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LYON, France (AFP) — Around 150 skiers in the French Alps were rescued after being trapped for several hours when their ski lift broke down on Sunday. The rescue operation lasted about two hours, Franck Lecoutre, head of the tourism office in the Chamrousse ski resort, near Grenoble, told AFP. “They will all be in time for Christmas Eve,” he said, noting that no one had been hurt. The weather was clear for the rescue operation. The […]
by Serene ASSIR Agence France Presse MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain’s King Felipe VI in a Christmas speech on Sunday urged Catalan lawmakers to respect their region’s diversity and avoid another confrontation over independence. Felipe’s remarks came three days after separatist parties, led by ousted president Carles Puigdemont, won an absolute majority of seats in a parliamentary vote. The wealthy northeastern region’s newly elected parliament must “face the problems that affect all Catalans, with respect […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — A fire broke out at London Zoo early on Saturday morning, engulfing a cafe and shop near an animal petting area, and leaving one aardvark missing. Several staff were treated for smoke inhalation and shock following the blaze, which broke out in the Animal Adventure section shortly after 6:00 am (0600 GMT), the zoo said. “Duty staff that live on site at the zoo were on the scene immediately, and started moving animals […]
WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May was left smirking at a press conference with her Polish counterpart on Thursday after a translator accidentally called her “Madam Brexit.” May was in Warsaw for talks with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, with the discussions inevitably turning to Britain’s 2019 departure from the European Union. Part of Morawiecki’s opening speech was translated as: “It’s very important for us that this cooperation, even though it will be […]
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Deposed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont said from self-imposed exile in Belgium that it was indisputable that separatists had won Thursday’s key regional vote. “This is a result which no one can dispute,” Puigdemont told supporters in Brussels as partial results showed that pro-independence parties were on course for an absolute majority. “I think we have earned our right to be listened to.” As loyalists shouted “president, president,” Puigdemont also lashed out […]
BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — Catalan separatist parties looked set to win back their absolute majority in a crucial vote Thursday, though anti-independence Ciudadanos had scored the best individual result, a partial count showed. Together, the pro-independence Together for Catalonia, leftist ERC and radical left CUP parties were on course to take 70 seats — an absolute majority in a 135-seat parliament. Those results at 2120 GMT were based on a count of just over 65 percent of […]
by Marianne Barriaux Agence France Presse BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — Catalans take their independence struggle to the polls Thursday in a hotly-contested election that could mark a turning point for their region just two months after a secession bid ended in failure. The vote pits leaders of the wealthy northeastern region’s separatist movement against parties that want to remain in Spain, and opinion polls suggest both sides’ leading candidates are neck-and-neck. Will voters again hand […]
VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — New Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Wednesday used his first post-election speech to vow to make “combating anti-Semitism in all its forms” a top priority. “We will determinedly fight anti-Semitism in all its forms — those already existent but also imported into our country as an essential duty of our government,” said the youthful conservative whose coalition also contains the hard right Freedom Party. Kurz made his vow three days after neighboring Germany’s interior […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday accepted the resignation of her deputy Damian Green, who announced he was stepping down following a probe into his conduct. “It is therefore with deep regret, and enduring gratitude for the contribution you have made over many years, that I asked you to resign from the government and have accepted your resignation,” May wrote in a letter addressed to Green, the First Secretary of State. […]
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 […]
by Nina Larson Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The UN rights chief told AFP Monday that Myanmar clearly “planned” violent attacks on its Rohingya minority, causing a mass-exodus, and warned the crackdown could possibly amount to “genocide.” “For us, it was clear… that these operations were organized and planned,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said in an interview. “You couldn’t exclude the possibility of acts of genocide… You […]
by Alfons Luna with Daniel Silva in Madrid Agence France-Presse BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — Campaigning hit fever pitch on Monday in Catalonia, just three days before a pivotal election aiming to break the deadlock in Spain’s worst crisis in decades. The regional vote on Thursday pits leaders of the wealthy northern region’s separatist movement against candidates who want to stay part of a unified Spain, with neither side showing a willingness to back down. Some of the […]
