WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — A multi-million dollar haul of cocaine washed up on a New Zealand beach this week is believed to have drifted more than 2,100 kilometers (1,300 miles) across the Tasman Sea from Australia, police said Friday. They linked the find of 20 packets of cocaine — with an estimated street value of NZ$3.0 million (US$2.0 million) — at Bethells Beach in West Auckland to packages dumped off the New South Wales […]
International
‘It’s humanitarian’: the medics helping Hong Kong’s protesters
by Yan ZHAO HONG KONG, China (AFP) — In the early days of Hong Kong’s protests, Jonathan put out a call on a messaging app seeking fellow medics to aid demonstrators — within a day, 4,000 people had volunteered. Nurses, doctors, medical students and ordinary people with first aid training all clamored to join what has become a small volunteer corps helping treat people on the frontlines of protests that have engulfed the city for […]
China tells US diplomats in Hong Kong to stop interfering
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China demanded Thursday that US diplomats based in Hong Kong “stop interfering” in the city’s affairs, after reports that they met with pro-democracy activists, prompting a furious response from Washington. China’s foreign ministry had expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with US authorities, citing local media reports that a US official from Hong Kong’s US consulate general had met with a local “independence group”. In a statement Thursday, the ministry urged the diplomatic office […]
US border crossings plunge but immigration raids draw fire
by Leila MACOR MIAMI, United States (AFP) — The Trump administration hailed a large drop in migrant border crossings Thursday but found itself under attack over a massive sweep of long-resident undocumented immigrants working in several Mississippi slaughterhouses. Detentions on the southern US border plunged for the second straight month in July after a deal with Mexico to block Central American migrants, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday. US Border Patrol agents detained or […]
Three killed in US as small plane crashes into backyard
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Three people were killed Thursday when a small aircraft crashed into the backyard of a home in a residential neighborhood near Philadelphia, US police said. The single-engine propeller plane came down shortly after 6:00 am (1100 GMT) in Upper Moreland, Pennsylvania, around 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Philadelphia, according to local police. They said in a statement that they received a call from a resident “reporting a plane crash in […]
Kyrgyzstan special forces seize ex-president in raid
By Tolkun Namatbayeva Agence France-Presse Kyrgyzstan’s former president was detained in a major security operation Thursday, police said, a day after clashes between his supporters and law enforcement left one dead and dozens injured. The Central Asian state, which has seen two revolutions in less than two decades, is on the brink of crisis amid a standoff between ex-leader Almazbek Atambayev and his protege-turned-foe President Sooronbai Jeenbekov. Atambayev was detained by security services at […]
US upgrades Hong Kong travel warning as airport protest planned
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Washington on Thursday warned US citizens to “exercise increased caution” when traveling to Hong Kong, as protesters announced three days of new demonstrations at the city’s airport. The financial hub has been rocked by two months of unrest, initially triggered by opposition to a planned law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China. The demonstrations have evolved into a wider movement for democratic reform that has seriously disrupted the […]
Hong Kongers harness traffic cones, kitchenware to battle tear gas
by Catherine LAI HONG KONG, China (AFP) — As a tear gas canister clatters onto a street in Hong Kong, a pro-democracy protester wearing heat-proof gloves and carrying a traffic cone sprints from the crowd to put it out. Police have ramped up their use of the crowd control measure as two months of rallies in the global financial hub have turned increasingly violent, peaking with 800 rounds fired on Monday in what protesters called […]
Volcano near Tokyo erupts, prompting warnings
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A volcano near Tokyo has erupted for the first time in four years, throwing ash and smoke nearly two kilometers into the sky and sparking warnings not to approach the mountain. Mount Asama, some 140 kilometers (90 miles) northwest of the Japanese capital, exploded overnight and prompted the national meteorological agency to raise its alert level to three out of five, meaning people should avoid the crater. The agency warned that […]
Trump consoles shooting victims, faces new criticism
by Gilles Clarenne with Megan Jelinger in Dayton, Ohio and Sebastian Smith in Washington EL PASO, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump consoled victims of mass shootings in Ohio and Texas on Wednesday but faced protesters demanding gun control and denouncing what they say is his extremist rhetoric on race and immigration. The president landed in El Paso, Texas, where a self-declared white supremacist murdered 22 people last weekend at a Walmart heavily frequented […]
Maduro supporters demonstrate against US sanctions
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Thousands of supporters of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro marched through the capital Caracas on Wednesday in protest against attempts by US President Donald Trump to asphyxiate the ruling regime. Dressed in red and carrying the tricolor Venezuelan flag, the protesters gathered at a stage in the center of the capital to listen to some of the ruling regime’s top officials. The demonstration followed 48 hours during which Washington threatened to “use […]
US immigration raids sweep up hundreds of undocumented migrants
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — US officials said that some 680 undocumented migrants were detained in raids Wednesday at food processing plants in the southeastern United States, part of President Donald Trump’s announced crackdown on illegal immigration. Most of those detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were Hispanic migrants, officials said. “Special agents executed administrative and criminal search warrants resulting in the detention of approximately 680 illegal aliens,” said Mike Hurst, US Attorney […]





