International

Chile orders new curfew as violent protests rage

by Barnaby CHESTERMAN SANTIAGO, Chile (AFP) — Chile ordered an overnight curfew for the third day in a row as violent protests and looting that left 11 people dead over the weekend raged on into the working week. Army general Javier Iturriaga announced the curfew would last from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am as protests originally against a hike in metro fares turned into anger at President Sebastian Pinera and the military. Iturriaga insisted the […]

Netanyahu cannot form Israel govt, allowing opponent to try

by Mike Smith and Delphine Matthieussent JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed Israel’s president Monday he could not form a new government following deadlocked September elections, making way for his opponent Benny Gantz to try. The decision was an important defeat for Netanyahu as he seeks to continue his tenure as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, but it does not mean the end of those efforts since he still has various cards to […]

World’s loudest bird sings heart out in pursuit of love

by Issam AHMED WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — In the mountainous northern Amazon, a tiny white-plumed suitor turns to face his would-be paramour and belts out a deafening, klaxon-like call, reaching decibel levels equal to a pile driver. Meet the white bellbird, which has just beaten out its rainforest neighbor, the screaming piha, for the title of the world’s loudest bird. Biologist Jeff Podos at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Mario Cohn-Haft of Brazil’s […]

Japan emperor to proclaim enthronement in ritual-bound ceremony

by Natsuko FUKUE TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s new Emperor Naruhito will formally proclaim his ascension to the throne on Tuesday in a ritual-bound ceremony, but the after-effects of a deadly typhoon will cast a shadow over proceedings. Naruhito officially assumed his duties as emperor on May 1, a day after his father became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in 200 years. But the transition will not be complete until his new role is […]

Beijing says no one can stop Taiwan ‘reunification’

Beijing, China (AFP) —  China’s defense minister made an uncompromising call Monday for the “reunification” of Taiwan with the mainland, telling a high level defense forum that the process was something “no force” could stop. Self-ruled Taiwan is viewed by China as a renegade province which will eventually be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary, after the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war. China will not stop in its efforts […]

Canada vote too close to call as Trudeau hopes to cling on

  by Michel COMTE Agence France Presse OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canadians vote in a general election Monday with polling predicting a minority government as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party risks losing its majority or even being kicked out of office. The Liberals and the Conservatives, led by Andrew Scheer, could be set for a near dead heat with pundits calling it one of the nation’s closest elections ever. But neither of the two […]

Mexico admits freeing Chapo’s son after ‘badly planned’ operation

by Marcos Vizcarra CULIACAN, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico’s president faced a firestorm of criticism Friday as his security forces acknowledged they arrested kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s son, then released him when his cartel responded with an all-out gun battle. Admitting his troops carried out a “badly planned” operation, Defense Minister Luis Sandoval said they briefly arrested Ovidio Guzman — one of several sons running the Sinaloa drug cartel since their father was extradited to […]

Five die in fire at clothing factory looted in Chile unrest: firefighters

SANTIAGO, Chile (AFP) — Five people died Sunday after a garment factory was set ablaze by looters in the suburbs of Santiago, firefighters said, bringing the death toll in a wave of unrest to seven. “Unfortunately, five bodies have been found inside the factory” in Renca, Santiago Fire Brigade Commander Diego Velasquez told local media. Two people died when looters torched a supermarket in Santiago in the early hours of Saturday. © Agence France-Presse

Tear gas and water cannon as Hong Kong crowds defy rally ban

by Yan ZHAO / Xinqi SU HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong police fired water cannon and tear gas Sunday as crowds held an illegal march, with hardcore protesters throwing petrol bombs and trashing businesses to cap a week of anger after recent attacks on pro-democracy demonstrators. Authorities had forbidden the rally in Tsim Sha Tsui, a densely-packed shopping district filled with luxury boutiques and hotels, citing public safety and previous violence from hardcore […]

Villagers search for bodies after 70 killed in Afghan mosque blast

  JALALABAD, Afghanistan (AFP) — Villagers searched for the bodies of their loved ones on Saturday in the rubble of a mosque in eastern Afghanistan that collapsed in a blast during Friday prayers, killing 70 people including dozens of children, officials said. The attack — the country’s second most deadly this year — took place in Haska Mina district of eastern Nangarhar province and also wounded at least 36 people. “We have reports that the […]

More Barcelona violence feared as separatists call for new protest

  by Daniel BOSQUE Agence France Presse BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — Barcelona was bracing for fresh violence Saturday after nearly 200 people were hurt in a night of clashes with radical separatists hurling rocks and fireworks at police who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. A radical movement of young separatists, Arran, called for a new demonstration “against repression” for 1600 GMT in central Barcelona. The Catalan capital resembled a chaotic battleground Friday, the […]

15 die in dam collapse at Siberian gold mine

  by Anna SMOLCHENKO Agence France Presse MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Fifteen people were killed and another 13 missing after an illegally built dam collapsed at a gold mine in a remote Siberian settlement on Saturday, in the latest deadly accident to hit Russia. The dam on the Seiba River in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk burst and flooded several cabins where the victims lived, Russian authorities said. Muddy flood waters hit the cabins near […]