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by Andrew BEATTY Agence France Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — At least two people have died and 100 homes have been destroyed as an unprecedented number of bushfires tore through eastern Australia Saturday. New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian also said seven people were unaccounted for, as firefighters tried to contain dozens of out-of-control blazes that have raged in the state since Friday. “I’m sorry to say that number can increase during the day,” […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A Hong Kong student who sustained head injuries when he fell during clashes with police died on Friday, triggering a fresh wave of outrage from the pro-democracy movement and fears of more violent unrest. Alex Chow, a 22-year-old computer science undergraduate, was certified dead on Friday morning, according to the hospital where he was being treated. Chow was taken unconscious to hospital early on Monday morning following late-night clashes […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese authorities have seized a record-breaking 400 kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated $73 million in a bust at a port in the city of Kobe, a customs spokesman said Friday. The discovery in the western city was made last month but came to light on Friday, with officials saying they could not provide additional details because the investigation was ongoing. “This is record-breaking, in terms of volume” for a cocaine […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) –An earthquake in northwestern Iran on Friday killed three people and injured 20, according to the first official reports on state television. The shallow 5.9-magnitude quake struck about 120 kilometers (75 miles) southeast of the city of Tabriz, in East Azerbaijan Province, in the early hours of the morning, the Iranian Seismological Center said. The quake, described as “moderate”, was eight kilometers (five miles) deep and was followed by four aftershocks. The […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — A shallow 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck northwestern Iran early Friday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake struck around 60 kilometers (35 miles) from the town of Hastrud, in East Azerbaijan Province, shortly before 2.30am (2300 GMT). The USGS issued an alert warning that “significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread”. Iran sits where two major tectonic plates meet and see frequent seismic activity. The country has […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A student from mainland China arrested at a Hong Kong democracy protest was sentenced on Thursday to six weeks in prison for possession of an offensive weapon — the city’s first such case involving a mainlander in almost five months of unrest. Since the first mass demonstrations in June, more than 3,300 people have been arrested in Hong Kong in connection to the protest movement, with some charged for rioting […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China has imposed a curfew to limit the time spent by children playing games online, in the latest part of a government crackdown on youth gaming addiction. The regulations will mean those under 18 cannot play games online between 10pm and 8am, and for only ninety minutes at a time during the daytime. In addition, the guidelines will reduce the amount of money minors can spend online playing games to […]
BAVISPE, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico alleged Wednesday that a drug cartel called “La Linea” massacred nine Mormon women and children in a case of mistaken identity, but devastated relatives insisted their loved ones were deliberately targeted. The three women and six children, who had dual US-Mexican citizenship, were killed in a hail of bullets Monday as they drove on a rural road between Sonora and Chihuahua, which border the United States. Eight other children […]
NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AFP) — An undersea volcanic eruption in the Tongan archipelago has sunk one island and created another three times larger, according to a report by geologists released Thursday. Taaniela Kula, of the Tonga Geological Service, said the new Lateiki island is estimated to be about 100 meters (110 yards) wide and 400 meters long and is situated about 120 meters west of its submerged predecessor. It lies between Kao and Late in the […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) –Two former Twitter employees and a third man were charged in San Francisco Federal Court Wednesday with spying on Twitter users critical of the Saudi royal family, the US Justice Department announced. The two Saudi citizens and one US citizen allegedly worked together to unmask the ownership details behind dissident Twitter accounts on behalf of the government in Riyadh and the royal family, the department said. According to a court […]
AMMAN, Jordan (AFP) — Eight people, including four tourists, were wounded in a knife attack on Wednesday at the famed archeological site of Jerash in northern Jordan, a security spokesman told AFP. Four tourists — three Mexicans and a Swiss woman — were wounded, along with a Jordanian tour guide and a security officer who tried to stop the assailant, public security directorate spokesman Amer Sartawi said. “The assailant was immediately arrested,” the security directorate […]
KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AFP) — Hundreds protested in front of Kuwait’s parliament on Wednesday evening against the state’s perceived unwillingness to fight corruption, in a country where such events have periodically triggered political crises. The demonstrators called on the speaker of parliament Marzouq al-Ghanim to step down. “Resign! Resign, Marzouq, the Kuwaiti people don’t want you!”, they chanted. Other lawmakers have accused the speaker of corruption. The protesters had been mobilized by former lawmaker Saleh […]
