International

Trump triumphs as Congress passes sweeping tax cuts

by Michael Mathes Agence France-PresseUnited States – President Donald Trump hailed a historic victory Wednesday as the US Congress passed a massive Republican tax cut plan, handing him his first major legislative achievement since taking office nearly a year ago. The House voted along party lines to green-light a $1.5 trillion overhaul that will impact every corner of the US economy through dramatic tax cuts for corporations and temporary reductions for individuals. “I promised the American […]

Continue Reading →

EU wants Brexit transition to end December 2020

by Danny Kemp with James Pheby in London Agence France-Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium – The European Commission said Wednesday that it wants a post-Brexit transition period, during which Britain must continue to obey EU rules, to finish at the end of 2020. Chief EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said that “all EU policies will still apply” during the transition to a new relationship between London and Brussels after Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019. British Prime Minister Theresa […]

Continue Reading →

Coalition raids hit Yemen rebels after missile targets Riyadh

SANAA, Yemen (AFP ) – The Saudi-led coalition carried out a string of air raids Wednesday in Yemen, killing 11 civilians in the Huthi stronghold of Saada a day after the rebels fired a missile at Riyadh, a tribal chief and witnesses said. On the ground, unidentified assailants attacked Huthis guarding the Sanaa residence of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed by the Shiite rebels earlier this month. An unspecified number of Huthi guards died in the attack, […]

Continue Reading →

Trump warns ‘we’re watching’ on eve of UN Jerusalem vote

by Carole Landry with Jerome Cartillier in Washington Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States – President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to cut funding to countries that vote against the United States on a motion at the United Nations condemning Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The UN General Assembly will hold an emergency session Thursday to vote on a draft resolution that the United States vetoed at the Security Council after all other 14 countries backed […]

Continue Reading →

Catholic Church sells 1914-built church edifice in Philadelphia, USA to Iglesia Ni Cristo

Mater Dolorosa church closed and sold due to dwindling mass attendance, and mounting operational deficits   (Eagle News) — An old Catholic church edifice built in 1914 in Philadelphia was recently sold by the Catholic Church to the Iglesia Ni Cristo, four years since it was closed due to dwindling mass attendance. The Iglesia Ni Cristo, a global Christian Church first registered in the Philippines on July 27, 1914, bought the Mater Dolorosa Catholic church […]

Continue Reading →

Iran ‘strongly denies’ arming Yemen rebels

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Tehran strongly denied on Wednesday that it had supplied weapons to Yemeni rebels which they used in attacks on its archfoe Saudi Arabia as alleged by both Riyadh and Washington. “We have no arms link with Yemen,” foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told the ISNA news agency, after Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted a rebel missile over Riyadh on Tuesday that it suggested was “Iranian-manufactured.” “The accusation that Iran gives weapons […]

Continue Reading →

White House blames North Korea for cyberattack

by Andrew Beatty Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House on Tuesday publicly accused North Korea of launching a massive cyberattack that hit 150 countries last May — hobbling networks from Britain’s public health system to FedEx. “After careful investigation, the United States is publicly attributing the massive ‘WannaCry’ cyberattack to North Korea,” said White House homeland security advisor Tom Bossert. “We do not make this allegation lightly, we do so […]

Continue Reading →

Returning winds churn up heightened alert in fire-hit California

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — After a couple of days of respite heavy winds are expected to return Wednesday to the California area plagued by a massive fire, potentially hindering the efforts of firefighters battling in an already dry climate. The fire has already destroyed at least 272,000 acres (110,000 hectares) — nearly the size of the city of Los Angeles — and is just 55 percent contained since it began December 4, according […]

Continue Reading →

Trump on verge of tax victory as US Senate passes overhaul

by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Senate narrowly approved a sweeping tax overhaul early Wednesday, putting President Donald Trump on the brink of his first major legislative triumph nearly a year after he took office. Hours earlier, Trump’s $1.5 trillion deficit-busting tax cuts cleared the House of Representatives, but a rare last-minute snag over parliamentary rules will force the lower chamber to vote on the updated package once […]

Continue Reading →

Mexico bus crash kills 11 tourists including foreigners

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — A bus carrying tourists from a US cruise ship to an archaeological site on Mexico’s Caribbean coast crashed Tuesday after running off the road, killing at least 11 people including several foreigners, the state government said. The crash, which left another 20 injured, happened on a highway in the state of Quintana Roo, located on the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula and well known as home to the resort city of […]

Continue Reading →

Man gets 25-year sentence for London acid attack

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — A British court Tuesday slapped a 25-year sentence on a man for an acid attack in a nightclub in London, where such crimes have spiraled and prompted government intervention. Arthur Collins looked pale as he was sentenced over the April attack which left 22 people injured, 16 of whom suffered serious burns. “This was a despicable act,” judge Noel Lucas told the 25-year-old convict. “You knew precisely what strong acid […]

Continue Reading →

Saudi says it intercepted Yemen rebel missile over Riyadh

by Abdul Hadi Habtor and Rania Sanjar Agence France Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia said it shot down a ballistic missile Tuesday over Riyadh fired from Yemen by Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who announced that the target was the official residence of King Salman. The audacious attack aimed at the heart of Saudi power follows the downing of another missile last month near Riyadh airport that triggered the tightening of a Saudi-led blockade […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 1,659 1,660 1,661 1,662 1,663 … 2,486