International

Trump seeks to calm protests — and reassure own camp

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump sought in his first televised interview as president-elect to reassure Americans fearful of a crackdown on minorities — while assuring his core supporters he will not let them down on gun rights, abortion or immigration. The Republican billionaire — whose shock election on a populist and anti-immigration platform has spurred days of protests — told demonstrators they have no reason to fear his presidency. “Don’t be afraid. We […]

Pro-Russian candidate set to win Moldova presidency

by Anatol Golea CHISINAU, Moldova (AFP) — Pro-Russian candidate Igor Dodon was on the brink late Sunday of being declared winner of Moldova’s presidential runoff, viewed as an East-West choice in the impoverished ex-Soviet country. With 97 percent of ballots counted, Socialist Party chief Dodon had 55.3 percent of the votes, according to the electoral commission, with pro-European rival Maia Sandu on 44.7 percent. “We have won, everyone knows it,” Dodon told a late-night press […]

Two dead after NZ quake, residents flee tsunami

by Chris FOLEY CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AFP) — Rescuers in New Zealand were scrambling Monday to reach the epicentre of a powerful 7.8 earthquake that killed at least two people and sparked a tsunami alert that sent thousands fleeing for higher ground. The jolt, one of the most powerful ever recorded in the quake-prone South Pacific nation, hit just after midnight Monday near the South Island coastal town of Kaikoura. As dawn broke there was […]

Trump and his aides plan next moves as protests spread

  by Thomas Urbain New York, United States | AFP | — President-elect Donald Trump was expected to huddle with advisers at his Manhattan residence Sunday, plotting next moves after thousands of protesters besieged Trump Tower and marched in other US cities for a fourth day. The demonstrations have become daily affairs following Trump’s upset defeat of rival Hillary Clinton, who blamed FBI director James Comey for her loss during a conference call to campaign […]

‘Million’-strong protest tells South Korea president to quit

  by Park Chan-Kyong / Hwang Sunghee SEOUL, South Korea | AFP |– Pressure on South Korea’s scandal-hit president to resign escalated sharply Saturday, with organisers claiming a million-strong turnout at one of the largest — and loudest — anti-government protests the country has ever witnessed. Chanting “Step down Park Geun-Hye!” enormous crowds, including high school students, Catholic nuns, labourers, farmers, retirees and young couples with babies, massed in the streets of central Seoul in […]

Obama at Trump, kapwa magtutulungan sa isa’t-isa para sa bansa

Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon, nagharap na sina U.S.. President Barack Obama at incoming President Donald Trump sa White House. Bukod sa isasagawang transition of power, pinag-usapan din ng dalawa ang maraming magaganda at kumplikadong mga bagay kabilang na ang domestic at foreign policy ng Estados Unidos. Nangako naman na kapwa magtutulungan sina Obama at Trump para sa ikapagtatagumpay ng kanilang bansa. Panoorin ang detalye sa report ni Ronald Nery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3XPSr74jQc

Zap fishing with generators, say Pakistani fishermen

Pakistan (AFP)- by Sajjad TARAKZAI Abbas Khan feeds a hot wire from a rickety generator into a river, a fishing technique he argues is more environmentally friendly than others used in northwest Pakistan — though he also admits it has killed several of his friends. Hundreds of fishermen risk their lives daily to hunt the rare fish known as “sher mahi”, found in the Kabul River which flows from the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan into neighbouring Pakistan, […]

Zuckerberg sure fake news on Facebook didn’t sway election

SAN FRACISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday rejected the idea that bogus stories shared at the social network paved a path of victory for President-elect Donald Trump. “The idea that fake news on Facebook, which is a very small amount of the content, influenced the election in any way I think is a pretty crazy idea,” Zuckerberg said during an on-stage chat at a Technonomy technology trends conference in California. […]

Trump’s Muslim ban temporarily removed from website

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — One of President-elect Donald Trump’s most divisive promises — to ban Muslims from entering America — disappeared from his campaign website before reappearing on Thursday. Trump’s campaign staff told US media that text of the pledge, posted in December following terror attacks in San Bernardino, California, vanished because of a technical glitch. It reappeared after journalists questioned the disappearance. “The website was temporarily redirecting all specific press release pages to […]

A year after bloodbath, Paris fights to woo back tourists

  by Katia Dolmadjian and Gina Doggett Paris, France (AFP) –  A year after jihadists sowed terror in Paris, killing 130 people, the City of Light is struggling to restore its lustre as fearful tourists stay away in droves. In the Paris area alone, tourism revenue is expected to plunge by 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) this year. “We haven’t recovered,” the tourism chief for the Paris region, Frederic Valletoux, told AFP. “The impact is lasting […]

New Yorkers vent Trump anger on subway Post-it notes

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York commuters are venting anger and frustration over Donald Trump’s shock victory by indulging in collective therapy — writing messages on Post-it notes and sticking them on a subway wall. “Am I the only one who is scared?” “I need a hug” and “I am angry” number among the thousands of messages written on multicolored squares of paper fixed to a tiled wall in a tunnel at Union […]