International

North Korean leader receives ‘excellent’ letter from Trump, says North Korea’s state media

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received a personal letter of “excellent content” from US President Donald Trump, the country’s state media said Sunday, amid a nuclear deadlock between Pyongyang and Washington. Talks have been stalled since the collapse of a second summit between the two leaders in February after they failed to agree on what the North would be willing to give up in exchange for sanctions relief. […]

Hong Kong protesters end blockade of police headquarters

By RAF WOBER Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Protesters in Hong Kong ended their overnight siege of police headquarters peacefully Saturday, disappointed that their demands for the territory’s leader to formally withdraw a contentious extradition bill and police to apologize for heavy handed tactics have gone unmet. By daybreak, police had cleared the streets of barriers set up by protesters to snarl traffic in the Asian financial center, and only a few groups in […]

Skydiving plane crashes in Hawaii, killing all 11 aboard

By AUDREY McAVOY and ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — A skydiving plane crashed and burst into flames just after takeoff from a small seaside airfield on the island of Oahu, killing 11 people, officials said Saturday. Authorities initially reported that nine people died in the crash Friday evening and that three of them were customers of a skydiving company and six were employees. But the Hawaii Department of Transportation tweeted Saturday that officials […]

Trump orders immigration sweep targeting 2,000 families: report

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump has ordered border agents to begin a mass roundup as early as Sunday of some 2,000 migrant families that have received deportation orders, US media reported Friday. The news follows the president’s announcement on Twitter Monday that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials would begin deporting “millions of illegal aliens,” although he gave little detail. The tweet sped up operations that were already underway, […]

Hundreds converge anew on Hong Kong parliament to demand resignation of Chief Executive Lam

  (Eagle News) — After the Hong Kong government had refused to completely withdraw the unpopular extradition bill, hundreds of protesters again poured into Hong Kong’s main government complex early Friday to demand the resignation of Hong Kong leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who is seen as pro-Beijing. The people started converging around 7 a.m., many of them dressed in black. The government had refused to accede to the demands of the protesters who have […]

Downed drone was some 34 km (21 miles) from Iran coast: US general

WASHINGTON (AFP) — A US spy drone was some 34 kilometers (21 miles) from the nearest point in Iran when it was shot down Thursday over the Strait of Hormuz by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, a US general said. “This dangerous and escalatory attack was irresponsible and occurred in the vicinity of established air corridors between Dubai, UAE, and Oman, possibly endangering innocent civilians,” said Lieutenant General Joseph Guastella, who commands US air forces in […]

6.3-magnitude earthquake rocks Indonesia’s Papua

  A 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Papua, in eastern Indonesia Thursday, US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued. The quake hit about 250 kilometres west of the town of Abepura in Papua province at 12:46 am local time, at a depth of 12 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake was felt weakly in Abepura, but most people did not notice it. “I was still awake at home but I did not […]

Iran says it has shot down US drone over its territory: TV

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Thursday it had shot down a US “spy drone” over its territory after it violated Iranian airspace, according to Iranian state television. “The US-made Global Hawk surveillance drone was brought down by its Air Force” in the country’s southern coastal province of Hormozgan, the Revolutionary Guard added, according to the English-language Press TV. © Agence France-Presse

Xi arrives in North Korea to meet Kim ahead of Trump talks

by Sebastien Berger with Poornima Weerasekara in Beijing PYONGYANG, North Korea (AFP) — President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday on a historic trip to reboot a troubled alliance, as he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un face their own challenges with US President Donald Trump. Xi is the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years after relations between the Cold War era allies deteriorated over Pyongyang’s nuclear provocations and […]

‘I feel well,’ says Merkel a day after health scare

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to assure journalists and citizens Wednesday she was well, a day after sparking concern by visibly trembling at an official ceremony. “I feel well,” she told school students during a visit to Goslar in the Harz mountains after Tuesday’s health scare blamed on dehydration on a hot summer’s day. Merkel, 64, had a glass of water nearby and said that, with scorching temperatures, one “should not […]

Sudan army ruler seeks to resume talks with protest leaders

by Tony GAMAL-GABRIEL and Abdelmoneim ABU IDRIS ALI KHARTOUM, Sudan (AFP) — Sudan’s army ruler Wednesday called on protest leaders to resume talks on the transfer of power without any conditions, as the tension between the two sides persists after the bloody dispersal of demonstrators. Dozens of protesters were killed and hundreds wounded on June 3 when a weeks-long protest camp was violently dispersed by gunmen in military fatigues, who stormed the site shooting and […]

US says Saudis can do more after UN Khashoggi probe

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A US official said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia should do more to ensure accountability over the death of dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi but stopped short of blaming the crown prince after a UN probe linked him to the killing. Brian Hook, who is in charge of pushing President Donald Trump’s hawkish line on Iran, was asked about US support of Tehran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia as he testified before Congress. […]