by Katy Lee and Clare Gallen © Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron faces a difficult week as lawmakers weigh up a controversial bill that toughens France’s stance on migrants, with even some of his own party reluctant to back it. After France processed a record 100,000 asylum applications last year, Macron vowed to grant asylum faster but also to deport economic migrants more swiftly, while better integrating those who stay. The new […]
International
Trump backs improved background checks on gun buys
by Brian Knowlton © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump signaled support Monday for improving background gun checks amid mounting pressure for reform in the wake of the Florida school shooting, as the accused gunman appeared in court. Nikolas Cruz, charged with killing 17 people, sat silently with his head bowed during a procedural hearing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in what is expected to be a lengthy and emotional prosecution. Wednesday’s rampage […]
77 dead as Syria enclave pounded ahead of expected ground assault
by Abdulmonam Eassa Agence France-Presse HAMMURIYEH, Syria – Heavy Syrian bombardment killed at least 77 civilians in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta on Monday, a war monitor said, as regime forces appeared to prepare for an imminent ground assault. The escalation came as pro-government forces were also expected to enter the northern Kurdish-controlled enclave of Afrin, to take a stand against a month-old Turkish assault there. Held by rebels since 2012, Eastern Ghouta is the last opposition pocket around […]
Canada voices concern to Israel over mass expulsion
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada, which takes in more African refugees from Israel than any other nation, has voiced concerns to the Jewish state over its planned mass deportation of African migrants, an official said Monday. A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Ottawa is “concerned” that Israel is working to expel thousands of Eritreans and Sudanese who entered illegally over the years, giving them an ultimatum: leave by April 1 or risk being imprisoned […]
5.9 intensity quake shakes Mexico anew, scares residents
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — A medium intensity earthquake struck southwestern Mexico early Monday morning, scaring residents already shaken by a powerful quake two days earlier, though there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The US Geological Survey said its magnitude was 5.9 and it struck at a depth of 40.2 kilometers (25 miles), some 32 kilometers (20 miles) northeast of the town of Santa Catarina Mechoacan in Oaxaca state at 0657 […]
Iran resumes hunt for missing plane
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iranian rescue teams resumed their search on Monday for a passenger plane that disappeared high in the Zagros mountains the previous day with 66 people onboard, local media reported. State television said the weather had improved after blizzard conditions hampered search efforts Sunday, and that helicopters were now able to take part in the hunt for Aseman Airlines flight EP3704. The authorities had called off the rescue effort overnight as heavy […]
Togo talks offer ‘last chance’ to resolve crisis
by Emile Kouton with Celia Lebur in Lagos © Agence France-Presse LOME, Togo (AFP) — After six months of political crisis, a dialogue between Togo’s government and the opposition opening on Monday is seen by many as the last chance to resolve a bitter dispute over the rule of embattled President Faure Gnassingbe. But the talks have raised a welter of emotions in this tiny west African country, ranging from hope to incredulity. “It’s a ‘last […]
Trump slams FBI over school shooting, blames preoccupation with Russia probe
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump slammed the FBI Saturday for failing to heed signs that could have prevented the Florida school shooting, charging the agency was too preoccupied with probing his campaign team over Russian election meddling. Allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race and collusion with the Trump campaign are being investigated by several congressional committees and by special prosecutor Robert Mueller, who took charge of the federal […]
Iran airline retracts toll of 66 dead in plane crash: media
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s Aseman Airlines on Sunday retracted its statement that all 66 people aboard a passenger plane had died after it crashed, as rescue teams struggled to find the wreckage. The ATR-72 twin-engine plane crashed amid severe weather in the Zagros mountains after taking off on a domestic flight from Tehran. “Given the special circumstances of the region, we still have no access to the spot of the crash and therefore we […]
‘Do not test Israel’s resolve’, Netanyahu warns Iran
by Michelle Fitzpatrick and Joseph Schmid Agence France Presse MUNICH, Germany (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tehran on Sunday over aggressions by Iran and its “proxies” in Syria, saying he would not allow them to “put a noose of terror around our neck.” Calling it “a message to the tyrants of Tehran”, he warned in a speech at the Munich Security Conference: “Do not test Israel’s resolve.” His fiery comments came as […]
Florida students to march on Washington in call for gun reform
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Students who survived a mass shooting at their Florida school on Sunday announced plans to march on Washington in a bid to “shame” lawmakers into reforming laws that make powerful firearms readily available. The “March for our Lives” will take place on March 24, with sister marches planned across the country, a group of students told ABC News, vowing to make Wednesday’s shooting a turning point in America’s deadlocked debate […]
Death toll rises to 14 in Mexico helicopter crash
SANTIAGO JAMILTEPEC, Mexico (AFP) — The death toll from a helicopter crash that followed a strong earthquake in southern Mexico rose to 14 Sunday, as the defense minister said the government assumed full responsibility. The tragedy struck Friday night as a military helicopter flew the interior minister and other officials to an area near the epicenter of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that shook Mexico earlier that evening. Officials say a dust cloud caused the pilot to […]





