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by Sakher Abou El Oun Agence France-Presse GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – Crippling shortages of electricity in Gaza and reports of children dying of cold have stoked anger in the Palestinian enclave where there are daily protests against its Hamas leaders. The main Palestinian factions are blaming each another and Israel for the crisis, which has left the territory with just four hours a day of power at best. In one of the largest […]
by Kerry SHERIDAN Agence France-Presse MIAMI, United States (AFP) – French astronaut Thomas Pesquet floated into space on his first-ever spacewalk Friday, and helped install three new, refrigerator-sized lithium-ion batteries to upgrade the power system at the International Space Station. Wearing a white spacesuit with the French flag emblazoned on one shoulder, Pesquet and US astronaut Shane Kimbrough switched on their spacesuits’ internal battery power to mark the official start of the spacewalk at 6:22 am […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Prospective US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson better watch his mouth, angry Chinese media said Friday, warning Donald Trump’s nominee that his threats to block China in the South China Sea are fighting words. The comments came after the former ExxonMobil CEO told US senators that he would seek to deny Beijing access to the artificial islands they have been building in the South China Sea. China’s actions in the region […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong returned home Friday after marathon questioning by South Korean prosecutors as a suspect in a massive corruption scandal involving impeached President Park Geun-Hye. Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and the son of Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-Hee, was quizzed for 22 hours over allegations of bribery. Looking exhausted, he did not respond to questions from journalists waiting outside the special prosecutor’s office before he rode […]
CALIFORNIA, United States (Reuters) — A roadway near the city of Pinole, California collapsed on Wednesday (January 11) after a water pipe burst as a result of a heavy winter rainstorm, causing a sinkhole to form and give way beneath the road, a local NBC affiliate station reported. Pinole is located just northeast of San Francisco. The road collapse was likely the result of breached levees and overflowing creeks that have overwhelmed the city’s drainage […]
INCHEON, South Korea (Reuters) — Former U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Thursday (January 12) took a subway on his way back to home in Seoul from Incheon International Airport. He arrived in South Korea from New York on Thursday afternoon and said he will make a decision soon on his political career, amid expectations he will run in an election that may come early if President Park Geun-hye is forced from office. Ban, 72 is […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A series of storms that have rolled across California in the past week dumping heavy rain and snow could herald the end of a punishing historic drought, officials said Thursday. “Bye bye Drought. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” tweeted the National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada, which monitors parts of northern California, the area hardest hit by the storms. According to the US Drought […]
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Falih said Thursday he was optimistic about a stabilization of the oil market following an OPEC deal to cut output. “We believe that the agreement that we refer to between us and OPEC and non-OPEC members will hold,” he said at an energy conference in the United Arab Emirates. Falih said Saudi Arabia had exceeded its pledges to cut production, without giving any figures. […]
by Andrew BEATTY Agence Presse France WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Barack Obama on Thursday ended a five-decade-old open door policy for Cuba migrants, who will now face similar residency restrictions to other citizens from Latin America. In one of his final acts before leaving the White House, Obama scrapped rules dating back to the 1960s which allowed those fleeing communist Cuba a fast track to US citizenship. In a statement, Obama said […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Barack Obama awarded Vice President Joe Biden America’s highest civilian honor on Thursday, in an emotional surprise ceremony at the White House. Biden was reduced to tears as the president in his last days in office surprised him by announcing he would be awarding the 74-year-old the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In remarks billed as a joint farewell to family, friends and staff before they leave the White House next […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – President-elect Donald Trump tapped Thursday former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani to advise his administration on cyber security amid an outcry over Russian hackers’ apparent attempt to meddle in the US election. Giuliani, 72 and a key Trump surrogate, was last year a candidate for secretary of state but subsequently came under scrutiny in the US media over business dealings that posed potential conflicts of interest. Trump on Thursday called […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan rescued 26 North Koreans after they abandoned their sinking cargo vessel in the East China Sea, the coast guard said Thursday. Japan Coast Guard patrol boats plucked the ship’s entire crew out of the water in the early hours of the morning after they had abandoned the vessel and taken to life boats. A distress signal was received Wednesday from the 6,558-tonne Chong Gen which began sinking about 60 kilometres […]
