International

UK could join reconfigurated EU in future: minister

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain could take part in a new model of European cooperation after Brexit but is unlikely to rejoin the EU in its current form, a senior minister said Friday. Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, who chairs several Brexit ministerial committees, said the suggestion by some EU leaders that Britain might change its mind about leaving the bloc was a “red herring”. “Having taken a decision by a referendum, I don’t see that […]

Twitter says Russia-linked accounts more widespread

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) – Twitter on Friday said the number of Russia-linked accounts firing off tweets evidently aimed at the US election in 2016 was more widespread than initially determined. The social media company found, and shuttered, an additional 1,062 accounts associated with the Internet Research Agency, considered a “troll farm” connected to the Russian government, Twitter said in an update posted online. Along with Google and Facebook, Twitter has been criticized for allowing […]

Ex-employee accuses Michael Douglas of sexual harassment

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – A former employee has accused Michael Douglas of sexual harassment and misconduct in her presence, charges the Oscar-winning Hollywood megastar has vehemently denied. Douglas, 73, is the latest big-name celebrity accused of seamy behavior since a sexual harassment watershed began with the downfall of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein in 2017. The actor — Hollywood royalty as the son of actor Kirk Douglas — “thought he was the king of the world […]

What actually closes in a US government shutdown?

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Hundreds of thousands of US government defense workers, park rangers and business regulators could be temporarily out of work if Congress fails to pass a budget before a midnight Friday deadline. But the looming government shutdown due to lack of funding — which would be the second in five years — does not mean every office closes its doors. Vital services will still be provided by law enforcement, immigration officers, the central […]

‘Progress’ but no deal yet to avoid US govt shutdown

by Jim MANNION Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – President Donald Trump and the Senate’s top Democrat on Friday both touted “progress” in 11th hour talks on breaking an impasse over spending, raising hopes that a US government shutdown could be averted. With a midnight deadline looming to reach a short-term deal to keep the federal government running at full capacity, both Trump and Senator Chuck Schumer struck an optimistic tone. “Excellent preliminary meeting in Oval,” […]

US Supreme Court to take up case on Trump’s latest travel ban

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) –  The US Supreme Court said Friday it will review President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban affecting citizens from six Muslim majority countries plus North Korea and Venezuela. In what could prove decisive in a legal battle that has roiled the first year of the Trump administration, the high court will rule on whether the president exceeded his powers and engaged in religious discrimination in the third rendering of the ban. Lower courts in California, […]

Tensions rise as new inmate attack fuels French prison strikes

by Marie DHUMIERES / Joseph Schmid Agence France-Presse PARIS, France – French police fired tear gas to break up a picket line of striking prison guards at Europe’s biggest prison on Friday, as a fresh assault by inmates on staff at a facility in Corsica fuelled demands for better security. The scuffles at the huge Fleury-Merogis prison just south of Paris came as unions were pressing a fourth day of strikes across France sparked by a string of […]

Battle to avert US government shutdown moves to the Senate

by Jim MANNION Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States – A last-ditch battle to avert a looming US government shutdown moved to the Senate on Friday, where Democrats angered by the collapse of immigration talks have vowed to block a stop-gap funding bill. With the federal government set to run out of money Friday at midnight — the eve of the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration — the bill cleared the House with a 230-197 vote. But […]

Former CIA chief Stansfield Turner dead at 94

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Stansfield Turner, who headed the CIA in the 1970s and was credited as a ground-breaking tech pioneer, has died at the age of 94. The current CIA boss, Mike Pompeo, praised the retired Navy admiral as “a devoted patriot and public servant who led our agency through a turbulent period of history, including both the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iranian revolution.” Turner’s death in Seattle on Thursday was […]

French police scuffle with striking guards at Europe’s largest jail

FLEURY-MEROGIS, France (AFP) — French police fired tear gas to break up a picket line of striking prison guards outside Europe’s biggest prison on Friday as unions pressed the fourth day of strikes across France over security concerns. The scuffles took place outside the Fleury-Merogis facility just south of Paris as prison guards protested after a string of brutal attacks that have focused a spotlight on security problems and radicalisation inside often overcrowded French facilities. […]

Toll rises from deadly storm as German trains resume service

  BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Trains on Germany’s intercity lines resumed running early Friday, a day after being suspended when violent gales battered northern Europe, as the toll of the deadly storm rose to eight in the country. Two more people were reported killed in the worst storm to strike Germany in a decade, adding to an earlier toll of six which included two firefighters deployed to attend to emergencies. A 64-year-old man fell eight […]

S. Korea PM apologizes for gaffe on unified team

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) – South Korea’s prime minister apologized Friday for suggesting the country’s women’s ice hockey team had no chance of a medal at the Winter Olympics in an unsuccessful attempt to dampen criticism over a unified team with the North. The two Koreas agreed this week to field a unified women’s ice hockey side at the Games, which begin in Pyeongchang next month. It came after Pyongyang agreed to attend what organizers and Seoul […]