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by Aidan JONES / Jasmine Leung HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Prominent Hong Kong democracy activists were arrested Friday in a dragnet that came as protesters planned to rally this weekend in defiance of a police ban. Hong Kong has been locked in a three months of political crisis, with increasingly violent clashes between police and protesters that have prompted an escalating public relations campaign from Beijing. Protesters planned yet another mass rally on Saturday […]
by Leila MACOR MIAMI, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Thursday cancelled a trip to Poland as Hurricane Dorian bore down on Florida, where it could make landfall as a dangerous Category 4 storm. Trump, who had been scheduled to attend World War II anniversary commemorations in Poland this weekend, said he would focus instead on preparations for the approaching hurricane. “Our highest priority is the safety and security of the people […]
by Ivelisse Rivera FAJARDO, Puerto Rico (AFP) — A strengthening Hurricane Dorian appeared to have largely spared Puerto Rico Wednesday, barreling past the US territory that is still recovering from a powerful storm two years ago. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said the hurricane watch and tropical storm warning for the island had been lifted, and that “Dorian continues to move away from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.” “The threat has already […]
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s prime minister on Thursday warned African leaders against accumulating too much debt, in an apparent reference to Chinese infrastructure projects that some blame for damaging the finances of developing nations. Addressing leaders from several African nations at a development conference in Yokohama, Shinzo Abe stressed that Tokyo was promoting “quality” infrastructure exports and investments, supported by Japan’s government-backed institutions. “What should the government do to encourage (entrepreneurs) to exercise their […]
by Ignacio Carvajal COATZACOALCOS, Mexico (AFP) — Gunmen burst into a Mexican strip club in a hail of bullets and killed at least 28 people as they trapped revelers inside and started a raging fire, officials said Wednesday. Many of the dead were dancers who worked there, according to managers. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador condemned the “shameful” attack in the city of Coatzacoalcos, and said federal authorities would investigate evidence it may have stemmed […]
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AFP) — Fires have destroyed 1.2 million hectares (3.2 million acres) of forest and grasslands in Bolivia this year, the government said on Wednesday, though environmentalists claim the true figure is much greater. The news comes after leftist President Evo Morales suspended his re-election campaign on Monday to direct the government’s response to a growing environmental disaster in the Bolivian portion of the Amazon rainforest, where wildfires have been raging since May. […]
ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy’s Stromboli volcano off the coast of Sicily erupted Wednesday, according to fire fighters who rushed to put out wildfires sparked by lava flows. Emergency services scrambled to launch motorboats and helicopters after the “strong explosion” in the south-central slope of the crater shook the island, but no-one was hurt, the fire service said on Twitter. Falling ash from a vast mushrooming cloud covered the rooves of houses in the tiny […]
by Robin MILLARD LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sparked fury Wednesday among pro-Europeans and MPs opposed to a no-deal Brexit by forcing the suspension of parliament weeks before Britain’s EU departure date. The pound slid on the surprise news, which opponents branded a “coup” and a “declaration of war” but Johnson claimed was necessary to allow him to pursue a “bold and ambitious” new domestic agenda. It came a day […]
by Jordi Miro, with Allison Jackson in Rio de Janeiro PORTO VELHO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday repeated a demand for French leader Emmanuel Macron to withdraw recent remarks, as he accused France and Germany of “buying” the Latin American country’s sovereignty with Amazon fire aid. Bolsonaro’s latest comments come amid an escalating diplomatic spat between Brazil and Europe that threatens to torpedo a major trade deal. They also throw into […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Two people were confirmed dead on Wednesday as heavy rains pounded southwest Japan, prompting flood and landslide warnings and orders for 870,000 people to seek safety. More than a million more people were advised to leave their homes after the country’s weather agency raised the alert to its highest level for parts of northern Kyushu. The emergency warning is issued “if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes”. Officials confirmed two […]
At least 23 people were killed after a fire broke out in a bar in southern Mexico Tuesday night, NBC News reported, with authorities investigating a possible arson attack. Thirteen others were left seriously injured following the blaze in the southern port city of Coatzacoalcos, NBC said, citing a statement from the state attorney general’s office. The office condemned “what may constitute a malicious attack,” it added. Citing reports, The Los Angeles Times said […]
by Ella IDE Agence France Presse ROME, Italy (AFP) — Wednesday is D-Day for fraught negotiations to form a new Italian government, failing which the eurozone’s third largest economy will be forced to hold fresh elections. President Sergio Mattarella is to meet the country’s main political parties at the climax of what Italian newspapers have dubbed “the craziest crisis ever” after the government collapsed earlier this month while parliament was on holiday. The anti-establishment […]
