International

Armed police patrol trains in UK for the first time after Manchester bombing

LONDON, United Kingdom (Reuters) – Armed police will patrol trains across Britain for the first time, British Transport Police said on Thursday (May 25). It comes after the threat level was raised to critical following a suicide bombing in Manchester this week. British Transport Police Chief Constable Paul Crowther said in a statement that the move was not due to any specific intelligence related to trains but was part of the national plan to deal […]

US fears nuclear arms race in Asia-Pacific: Australia

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Senior Trump administration officials fear a nuclear arms race in Asia-Pacific if an increasingly belligerent North Korea is not reined in, Australia’s foreign minister said Friday after talks in New York. Pyongyang has launched a series of missiles this year, including a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range projectile this month which the North claimed was capable of carrying a “heavy” nuclear warhead, fueling tensions with Washington. It has carried out two atomic tests since […]

Filipinos in France urged to ensure their ‘documentation is always in order’

By Caesar Vallejos, EBC Correspondent “I urge the Filipino community to ensure that their Philippine documentation is always in order,” Philippine Ambassador to France, Her Excellency Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro said after pro-EU centrist Emmanuel Macron won a decisive victory in the recently concluded presidential election. “I urge the Filipino community to continue following the rules and regulations of the host country, France,” the Ambassador stressed in her email to EBC. According to Lazaro, “we have […]

After Manchester, May targets online extremism at G7

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May will urge internet companies to do more to remove extremist content Friday as she makes a shortened visit to the G7 summit following the Manchester attack. As British authorities hunt accomplices of the bomber who killed 22 people at a concert on Monday, May will use a meeting with world leaders in Italy to emphasize the importance of tackling the spread of terror online. “The threat […]

Trump berates NATO for dodging defense dues

by Bryan McManus / Danny Kemp Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — United States President Donald Trump on Thursday launched an extraordinary broadside at North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies for failing to pay their fair share of the defense bill. The billionaire leader used the highest possible profile platform of his first NATO summit in Brussels to accuse members of the alliance of owing “massive amounts of money.” Unveiling a memorial to the 9/11 […]

13 years after quitting, Zuckerberg gets (honorary) Harvard degree

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Thirteen years after dropping out of Harvard University to work on Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday finally got his degree — well, sort of. Zuckerberg returned to the university where he launched what would become the world’s biggest social network, and basked in the spotlight by receiving an honorary doctor of laws degree and addressing the 2017 commencement. His speech capped a nostalgic visit for the 33-year-old billionaire, which included […]

US-led strikes kill 35 civilians in east Syria: monitor

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — United States-led coalition air strikes on Thursday killed at least 35 civilians in an eastern Syrian town held by the Islamic State group, a monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes hit a series of residential buildings in Mayadeen, a town in Syria’s oil-rich eastern province of Deir Ezzor. “Among the dead are at least 26 relatives of IS fighters, many of them women and children, including […]

Dead student from sunken South Korea ferry identified

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) – A third set of human remains found following the recovery of South Korea’s sunken Sewol ferry has been identified as one of the missing victims, officials said Thursday. Cho Eun-Hwa, a 17-year-old girl from Danwon High School, was named by the maritime ministry in a statement. The wreck was salvaged in March and towed to the port of Mokpo last month so authorities could find the remains of nine unaccounted […]

Google’s AlphaGo clinches series win over Chinese Go master

WUZHEN, China (Reuters) – Google’s artificial intelligence program, AlphaGo, beat Chinese Go master Ke Jie for a second time on Thursday (May 25), taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in a best of three series meant to test the limits of computers in taking on humans at complex tasks. Go is a highly complex board game dating back thousands of years that involves two contestants placing black and white stones on a grid. It is popular […]

Mother of Manchester bombing victim pleads for unity

BURY, United Kingdom (Reuters) – The mother of a Manchester bombing victim asked for unity on Wednesday (May 24). Charlotte Campbell, who was visibly emotional, urged people to “stay together” after giving thanks for the support she received following Monday’s (May 22) suicide attack which killed 22 concert-goers, including her 15-year-old daughter Olivia. In a last conversation, Campbell had been thanked by Olivia for allowing her daughter to go to the Ariana Grande concert. The […]

New Zealand launches into space race with 3D-printed rocket

MAHIA PENINSULA, New Zealand (AFP) – Rocket Lab, a Silicon Valley-funded space launch company, on Thursday (May 25) launched the maiden flight of its battery-powered, 3-D printed rocket from New Zealand’s remote Mahia Peninsula. The successful launch of a low-cost, 3D-printed rocket is an important step in the commercial race to bring down financial and logistical barriers to space while also making New Zealand an unlikely space hub. The Los Angeles and New Zealand-based rocket […]

China says US warship trespassed in its waters ‘without permission’

BEIJING, China (AFP) — The Chinese government charged on Thursday that a US warship had entered its waters in the South China Sea “without permission”, prompting Beijing’s navy to warn the vessel to leave. The USS Dewey sailed less than 12 nautical miles from Mischief Reef — part of the Spratly Islands — on Thursday morning local time, a US official said earlier, the first freedom of navigation operation under President Donald Trump. “The relevant action […]