International

Lawmakers near budget deal, Trump urges shutdown for immigration

by Michael Mathes and Andrew Beatty Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US congressional leaders said Tuesday they were close to clinching an elusive budget deal that would keep government open — despite President Donald Trump calling for a shutdown if he does not get his way on immigration. The Senate’s top Republican and Democrat signaled a deal was imminent that would raise both defense and non-defense spending maximum levels for the next […]

Taiwan hotel collapses after 6.4-magnitude quake

  TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — A hotel on the east coast of Taiwan has collapsed after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, the national fire agency said, with reports that several other buildings have been toppled with some people trapped. Images on local television showed the Marshal Hotel in Hualien slanted on its side, partially crumpled into the ground. Media reports said there were 30 people trapped inside with others crawling to safety. The fire agency said a […]

Poland’s president signs controversial Holocaust bill into law

by Mary Sibierski  © Agence France-Presse VARSOVIE, Poland (AFP) — President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday signed into law a controversial Holocaust bill intended to safeguard Poland’s image abroad but which has instead triggered an unprecedented diplomatic row with Israel and tensions with the US and Ukraine. Duda also said he would send the legislation, which now comes into force, to the Constitutional Tribunal to rule on whether it conforms with guarantees for freedom of speech. The law sets […]

EU to get power to punish UK during Brexit transition: sources

BRUXELLES, Belgium (AFP) — The European Union will be able to punish Britain for breaking the rules of its post-Brexit transition period under plans agreed by Brussels on Tuesday, EU sources said. Under plans for the 21-month transition after Britain leaves the bloc on March 29, 2019, London must abide by all EU laws without having any decision-making power — turning the country into what critics call a “vassal state”. The latest EU draft of the transition […]

Snow shuts Eiffel Tower as winter blast hits France

PARIS, France (AFP) — The Eiffel Tower turned away tourists on Tuesday as snow swept across northern France, causing traffic chaos in Paris during the French capital’s first real dose of wintry weather this season. The Meteo France weather service put the greater Paris region on alert for snow and black ice on roads, among 27 departments it expected to be on alert across the country until midday Wednesday. The weather caused major gridlock across the city, […]

Two dead, over 200 injured in Taiwan quake

by Amber Wang / Michelle Yun © Agence France-Presse   TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — A 6.4-magnitude quake on the east coast of Taiwan has left two dead and more than 200 injured, the government said, after buildings crumbled and trapped people inside. A hotel and a residential block were the worst hit by the quake in the port city of Hualien, according to the national fire agency. Five more buildings including a hospital had also been damaged, […]

Boeing announces service orders worth nearly $1 billion

SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Boeing said Tuesday its global services unit has signed deals worth nearly $1 billion at the Singapore Airshow in areas like parts, maintenance, modification and training. The deals underscore the growing importance of the huge commercial aviation market in the Asia-Pacific region. “Boeing is serious about helping customers optimise the performance of their fleets and reduce operational costs,” said Stan Deal, president and chief executive of Boeing Global Services. Among the […]

Hong Kong democracy activists walk free in appeal victory

  HONG KONG, China (AFP) – Joshua Wong and two other leading Hong Kong democracy activists won an appeal against their jail terms at the city’s highest court Tuesday in a case seen as a test for the independence of the city’s judiciary, which some fear is under pressure from Beijing. But the trio warned it was not a time for celebration because the city still faced threats to its freedoms. Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow […]

Merkel ready for ‘painful compromises’ to seal govt deal

by Deborah COLE and Michelle FITZPATRICK in Frankfurt Agence France-Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was prepared to make “painful compromises” as she headed in a final round of talks Tuesday to seal a coalition deal for her fourth term and end months of political limbo in Europe’s top economy. As negotiators from Merkel’s CDU party, her Bavarian CSU ally and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) gathered for one last push to […]

Gunmen kill officer, free militant in Kashmir hospital raid: police

SRINAGAR, India (AFP) – Two gunmen opened fire Tuesday in a hospital in India-administered Kashmir where a Pakistani militant was brought for treatment, an official said, escaping with the high-profile prisoner and killing a police officer in the daring assault. A manhunt is underway after the assailants stormed the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar and opened fire on police guarding Naveed Jutt, a Pakistani rebel imprisoned in the restive province since 2014. “The militants attacked […]

Pilot injured as S. Korean jet catches fire at Singapore Airshow

SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — A pilot was slightly injured when a South Korean aircraft taking part in the Singapore Airshow skidded off the runway and caught fire Tuesday while taking off, authorities said. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said the aircraft from the South Korean air force’s aerobatic team Black Eagles “skidded and crashed into the grass verge” at the side of the runway and caught fire. The accident happened as the plane was taking […]

In Iraq, death-row jihadists ‘confess’ on prime-time TV

by Sammy Ketz Agence France-Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Every Friday in Iraq, a gripping show on state television beams the alleged confessions of death-row jihadists into homes around the country. At peak viewing time, it broadcasts gruesome images of their purported crimes before interviewing the convicts, who appear clad in orange or yellow jumpsuits. Baghdad declared victory against the Islamic State group in December, after years of fighting to regain vast stretches of territory […]