submarine is patrolling the western Pacific for the first time in nearly 50 years, the navy said Thursday, amid heightened tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Although HMCS Chicoutimi’s mission was scheduled a year ago, it comes after the United States and its allies agreed at crisis talks in Vancouver last month to tougher measures to halt North Korean sanctions violations, including naval security operations to prevent maritime […]

Hours from deadline, US Congress to vote to avert shutdown

by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Top US lawmakers scrambled Thursday to rally support for a deal to keep the federal government open past a midnight deadline, as rebellion simmered among Republicans and Democrats over the bipartisan budget agreement struck to end the logjam. Senators were expected to take up and pass the breakthrough bill later Thursday, and then send it to the House of Representatives — which will barely […]

North Korea at the Olympics: What we know

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AFP) — More than 500 North Koreans are converging on Pyeongchang in South Korea for the 2018 Olympics, in a historic cross-border exchange between two countries still technically at war. AFP looks at what we know so far about the visitors from the isolated, nuclear-armed state. Kim’s sister The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit South Korea for Friday’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics opening ceremony and meet with South […]

North Korea holds military parade on eve of Games

by Jung Ha-won Agence France-Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea staged a military parade in Pyongyang Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of its armed forces, putting its intercontinental ballistic missiles on a show just a day before the Winter Olympics open in the South. The nuclear-armed North is on an Olympics-linked charm offensive — sending a troupe of performers, hundreds of female cheerleaders, and the sister of leader Kim Jong Un to […]

Fear and anger as aftershocks rattle Taiwan quake survivors’ nerves

  by Michelle Yun Agence France Presse HUALIEN, Taiwan (AFP) — At an elementary school turned shelter in Taiwan’s Hualien city some survivors of a tower block left teetering by Tuesday’s quake were baffled and angry that such a seemingly solid structure had folded with deadly results. Emergency workers on Thursday were still pulling bodies from the 12-storey Yun Tsui apartment block, which was left tottering at a fifty-degree angle when its lower floors pancaked […]

Nine confirmed dead in Taiwan quake as rescuers brave aftershocks to pull more bodies from rubble

  by Michelle Yun Agence France Presse HUALIEN, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwanese rescuers Thursday braved aftershocks coursing through a dangerously leaning apartment block that was partially toppled by a deadly earthquake as their search for survivors uncovered two more bodies. At least nine people were killed and dozens remained missing after a 6.4-magnitude quake hit the popular eastern tourist city of Hualien late Tuesday, according to a revised toll from the national fire agency. The […]

Kalanick denies plot to steal secrets in tense courtroom exchange

by Julie Charpentrat Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) – Former Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick on Wednesday denied conspiring to steal autonomous driving technology in a tense courtroom appearance that could be key to a blockbuster trial over allegedly ill-gotten trade secrets. In a second day of testimony in the trial pitting former Google car division Waymo against Uber, Kalanick maintained he did not ask for proprietary data when he hired a star engineer from […]

France hikes defense spending to hit NATO target

by Daphné Benoit Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – France on Wednesday announced plans to boost defense spending by more than 40 percent, bringing it into line with NATO targets after complaints from US President Donald Trump that Europe is not pulling its weight. European NATO members have come under pressure from Trump to relieve the burden on the US, which currently accounts for about 70 percent of combined NATO defense spending. The French government unveiled a bill […]

US Senate leaders reach budget deal on eve of shutdown deadline

by Michael Mathes Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – US Senate leaders said Wednesday they had reached a bipartisan budget deal for 2018 and 2019 — a move which, if approved by Congress, would avert a second government shutdown in just three weeks. The deal, months in the making, was seen as a major achievement for both the ruling Republicans and opposition Democrats in a deeply divided Washington. The breakthrough came on the eve of a […]

Pence announces ‘toughest’ US sanctions on North Korea

by Hiroshi Hiyama and Richard Carter © Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Washington will soon unveil its “toughest sanctions ever” on North Korea, US Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday, adding that the Pyongyang regime would not be allowed to “hijack” the upcoming Olympics. Speaking in Japan before attending the opening ceremony of the Winter Games in South Korea, Pence pledged that Washington would “intensify its maximum pressure campaign” on the North, working with Tokyo. “I’m […]

Trump’s military parade plan sparks backlash

by Michael Mathes and Andrew Beatty  © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump’s dream of hosting a military parade in Washington was met with widespread derision Wednesday, with critics seeing evidence of creeping authoritarianism. White House and military officials confirmed preliminary planning was already underway, but said a date had not yet been decided. “I think we’re all aware, in this country, of the president’s affection and respect for the military,” said Defense […]

Women in Sacramento unite to make voices heard

By Macy Membrere EBC Sacramento Bureau SACRAMENTO, CA (Eagle News) — What started in 2017 as a progression of voices from across the nation has grown into a powerful movement to uplift, encourage and move more individuals into action. Not only did the 2018 Women’s March of Sacramento fight for women’s rights but the march also stood for immigrant rights, voting rights, civic justice, and youth engagement. Women, along with entire families, of different age […]