International

Pence in Jerusalem pledges embassy move by end of 2019, faces protest

by Mike Smith Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Undefined  –  US Vice President Mike Pence pledged to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem by the end of 2019 on Monday in a speech to Israel’s parliament that saw Arab lawmakers expelled after they shouted in protest. As Pence spoke, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas arrived to meet European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, urging them to “swiftly” recognize the state of Palestine. Pence’s speech, filled with biblical references and praise […]

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US Democrats accept compromise to end government shutdown

by Michael Mathes Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States – The US Senate on Monday reached a deal to reopen the federal government, with Democrats accepting a compromise spending bill to end days of partisan bickering that forced hundreds of thousands of government employees to stay home without pay. The impasse, the first of its kind since 2013, cast a huge shadow over the first anniversary on Saturday of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. As the Senate convened, the […]

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US government workers home without pay as shutdown drags on

  by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Hundreds of thousands of US federal employees were forced to stay home without pay Monday after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on ending a government shutdown before the start of the work week. Although leaders of President Donald Trump’s Republican Party and the opposition Democrats said progress had been made in a weekend of talks, they pushed back a scheduled late-night Sunday […]

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Oil spill disasters in the past 50 years

PARIS, France (AFP) – Concerns are growing over an oil slick off China’s east coast after an Iranian tanker, the Sanchi, exploded and sank a week ago following a collision at sea. Here is a look back at the major oil spills around the world in the past five decades: Shipwrecks – Atlantic Empress and Aegean Captain, 1979: The two Greek-registered tankers collide and catch fire off Tobago in the West Indies, spilling an estimated 287,000 tonnes […]

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Macron hosts 140 CEOs in pre-Davos charm offensive

by Laurence Benhamou Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – President Emmanuel Macron’s campaign for a “French Renaissance” kicks into overdrive Monday as he welcomes 140 multinational business leaders before this week’s jamboree of the rich and powerful in Davos. The business-friendly president will host executives at the grand Versailles chateau near Paris for an event billed as a warm-up for Tuesday’s opening of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountains. Several firms will use the conference […]

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Oil slick off China coast trebles in size

by Ben Dooley Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — The spill from a sunken Iranian tanker off China’s east coast has more than trebled in size, just over a week after the ship sank in a ball of flames. Authorities spotted three oil slicks with a total surface area of 332 square kilometers (128 square miles), compared to 101 square kilometers reported on Wednesday, the State Oceanic Administration said in a statement late Sunday. […]

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S. Korea’s ‘Peace Olympics’ meet backlash at home

by Jung Ha-Won Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s efforts to bring the North to its Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang next month are provoking a backlash among its own people, with accusations that Seoul risks turning the Games into a “Pyongyang Olympics.” Many are fuming over what they see as exploitation of the South’s own athletes for political purposes, and accusing President Moon Jae-In’s government of making too many concessions to […]

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US Senate postpones vote on ending shutdown to noon Monday

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Senate adjourned late Sunday without reaching a deal on re-opening government, as the Republican leadership postponed a vote on ending the shutdown until noon on Monday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had sought to move up a 1:00 am (0600 GMT) Monday vote to 10:00 pm Sunday night, but top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer objected. He said that despite continuing negotiations, “we have yet to reach agreement on […]

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Lawmakers to vote on pulling US ‘back from brink’ on shutdown

by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The top senator from US President Donald Trump’s party urged lawmakers to “step back from the brink” as they gathered Sunday for a vote to keep the government shutdown from stretching into the coming work week. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are set to stay home without pay as of early Monday following the dramatic collapse Friday night of talks to agree on […]

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Saudi Arabia calls for oil producers to extend cooperation

by Khaled Orabi in Muscat with Omar Hasan in Dubai Agence France Presse MUSCAT, Oman (AFP) — Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia called Sunday for extending cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC producers beyond 2018, after a deal to cut output succeeded in shoring up prices. The call, the first explicit invitation by Riyadh for long-term cooperation between oil producers, came with oil prices topping $70 a barrel thanks to the deal, after they dove below […]

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New York vows to reopen Statue of Liberty, at its own cost

NEW YORK, United State (AFP) — The Statue of Liberty, temporarily closed by a US government budget shutdown, will reopen on Monday to once again beckon other countries’ “huddled masses” — as well as not-so-poor tourists with dollars to spend. “We will not stand by as this symbol of freedom and opportunity goes dark,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a tweet Sunday, announcing that the state had found funds to keep the iconic […]

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Turkey gave US heads-up on Syria operation: Mattis

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Turkey gave Washington advance warning before launching an operation against US-allied Syrian Kurdish forces, and Ankara has “legitimate” security concerns in the area, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Sunday. “Turkey was candid. They warned us before they launched the aircraft they were going to do it in consultation with us, and we are working now on the way ahead through the ministry of foreign affairs,” Mattis told reporters aboard his aircraft […]

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