International

Trump consoles shooting victims, faces new criticism

by Gilles Clarenne with Megan Jelinger in Dayton, Ohio and Sebastian Smith in Washington EL PASO, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump consoled victims of mass shootings in Ohio and Texas on Wednesday but faced protesters demanding gun control and denouncing what they say is his extremist rhetoric on race and immigration. The president landed in El Paso, Texas, where a self-declared white supremacist murdered 22 people last weekend at a Walmart heavily frequented […]

Maduro supporters demonstrate against US sanctions

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Thousands of supporters of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro marched through the capital Caracas on Wednesday in protest against attempts by US President Donald Trump to asphyxiate the ruling regime. Dressed in red and carrying the tricolor Venezuelan flag, the protesters gathered at a stage in the center of the capital to listen to some of the ruling regime’s top officials. The demonstration followed 48 hours during which Washington threatened to “use […]

US immigration raids sweep up hundreds of undocumented migrants

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — US officials said that some 680 undocumented migrants were detained in raids Wednesday at food processing plants in the southeastern United States, part of President Donald Trump’s announced crackdown on illegal immigration. Most of those detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were Hispanic migrants, officials said. “Special agents executed administrative and criminal search warrants resulting in the detention of approximately 680 illegal aliens,” said Mike Hurst, US Attorney […]

Hong Kong protesters gather for ‘laser show’ rally

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — As Hong Kong buckles under increasingly violent clashes between protesters and police in a deepening political crisis, hundreds gathered at the harbourfront on Wednesday night for a markedly different kind of protest: a laser show. Both police and protesters have used intense beams of light against each other, turning often violent episodes into surreal scenes fit for a disco or science fiction. Demonstrators have aimed lasers towards riot police, irritating […]

One dead after 5.9-magnitude quake jolts Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — A 5.9-magnitude earthquake that rattled Taiwan on Thursday killed one woman and caused temporary power outages that affected over 10,000 homes, authorities said. Tremors were felt across the island and high-rises in Taipei swayed as the quake struck off the northeastern coast at dawn, waking sleeping residents. A 60-year-old woman was killed outside the capital after a closet fell on her during the quake, the National Fire Agency said. More than […]

US approves $800-million in helicopters for SKorea

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US government has approved the sale of $800 million worth of helicopters to South Korea, the Pentagon announced Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump said Seoul had agreed to pay more for the US military presence in the country. The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the State Department had approved the sale of 12 MH-60R Multi-Mission Seahawk Helicopters and extensive associated radar, communications and weaponry equipment. The helicopters […]

Two bodies found in Canada, believed to be teen murder suspects

by Eric THOMAS MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — Canadian police said Wednesday they had discovered the bodies of two men believed to be fugitive teens who allegedly murdered three people last month — ending a nearly three-week nationwide manhunt. Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, were wanted over the murders of an Australian man and his American girlfriend in their 20s, as well as of a Canadian university professor. Initially, the pair were reported missing […]

British ministers in US to ‘fast-track’ post-Brexit trade deal

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Britain was seeking to fast-track a crucial post-Brexit trade deal with the United States on Wednesday after new Prime Minister Boris Johnson dispatched his top diplomat and foreign trade minister to Washington. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was due to hold talks with his US counterpart Mike Pompeo at the State Department while the International Trade Secretary Liz Truss has lined up meetings with top American trade officials. With Johnson […]

Kim sends missile ‘warning’ to S.Korea, US as tensions rise

by Claire LEE Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) —  North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un says the country’s latest missile launches were a warning to Washington and Seoul over their joint war games, state news agency KCNA reported on Wednesday, as tensions rise on the Korean peninsula. The latest launch by the nuclear-armed North came after the South Korean and US militaries began mainly computer-simulated joint exercises on Monday to test Seoul’s ability […]

Armed soldiers patrol silent streets after Kashmir curfew

SRINAGAR, India (AFP) — Armed soldiers stand in front of barbed wire in Indian Kashmir’s near-silent summer capital of Srinagar during a massive security lockdown imposed on the restive region by the Hindu nationalist government. Kashmir was stripped of its seven-decade-long autonomous status through a controversial presidential decree on Monday, a day after a crippling curfew was imposed on its main city. Home to more than one million people, Srinagar now looks like a ghost-town: […]

Japan urged to sign UN nuke ban on Hiroshima anniversary

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The mayor of Hiroshima urged Japan to sign a landmark UN treaty banning nuclear weapons as the city Tuesday marked 74 years since being targeted in the world’s first atomic attack. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe led commemorations at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima as residents offered silent prayers, lit candles, and placed wreaths to remember those killed in the August 6, 1945 bombing. And mayor Kazumi Matsui used the occasion […]

US warns off Venezuela allies as Lima meeting opens

by Luis Jaime CISNEROS / Francisco JARA LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Washington warned China and Russia on Tuesday to avoid doing business with the Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro, as delegates from some 60 countries met in Lima to discuss ways of ending the crisis in the South American nation. The admonition came a day after President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on all Venezuelan government assets in the United States and barred transactions with […]