by James PHEBY Agence France-Press LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – US President Donald Trump made a rare apology on Friday over his decision to re-tweet anti-Muslim videos posted by a British far-right group, a move which strained tensions with London. “If you’re telling me they’re horrible racist people, I would certainly apologize if you’d like me to do that,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain, referring to the group Britain First. Trump sparked outrage in Britain […]
International
South Korea’s long toll of disasters
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) – South Korea’s rapid transformation from a war-torn, impoverished backwater to Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a flourishing democracy is a source of great national pride. But a series of preventable disasters — the latest being the hospital fire that killed at least 37 people on Friday — has shaken public confidence in the foundations of the country’s development. Many South Koreans have questioned whether safety standards were sidelined and regulations ignored in […]
Tencent invests in ‘Mission: Impossible’ studio
BEIJING, China (AFP) – Chinese internet giant Tencent said on Friday it will take a stake in the US production company behind the “Mission: Impossible” and “Terminator” series, marking China’s latest incursion into Hollywood. The deal will give Tencent the opportunity to co-finance Skydance Media films, which will benefit from the Chinese firm’s distribution and marketing in the world’s second-largest movie market, firms said in a statement. It did not provide financial details but the Los Angeles […]
Dozens dead in South Korea hospital blaze
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A huge fire tore through a South Korean hospital on Friday killing at least 37 people, the government said, in the country’s worst blaze for a decade. Around 130 others were hurt in the fire, which comes just weeks before thousands of athletes and foreign visitors are expected in the country for the Winter Olympics. While South Korea has risen to become the world’s 11th-largest economy, some of its infrastructure […]
Volcanos, earthquakes: Is the ‘Ring of Fire’ alight?
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A volcanic eruption in the Philippines forces mass evacuations, while another in Japan kills one person. Across the Pacific, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits off Alaska. So what’s the link? The spate of activity around the so-called Ring of Fire has raised concerns that a major and potentially deadly volcanic eruption or earthquake could be on the way. Here is what the experts say: Where are these events happening? The recent […]
Huge hospital blaze kills 41 in South Korea: Yonhap
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A huge fire tore through a South Korean hospital Friday killing at least 41 people, reports said, in the country’s worst blaze for over a decade. More than 80 others were hurt in the blaze, which comes just weeks before thousands of athletes and foreign visitors are expected in the country for the Winter Olympics. Videos posted on social media showed a patient hanging on to a rope dangling from […]
China invited to take part in major US-led naval exercise in disputed South China Sea
China has been invited to participate in a major US-led naval exercise, Chinese officials said Thursday, in the disputed South China Sea. The Chinese military took part in the RIMPAC drill, billed as the world’s largest international naval exercise, for the first time in 2014 and again in 2016. “We have received the American invitation,” Chinese defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian told reporters. A Chinese delegation has been sent to the US to discuss logistics, […]
Job-killing’ robots, AI under scrutiny in Davos
by Pol Costa Agence France Presse DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) — “Artificial intelligence and robots will kill many jobs.” It’s a depressingly blunt statement for anyone to make, but even more so as it is the prediction of Jack Ma, CEO of the Chinese online sales giant Alibaba. The rise of AI — its huge potential and fears over its potentially negative consequences — is just one of the big issues discussed at the World Economic […]
Ariane 5 satellites in orbit despite earlier ‘lost contact’
KOUROU, France (AFP) — Two commercial satellites have been successfully placed in orbit by an Ariane 5 rocket, Arianespace said Thursday, despite mission control briefly losing contact with the craft. “Both satellites were confirmed separated, acquired and they are on orbit,” Arianespace said in an updated statement after the lift-off from the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana. The European space workhorse blasted off at 7.20 pm (2220 GMT) carrying satellites for Luxembourg’s SES and […]
UPDATED: 33 dead in South Korea hospital blaze: firefighters
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — At least 33 people were killed in a blaze at a hospital in South Korea on Friday, in the country’s worst fire disaster for a decade. More than 70 people were also injured in the second devastating blaze in just a month in one of Asia’s most advanced countries and its fourth-largest economy. Videos posted on social media showed a patient hanging on to a rope dangling from a helicopter above […]
Trump proposes US citizenship plan for 1.8 mn undocumented immigrants
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday unveiled a sweeping new immigration plan to Congress that offers 1.8 million young unauthorized immigrants known as “Dreamers” a path to citizenship over 10-12 years. Trump’s comprehensive plan — which will be formally presented next week — includes eliminating the popular “green card lottery” program and would severely restrict family immigration. It would also require Congress to budget $25 billion for a “trust […]
Three dead as packed Italy commuter train derails
by Céline Cornu Agence France Presse MILAN, Italy (AFP) — Three women were killed and a dozen people seriously injured after a packed Italian commuter train derailed on Thursday near the northern city of Milan. Witnesses told the media the regional train began to shake heavily as if it were running over rocks, before braking suddenly and derailing. Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni promised that full light would be shed on the circumstances of the […]





