LIMA, Peru (AFP) — At least 17 people were killed and some 30 injured when a passenger bus plunged off a cliff on Tuesday in the mountainous Cusco region of Peru, local police said. Police are trying to determine why the bus driver sent the vehicle off the road and into a 100-meter deep ravine. The accident took place around dawn Tuesday as the bus, with 48 passengers, was heading from the Amazon rainforest city […]
International
Four bodies found, two still missing after Taiwan bridge collapse
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Four bodies have been recovered from under a collapsed bridge in Taiwan, rescuers said Wednesday, as searchers continued for two people still missing when the structure smashed onto fishing boats moored underneath. The National Fire Agency said two bodies were retrieved in the waters near a boat stuck underneath the shattered bridge while the others were found near a badly damaged boat that was dragged out from under the structure on […]
Trump denounces impeachment inquiry as a ‘coup’
by Paul HANDLEY WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump on Tuesday denounced the impeachment inquiry threatening his presidency as a “coup,” as his administration pushed back hard against the investigation. Trump’s comments came after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pressed to prevent or delay five former or current State Department staffers from testifying in the investigation probing accusations that Trump abused his office by seeking dirt from Ukraine on a 2020 election rival. “As […]
Hopes fade for six feared trapped after Taiwan bridge collapse
NANFANGAO, Taiwan (AFP) — Hopes were fading late Tuesday for six missing people believed to be trapped when a bridge in Taiwan collapsed onto a group of fishing boats moored underneath. Dramatic CCTV footage captured the moment the 140-meter (460-foot) long single-arch bridge came crashing down in Nanfangao, on Taiwan’s east coast. In the video, the road gave way and tumbled down onto at least three fishing boats as a petrol tanker that was crossing […]
Sit-in at school of Hong Kong protester shot by police
by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hundreds of Hong Kongers staged a sit-in on Monday outside the school of a protester who was shot by police as authorities said the wounded 18-year-old was in a stable condition. The international finance hub has been left reeling from the shooting, the first time a demonstrator has been struck with a live round in nearly four months of increasingly violent pro-democracy protests. Hong […]
N. Korean projectile may have breached Japan’s EEZ: Tokyo
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — One of the projectiles fired by North Korea early Wednesday appears to have fallen into Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the top government spokesman said. “At around 7:10 am (1010 GMT), two projectiles were launched from the eastern coast of North Korea,” Yoshihide Suga told reporters. “One of them appears to have fallen into waters… inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone,” the chief cabinet secretary said. The comments came after South Korea’s military […]
Peru in crisis as president dissolves Congress
by Francisco JARA LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru’s President Martin Vizcarra consolidated power Tuesday in a tense stand-off with the opposition over corruption, confirming the backing of the armed forces, police and the international community after dissolving Congress. Opposition lawmakers accused Vizcarra of mounting a “coup d’etat,” voting to suspend him temporarily from the presidency and appointing Vice President Mercedes Araoz as leader in what appeared to be a token gesture of defiance. Thousands of […]
N.Korea fires ‘projectiles’ after saying it will talk to US: South
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Wednesday fired “projectiles” toward the sea, South Korea’s military said, a day after Pyongyang signalled a resumption of nuclear talks with the US. “North Korea fired unidentified projectiles from Wonsan … towards the East Sea (Sea of Japan) this morning,” the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said without providing further details. “Our military is monitoring the situation for additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture,” the JCS […]
Pompeo accuses Democrats of bullying in impeachment probe
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday accused Democrats of intimidation in their impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump and refused to let State Department employees comply with orders to appear in coming days. In a letter to Congress, Pompeo said the subpoenas “can only be understood as an attempt to intimidate, bully and treat improperly the distinguished professionals of the Department of State.” “Let me be clear: I […]
Missiles, drones and tanks: China shows off military prowess
by Ludovic Ehret and Helen Roxburgh BEIJING, China (AFP) — China put its growing military might on full display Tuesday with a parade of new ballistic missiles, supersonic drones and next-generation battlefield tanks that highlighted Beijing’s accelerating race to match the firepower of its US rival. The tightly choreographed procession across Tiananmen Square underscored a level of material and technological innovation that is increasingly viewed by many as a threat to US dominance in […]
Hong Kong defies China anniversary with ‘Day of Grief’ rallies and clashes
by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Strife-torn Hong Kong on Tuesday marked the 70th anniversary of Communist China’s founding with defiant “Day of Grief” protests and fresh clashes with police as pro-democracy activists ignored a ban on marches and took to the streets. Activists are determined to overshadow Beijing’s festivities, using the anniversary to step up their nearly four months of protests pushing for greater democratic […]
Residents flee after Papua New Guinea volcano erupts
KOKOPO, Papua New Guinea (AFP) — Papua New Guinea’s volatile Ulawun volcano erupted early Tuesday, sending a column of red lava shooting up into the sky and forcing the evacuation of recently returned residents. Mount Ulawan, situated on the remote Bismarck Archipelago chain, displaced between 7,000 and 13,000 people from their homes when it last erupted in June. Seismic activity started at midday on Monday before the volcano erupted at about 4:30am Tuesday, according to […]
