KIRKUK, Iraq (AFP) — Suicide attackers stormed the site of a power plant being built by an Iranian company in Dibis in northern Iraq on Friday, killing at least 16 people, the mayor and security officials said. “Three suicide bombers attacked the power plant at around 6:00 am (0300 GMT), killing 12 Iraqi administrators and engineers and four Iranian technicians,” Dibis mayor Abdullah Nureddin al-Salehi told AFP. © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse
Asia
Renault-Nissan’s Ghosn to head Mitsubishi Motors
Japan (AFP) — Carlos Ghosn, the head of Japan’s number two automaker Nissan, will become chairman of struggling Mitsubishi Motors, five months after throwing a lifeline to the scandal-hit firm https://youtu.be/BJx0VavPUtg
UN to begin evacuations from Aleppo if truce holds
by Karam al-Masri ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — The United Nations hopes to carry out the first medical evacuations from Aleppo on Friday, if the “humanitarian pause” in the Syrian army’s Russian-backed assault on the city holds. Despite a drop in violence after the truce took effect on Thursday there was little sign civilians were heeding calls to leave, and Russia accused rebels of preventing civilians from fleeing the east of the city. Meanwhile NATO chief […]
“Baffled” US says it will seek explanation for Duterte’s comment on “separation”
A “BAFFLED” United States said it would seek an explanation from the Philippines for President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement that it was separating from the US, saying this was at odds with the two countries’ close relationship. US State Department spokesman John Kirby said they were “obviously aware of (Duterte’s) rhetoric” and that this was “inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship that we have with the Filipino people, as well as the government […]
Hong Kong in lockdown as Typhoon Haima nears
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — The usually frenetic streets of Hong Kong were deserted Friday as the city went into lockdown for Typhoon Haima, which has killed at least eight people in the Philippines. Flights were cancelled, roads were clear of cars and pavements empty, with schools and offices shut as the storm loomed southeast of Hong Kong. Trading on the city’s stock exchange was postponed and was unlikely to resume Friday. At 8:00 am […]
What to expect in the fight for Mosul
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The offensive to recapture Mosul from Islamic State jihadists has so far progressed faster than planners anticipated, but military experts fear the fighting could get tougher as US-backed Iraqi forces enter the city. Here is an overview of some factors determining the size and length of the battle. Will IS defend Mosul at any cost? Jihadists in Mosul are expected to put up a fierce fight. The city is the […]
US, S.Korea detect another failed N. Korea missile test
by Hwang Sung-Hee SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Thursday conducted what appeared to be its second failed test in a week of a powerful medium-range missile that experts warn could be operationally deployed as early as next year. South Korean and US military monitors said the missile — believed to be an intermediate-range Musudan — exploded shortly after take-off at around 6:30 am Pyongyang time (2200 GMT Wednesday). The attempted launch came […]
Iraqis flee home as Mosul battle gathers steam
by W.G. Dunlop and Safa Majeed TINA, Iraq (AFP) — Families who fled their village in the early days of the battle to retake Mosul from jihadists sit on the dusty ground amid discarded plastic bottles and other trash. This group is one of the first of what the United Nations said could be up to a million people who flee their homes during the operation to recapture Iraq’s second city, which has been held […]
Thai mourners waiting to pay their respects to late king
Thursday (October 20) marks a week since Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away after 70 years on the throne. Every day since his body was moved to the Grand Palace on October 14, ahead of a funeral which will take place after a year of mourning, tens of thousands have been gathering at the palace to pay their respects. Special prayers are due to be held at the palace on Thursday attended by the […]
Brazilian President meets Japan PM Abe, seeks to lure investments
Brazilian President Michel Temer met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday (October 19) seeking to lure Japanese investments back home where the country faces deep recession. He said there was “much potential” in investing in the country’s airport, oil and gas sectors. Temer, making the first visit to Japan by a Brazilian head of state in 11 years, aims to repair ties frayed by his predecessor Dilma Roussef, who twice cancelled official visits […]
Crisis looms as HK legislators shun independence activists
Dozens of pro-Beijing lawmakers walked out of the Hong Kong legislature on Wednesday (October 19) to prevent the swearing-in of two pro-independence activists, setting the scene for a new constitutional crisis in the Chinese-controlled territory. The topic of independence has long been taboo in the former British colony, now governed under the “one country, two systems” principle since its return to Communist-ruled China in 1997. The government failed in an unprecedented legal attempt to halt […]
North Korea holds Red Cross congress in Pyongyang
PYONGYANG, North Korea (Reuters) — North Korea held a congress of its Red Cross Society on Tuesday (October 18) in Pyongyang. Video provided by KCNA, which Reuters cannot independently verify, showed North Korean officials and foreign delegations were seen attending the congress at the People’s Palace of Culture in Pyongyang. Delegations from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Danish, Finnish and British Red Cross, […]
