International

First death as Cyclone Kenneth smashes into Mozambique

  by Greg Walton and Joaquim Nhamirre Agence France Presse MAPUTO, Mozambique (AFP) — A powerful cyclone smashed into northern Mozambique, leaving one person dead on Friday, barely a month after a super-storm hit the centre of the country, devastating the area and leaving hundreds dead. Category three Cyclone Kenneth, packing winds of 160 kilometres (100 miles) an hour, struck the north coast’s Cabo Delgado province late Thursday after swiping the Comoros islands. The United […]

3 Filipino women murdered in first recorded serial killing in Cyprus; killer confesses to 7 killings

Authorities in Cyprus on Thursday uncovered a body of a woman, the third Filipina murdered by a suspected serial killer who had confessed to seven killings. This came as police widened a probe into the murders which were done by a 35-year old Greek Cypriot army officer who admitted to killing the three Filipinas whom he had reportedly met through an online dating site. The suspect, who is now in police custody, had even identified […]

Sri Lanka police wrongly ID American Muslim over attacks

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Sri Lankan police have been left red-faced after wrongly identifying a female American Muslim activist as a suspect in the deadly Easter bombings. On Thursday, police issued a flyer with the names and photos of six people — three men and three women — wanted in connection with attacks that killed over 250 people. Among those listed was a woman identified as Abdul Cader Fathima Khadhiya, accompanied by a photo […]

Xi asks for ‘fair and friendly’ treatment for Chinese

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday called for a “fair and friendly” environment for Chinese companies and citizens overseas, as pushback against its tech giants rises and academics find their visas cancelled. Beijing and Washington have been locked in a bruising trade war — which negotiators have been working to resolve — but there has also been a growing strategic rivalry between the world’s two largest economies. “China’s measures to expand […]

China’s Belt and Road: Ports, trains and infrastructure

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China is trying to woo more nations to join a massive network of ports, railways, roads and industrial parks that links dozens of countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa. President Xi Jinping touted the benefits of his signature foreign policy, the Belt and Road Initiative, as he welcomed 37 world leaders at a summit dedicated to it on Friday. Since Xi launched Belt and Road in 2013, China has invested $90 […]

Canadian Parliament member commends Iglesia Ni Cristo help in Greater Toronto Area food drive

  MP Chen says “great work” of INC congregation and volunteers shows meaning of “true compassion” (Eagle News) — A member of Parliament of Canada, representing Scarborough North, recently commended the “great work” being done by the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) after witnessing first hand food drive done by the Church in the Greater Toronto Area on April 19, 2019. Shaun Chen, the Member of the Canadian Parliament for Scarborough North, said “the […]

China’s Belt and Road needs to be transparent, fiscally sustainable: Xi

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s Belt and Road projects need to be transparent and fiscally sustainable, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday in apparent acknowledgement of growing concerns about debt linked to his global infrastructure initiative. There will also be “zero tolerance” for corruption, Xi said at a Belt and Road summit, adding that the initiative “is not an exclusive club”. © Agence France-Presse

Final Colombia mudslide death toll is 33: authorities

BOGOTA, Colombia (AFP) — The final death toll from a mudslide that buried houses in southwestern Colombia is 33, rescue authorities said on Thursday. After five days of digging through the mud, Colombia’s risk and disaster agency said it had recovered the “final” body of an unaccounted person. Rescuers had to remove tons of mud to find the bodies of the 28 adults and five children buried by the mudslide in Rosas, in the department […]

Canada capital declares flooding state of emergency

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Ottawa’s mayor declared a state of emergency in the Canadian capital on Thursday in anticipation of rising flood waters and heavy rains. No homes have been evacuated, but authorities expect waters along the Ottawa River to rise above levels in 2017 that saw the worst floods in Eastern Canada in half a century. Environment Canada issued a special weather statement predicting up to 35 millimeters (1.3 inches) of rain by Saturday […]

N.Korea’s Kim says US acted in ‘bad faith’ at Hanoi talks: KCNA

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says the United States acted in “bad faith” when he met with President Donald Trump in Hanoi, and that the situation on the peninsula has reached a “critical point,” state media said Friday. Kim made the comments during his first summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Thursday in Vladivostok, the Korean Central News Agency reported, describing their talks as “unreserved and friendly.” The North […]

Sri Lanka blast toll revised down to 253 as some ‘double-counted’

by Amal Jayasinghe in Colombo and Ammu Kannampilly in Batticaloa COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Authorities in Sri Lanka on Thursday lowered the death toll in a spate of Easter bombings by more than 100 to 253, admitting some of the badly mutilated bodies had been erroneously double-counted. The toll revision will boost the pressure on a government already under fire over its apparent failure to act on intelligence about the attacks, and follows the […]

Mozambique braces for Cyclone Kenneth

A powerful cyclone was set to make landfall in northern Mozambique Thursday, barely a month after a super-storm slammed into the country’s centre, leaving hundreds dead and causing devastation. As Cyclone Kenneth barrelled towards to the northeastern coast after swiping the Comoros, the UN warned of flash flooding and landslides. Dozens of schools were closed and all flights between the capital Maputo and Pemba were cancelled. Forecasters at Meteo-France warned that Kenneth could trigger waves […]