International

Queen Elizabeth in sapphire jewellery to mark Sapphire Jubilee

Reuters — A photograph by David Bailey showing Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II wearing a suite of sapphire jewellery given to her by her father King George VI as a wedding gift in 1947 was reissued by Buckingham Palace to mark the queen’s Sapphire Jubilee. Monday (February 6) marks the queen’s Sapphire Jubilee – 65 years on the throne, the first ever British monarch to have reached such a milestone. The 90-year-old queen acceded to the […]

Iran welcomes US wrestling team after travel ban halted

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran said Sunday it would allow US wrestlers to compete in an international tournament after President Donald Trump’s travel ban was halted by a federal court. “Following the court ruling suspending #MuslimBan…US Wrestlers’ visa will be granted,” tweeted Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif. Iran had blocked visas for US citizens in response to Trump’s travel ban, preventing the wrestlers from competing in the event on February 16-17. Meanwhile, a group of […]

Le Pen vows ‘France first’ at campaign launch

by Béatrice LE BOHEC Agence France Presse LYON, France (AFP) — Far-right leader Marine Le Pen vowed Sunday she would be a president who puts France first as she formally launched a campaign echoing many of the themes that propelled Donald Trump to the White House. With polls showing her now leading the first round of the election race, the head of the National Front (FN) attacked “mass immigration”, globalization and “Islamic fundamentalism” and said […]

‘Half a million’ attend Romania protests

by Mihaela Rodina and Simon Sturdee Agence France Presse BUCHAREST ROmania (AFP) — An estimated half-million Romanians took to the street in another night of protests Sunday, with many calling on the government to quit even after it scrapped the corruption legislation that sparked the week of public outrage. Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu stood firm, however, saying his government, which has barely been in office a month, “has a responsibility to the people who voted […]

Trump blasts courts for blocking travel ban, warns of ‘peril’

PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump blasted the federal courts for a second day in a row on Sunday after his efforts to implement a travel ban were suspended and warned that the judiciary could be placing Americans in “peril.” “Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad!” the president tweeted, after uncharacteristically taking a nearly […]

Iran minister tweets ‘we’ll never initiate war’

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s foreign minister said on Friday that his country will “never initiate a war”, despite facing threats, in reference to a series of US warnings over its testing of missiles. Tehran was “unmoved by threats as we derive security from our people. We’ll never initiate war, but we can only rely on our own means of defense,” Mohammad Javad Zarif said on his official Twitter account. “We will never use our […]

W.House vows to fight court ruling blocking travel ban

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House on Friday pledged to fight back after a federal judge in Seattle ordered a temporary nationwide halt to President Donald Trump’s controversial ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations. Press secretary Sean Spicer called Trump’s executive action “lawful and appropriate” and said the Department of Justice would request an emergency stay of the federal court order “at the earliest possible time.” “The president’s order is intended to […]

US-Japan alliance ‘cornerstone’ of stability: Mattis

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — US Defense Secretary James Mattis told his Japanese counterpart on Saturday that their alliance remained a “cornerstone” of regional stability as he wrapped up a visit aimed at reassuring key Asian allies about Washington’s commitment to their security. Japan and the US have a decades-long security alliance while US-South Korea military ties date back to the 1950-53 Korean War. But on the campaign trail, US President Donald Trump accused Seoul and […]

US revoked 60,000 visas after Trump order

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States revoked 60,000 travel visas after President Donald Trump ordered a ban on visitors from seven mainly-Muslim countries, the State Department said Friday. “Fewer than 60,000 individuals’ visas were provisionally revoked to comply with the Executive Order,” said Will Cocks, spokesman for the department’s bureau of consular affairs. “We recognize that those individuals are temporarily inconvenienced while we conduct our review under the Executive Order,” he said. “To […]

Trump slaps sanctions on Iran as tension mounts

by Dave Clark Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump slapped fresh sanctions on Iran’s weapons procurement network Friday, provoking an angry response from Tehran in what is an increasingly tense stand-off. Officials said the new measures were in response to Iran’s recent ballistic missile test and its support for the Huthi rebels in Yemen, who recently targeted a Saudi warship. The new sanctions do not yet mean that the […]

Trump moves to roll back financial regulation

by Andrew BEATTY Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – President Donald Trump took the first step Friday to undoing key reforms enacted after the 2008 financial crisis, aiming to scale back toughened regulations on the banking industry. The initiative aims to scrap parts of the so-called Dodd-Frank law, which backers say is aimed at curbing the actions of the finance sector that led to the “Great Recession,” but which critics claim creates red tape […]

Machete attacker shot at Louvre in Paris

by Pauline TALAGRAND / Adam PLOWRIGHT / Gersende RAMBOURG Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – A French soldier patrolling at the Louvre museum shot and seriously injured a machete-wielding attacker on Friday, thrusting security and the terror threat back into the limelight three months before elections. Police held hundreds of tourists in secure areas of the renowned tourist attraction after the assailant was shot five times around 10:00 am (0900 GMT) in a public area […]