International

Pentagon looks to counter ever-stealthier warfare

  by Sylvie Lanteaume Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US military has for years enjoyed a broad technological edge over its adversaries, dominating foes with superior communications and cyber capabilities. Now, thanks to rapid advances by Russia and China, the gap has shrunk, and the Pentagon is looking at how a future conflict with a “near-peer” competitor might play out. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson recently warned that both Russia and […]

UK regulators search Cambridge Analytica offices

  by Joe Jackson Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British regulators on Friday began searching the London offices of Cambridge Analytica (CA), the scandal-hit communications firm at the heart of the Facebook data scandal, shortly after a judge approved a search warrant. Around 18 enforcement agents from the office of Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham entered the company’s London headquarters at around 8:00pm (2000 GMT) to execute the warrant. The High Court granted […]

Facebook crisis prompts Silicon Valley soul-searching

  by Glenn Chapman Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISO, United States (AFP) — With Facebook mired in its worst-ever crisis, the rest of Silicon Valley is looking to come to terms with the dark side of its data-driven business model where tech titans have mined fortunes from what people reveal online. There are signs the crisis could spread to other internet firms that have made no secret about using what they glean from digital data […]

Top Chinese, US officials to continue trade talks: Xinhua

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s top economic official Liu He spoke by phone with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Saturday and “agreed to continue to communicate” on trade issues, the official Xinhua news agency said. The call came at a time of heightened tensions after US President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized tariffs on as much as $60 billion of Chinese imports, targeting sectors in which Washington says Beijing has stolen American technology. Liu He, […]

Turkey condemns ‘unacceptable’ EU comments on Greece, Cyprus

  ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey on Friday condemned a statement by European Union leaders bitterly critical of Ankara’s policies towards bloc members Cyprus and Greece, raising tensions just days ahead of a key summit. “The statement that was issued contained unacceptable comments against our country that serve the interests of Greece and the Greek Cypriots,” foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy told reporters in response to Thursday’s EU statement. EU President Donald Tusk and European Commission […]

N. Korea agrees to inter-Korean talks next week: Seoul

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Saturday agreed to hold high-level talks next week with Seoul to discuss logistics for a rare inter-Korean summit, the South’s Unification Ministry said. The two sides will each send a three-member delegation to the border truce village of Panmunjom on Thursday for talks aimed at paving the way for a summit due in late April, it said. Seoul has suggested the talks take place at the Unification […]

Hero French policeman fighting for life after jihadist shooting spree

  by Remy Zaka with Pauline Talagrand and Katy Lee in Paris © Agence France-Presse TREBES, France (AFP) — A heroic policeman who swapped himself for a hostage was fighting for his life Saturday after being shot by a gunman who killed three people in a shooting spree French President Emmanuel Macron branded “an Islamist terrorist attack”. Arnaud Beltrame, 45, was among a group of officers who rushed to the scene in the town of Trebes […]

Indonesian ‘house pet’ orangutans rescued by activists

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Young orangutan Utu clings to one of his rescuers as he is freed from the tiny wooden cage that has been home for five years. The tiny primate, covered in fuzzy auburn hair, is one of three Bornean orangutans saved in Indonesia over the past two weeks. Environmentalists and local officials rescued Utu and another youngster, Joy, from tiny 1.5 by one meter (five by three feet) cages where they were […]

Peru’s new president sworn in after impeachment drama

by Francisco Jara © Agence France-Presse LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Martin Vizcarra was sworn in as Peru’s new president Friday, catapulted to the post when Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned to avoid impeachment. Vizcarra, who had been serving as both vice president and his country’s ambassador to Canada, took the oath of office and donned the red-and-white presidential sash before the Peruvian Congress. The ceremony came shortly after lawmakers voted to accept Kuczynski’s resignation, rather than push […]

Egypt: pyramids, desert and military rule

CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — Egypt, known worldwide for its ancient pyramids, is the Arab world’s most populous country and has been under military control for decades. It is ruled by ex-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is assured of a second term in elections next week. Here is some background about the country. Army’s grip on power  After a period of British rule, Egypt gained independence in 1922 under King Fuad I. In 1952, charismatic army […]

Two dead as suspected IS gunman takes hostages in France

by Remi Zaka with Pauline Talagrand in Paris Agence France-Presse Trèbes, France (AFP) — At least two people were killed after a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group opened fire and took hostages at a supermarket in southwest France on Friday. A security source said the two were killed in the attack at a Super U store in the town of Trebes. Armed police were also responding to the earlier shooting of a policeman in […]

Suspected IS gunman takes hostages in France

  A gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group fired shots and took hostages at a supermarket in southwestern France on Friday, a local prosecutor said. Security forces were responding to two separate incidents, one at a supermarket in the town of Trebes and the second, a 15-minute drive away, in the town of Carcassonne where a policeman was shot. It was unclear if the two incidents were linked. In Trebes, the man “entered […]