by Jerome TAYLOR / Catherine LAI Agence France-Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Pro-democracy protesters retreated from Hong Kong’s airport on Wednesday following two days of hugely disruptive rallies that turned violent and plunged the global financial hub further into turmoil. The protests ended early Wednesday morning following a series of clashes in which a policeman drew his gun after being beaten by demonstrators and other officers fired pepper spray. The rallies paralysed one of […]
International
Hundreds of protesters stage new rally at Hong Kong airport
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hundreds of pro-democracy protesters staged a new rally on Tuesday at Hong Kong’s airport, a day after a massive demonstration there triggered a shutdown at the busy international travel hub. Only a handful of protesters stayed through the night, and flights resumed at the airport early in the morning. But by afternoon, several hundred demonstrators had returned, responding to a call for a new rally. Protesters were wearing the signature […]
Woman stabbed in central Sydney knife rampage
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A man stabbed a woman and attempted to stab several other people in central Sydney Tuesday before being pinned down by members of the public and detained by police, eyewitnesses and officials said. Images broadcast by Australian media showed the man jumping on the roof of a car brandishing a knife, appearing to shout “Allahu Akbar” and “shoot me”. Police said the woman was in a stable condition and there were […]
Hong Kong’s leader warns city faces ‘path of no return’
by Catherine LAI / India BOURKE HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Violent protests are driving Hong Kong down a “path of no return”, the city’s leader warned Tuesday as its airport struggled to recover from an unprecedented shutdown triggered by a rally and authorities in Beijing sent more ominous signals that the unrest must end. The airport, one of the busiest in the world, re-opened on Tuesday morning but hundreds of flights remained canceled and […]
Typhoon Lekima death toll hits 49 in China
BEIJING, China (AFP) — The death toll from Typhoon Lekima rose to 49 on Tuesday and 21 were still missing after the monster storm wreaked havoc on China’s eastern coast, causing huge damage with strong gales and torrential rain. Lekima hit the three Chinese provinces of Zhejiang, Shandong, and Anhui over the weekend and forced more than a million residents to flee. China’s official news agency Xinhua said late Monday that at least 49 people […]
Norway mosque “terror attack” suspect remanded in custody
by Pierre-Henry DESHAYES OSLO, Norway (AFP) — A Norwegian man suspected of killing his stepsister and opening fire in a mosque near Oslo this weekend was remanded in custody Monday, suspected of murder, and a “terrorist act” that police say he filmed himself. The man, identified as 21-year-old Philip Manshaus, appeared in the Oslo court with two black eyes and scrapes and bruises on his face, neck and hands, probably obtained when he was overpowered […]
Outrage as Trump administration weakens endangered species law
by Issam AHMED WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday finalized rollbacks to key provisions of the Endangered Species Act, a law supported by a large majority of Americans and credited with saving the gray wolf, bald eagle and grizzly bear. The move was met with anger by environmental groups and Democratic politicians, including presidential candidate Joe Biden, while two states announced they would take legal action. Amendments include removing […]
Firefighters contain Canary Islands blaze: officials
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Firefighters have managed to contain a fire raging on the Spanish holiday island of Gran Canaria which sparked the evacuation of hundreds of people, local officials said Monday. “The containment efforts have borne fruit and the prospects are good,” Angel Victor Torres, the president of the regional government of the Canary Islands, told a press conference late Monday. However, the archipelago’s emergency service warned that strong gusts of wind and an […]
Operations resume at Hong Kong airport after protests: authorities
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Operations resumed at Hong Kong airport on Tuesday morning, authorities said, with flights due to start departing and arriving a day after protests shut down the major travel hub. “We have resumed check-ins,” a spokesman for the airport told AFP, confirming flights would be resuming within the next hour at one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs. The flight status board at the departures hall showed several flights listed as “boarding […]
Hong Kong protests shut airport as China anger mounts
by Elaine YU Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — One of the world’s busiest aviation hubs was in chaos early Tuesday after thousands of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters flooded the city’s airport to denounce police violence, forcing the cancellation of all flights. The abrupt shutdown came as the Chinese government signalled its rising anger at the protesters, denouncing some of the violent demonstrations as “terrorism”, and the United States urged “all sides” […]
Death toll climbs to 75 in Tanzania fuel tanker blast
MOROGORO, Tanzania (AFP) — The death toll from a fuel truck explosion in Tanzania rose to 75 on Monday as four more people succumbed to their injuries, a hospital official said. “We deplore four new deaths. Their bodies are currently resting at the morgue while we wait for relatives to identify them,” said Aminiel Aligaesha, spokesman for the National Hospital in the economic capital, Dar es Salaam. Funeral services which began Sunday were expected […]
WWII Pacific battlegrounds now site of US-China tug of war
by Giff Johnson Agence France Presse MAJURO, Marshall Islands (AFP) — Pacific islands that were key World War II battlegrounds but largely neglected for the past 30 years are now back in the spotlight as China challenges traditional US supremacy in the region. Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, whose territories stretch thousands of kilometres across the Pacific, have been the recipients of largesse by Washington, Tokyo and other allied powers, […]





