International

Hong Kong defies China anniversary with ‘Day of Grief’ rallies and clashes

  by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Strife-torn Hong Kong on Tuesday marked the 70th anniversary of Communist China’s founding with defiant “Day of Grief” protests and fresh clashes with police as pro-democracy activists ignored a ban on marches and took to the streets. Activists are determined to overshadow Beijing’s festivities, using the anniversary to step up their nearly four months of protests pushing for greater democratic […]

Residents flee after Papua New Guinea volcano erupts

KOKOPO, Papua New Guinea (AFP) — Papua New Guinea’s volatile Ulawun volcano erupted early Tuesday, sending a column of red lava shooting up into the sky and forcing the evacuation of recently returned residents. Mount Ulawan, situated on the remote Bismarck Archipelago chain, displaced between 7,000 and 13,000 people from their homes when it last erupted in June. Seismic activity started at midday on Monday before the volcano erupted at about 4:30am Tuesday, according to […]

One party: How communists rule in China

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s Communist Party has defied the odds to retain firm control of power for 70 years, adapting to a changing world to outlast its comrades in the Soviet Union. As the People’s Republic of China celebrates its anniversary on Tuesday, here is a look at how the party has evolved over the years.   Turbulent decades  For almost three decades, China had its own style of rule: Maoism. Under the […]

China celebrates 70 years as Hong Kong unrest looms large

  by Laurent Thomet and Helen Roxburgh BEIJING, China (AFP) — China celebrates 70 years of Communist Party supremacy Tuesday with a parade of tanks, missiles and troops, a muscular display of its rising superpower status even as it faces an unprecedented challenge to its authority in seething Hong Kong. Authorities in Beijing have closed roads, banned the flying of kites, and shut some bars as they tightened security for an event celebrating China’s journey […]

Trump attacks Democrats, Giuliani subpoenaed for Ukraine documents

  by Jerome Cartillier and Chris Lefkow WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump attacked the Democratic lawmaker spearheading the impeachment inquiry on Monday as congressional committees subpoenaed his personal lawyer, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, for documents related to his dealings with Ukraine. As Trump lashed out at Democratic congressman Adam Schiff, suggesting he should be arrested for “treason,” a new poll showed a growing number of Americans support removing the president […]

Late monsoon fury kills 100 in north India

  PATNA, India (AFP) — At least 100 people have died in northern India over the last three days in unusually heavy late monsoon rains which have submerged streets, hospital wards and houses, officials said Monday. Dozens of boats were pressed into service on streets overflowing with gushing rain water in Patna, the capital of the eastern state of Bihar, after torrential downpours far stronger the normal. At least 27 people have lost their lives […]

Eurozone unemployment falls to 11-year low

  BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Unemployment in the eurozone fell in August to 7.4 percent, its lowest level since May 2008, according to official data released Monday. The figure, which brought the number of unemployed in the single currency bloc to 12.17 million, was lower than a forecast by financial data provider Factset, which predicted unchanged unemployment at 7.5 percent. Unemployment in the eurozone thus fell below the rate just prior to the world financial […]

World leaders set for final tribute to France’s Chirac

by Stuart WILLIAMS PARIS, France (AFP) — Dozens of world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, were expected in Paris on Monday to pay their final respects to France’s late president Jacques Chirac as the country holds a national day of mourning for its charismatic former head of state. Putin and other world leaders were to join President Emmanuel Macron for a church service in the French capital, a day after thousands of people queued […]

Strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake off Chile coast: USGS

SANTIAGO, United States (AFP) — A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck in the Pacific off the coast of Chile on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. “There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage,” the USGS said of the earthquake, which it earlier reported as a magnitude 7.2, and which occurred 41 miles (66 kilometers) west-southwest of Constitucion, Chile. Chile’s National Seismological Center (CSN) put the quake at 6.6 magnitude. Despite the tremor’s […]

Five injured in fire at Saudi high-speed train station: state TV

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Five people were injured in a fire that broke out at a new high-speed train station in Saudi Arabia’s western city of Jeddah on Sunday, state television reported, with huge palls of smoke seen rising into the air. The station serves the main Haramain High-Speed Rail system. The route opened to the public in October last year, taking passengers between Mecca and Medina, Islam’s holiest sites. “Five people who sustained […]

Factory fire kills 19 in east China: official

BEIJING, China (AFP) — A factory fire has killed 19 people in east China, local authorities said Monday, in the latest deadly incident to hit the country’s industrial sector. The fire broke out on Sunday at a factory in Ninghai county, eastern Zhejiang province, said the local government on its official Twitter-like Weibo account. The incident, which is under investigation, occurred at a facility owned by the Ruiqi Daily Necessities Company. Among eight people rescued […]

Two killed in Mexico rollercoaster accident

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Two people were killed and two more injured when a rollercoaster carriage derailed at a theme park in Mexico, authorities have said. Early reports suggest a mechanical problem caused the carriage to become detached from the ride and fall some 10 meters to the ground, the public prosecutor said in a statement. It is believed the two men died as a result of head injuries, it added, while two woman […]