International

North Korea leader Kim supervised test firing of new rocket launcher: state media

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test firing of a new multiple rocket launcher, state media said Thursday. Kim “guided a test-fire of newly-developed large-caliber multiple launch guided rocket system on July 31,” state-run KCNA said. South Korea’s military said Wednesday that two ballistic missiles had been fired from the Wonsan area on North Korea’s east coast. Kim “repeatedly expressed satisfaction over the result of the test-fire,” […]

Powerful quake strikes off Vanuatu, no tsunami warning

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck near the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued. USGS said the quake hit about 178 kilometers (110 miles) northwest of the capital Port Vila at 2:02 am (1502 GMT Wednesday) at a depth of 179 kilometers. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami threat from the quake. USGS said there was […]

‘Go easy on me kid’: Biden, rivals temper tone at Democratic debate

DETRIOT, United States (AFP) — Moderate frontrunner Joe Biden and his 2020 Democratic rivals took the stage Wednesday ready for a dog fight but began their debate largely with cooler heads prevailing, uniting under a common goal of ousting President Donald Trump. But tensions were quickly evident between Biden and Senator Kamala Harris, the most prominent African American in the field and who savaged him over race and criminal justice issues at their previous debate. […]

12 killed as flooding paralyses Pakistan’s Karachi

KARACHI, Pakistan (AFP) — At least 12 people were killed as monsoon rains lashed Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, officials and charity groups confirmed Wednesday, while flooding also triggered power outages and overwhelmed the metropolis’s fragile infrastructure. Authorities said the deaths occurred largely due to electrocutions caused by ill-maintained power lines even as large segments of the city suffered hours-long outages that lasted up to a day in some areas. According to the Edhi Foundation […]

US-S. Korea military exercises still on despite North’s warnings

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea will go ahead, a Pentagon official said on Wednesday, after missile tests and calls for the drills’ cancellation by North Korea. The affirmation of the annual, joint exercises came amid a series of missile launches by North Korea, one of which it called a “solemn warning to the South Korean warmongers” over the planned military drills. But despite Pyongyang’s warning […]

Putin calls in army to fight Siberia forest fires

by Theo MERZ MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called in the army to fight forest fires that have been raging across vast expanses of Siberia for days, enveloping entire cities in black smoke. Environmentalists have warned that the scale of the blazes could accelerate global warming, aside from any immediate effects on the health of inhabitants. Around three million hectares (7.4 million acres) of land in the centre and east […]

Al Qaeda heir Hamza bin Laden is dead – US media

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza, chosen an heir to the leadership of Al-Qaeda, has been killed, US media reported Wednesday citing American officials. NBC News said three US officials had confirmed they had information of Hamza bin Laden’s death, but gave no details of the place or date. The New York Times subsequently cited two US officials saying they had confirmation that he was killed during the last two years […]

At least 28 killed as Afghan bus hits ‘Taliban’ bomb: official

HERAT, Afghanistan (AFP) — Dozens of passengers, mainly women and children, were killed in western Afghanistan early Wednesday when the bus they were travelling in hit a roadside bomb, officials said. The attack, which came one day after the United Nations said Afghan civilians are being killed and wounded at a “shocking” level and as the country gears up for presidential elections, occurred around 6:00 am (0130 GMT), authorities said. “A passenger bus travelling on […]

Tensions high as pro-democracy protesters face court

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong who were charged with rioting appeared in court Wednesday, setting the stage for further unrest in a weeks-long crisis that has rocked the global financial hub. The announcement that 44 people had been charged with rioting – an offence that carries a jail term of up to 10 years – immediately triggered another round of clashes late on Tuesday night between police and protesters. Supporters […]

Inmates behind Brazil deadly prison riot transferred

by Allison JACKSON ALTAMIRA, Brazil (AFP) — Forty-six inmates involved in one of Brazil’s deadliest prison riots were being transferred to other jails on Tuesday, an official said. At least 57 people were killed Monday when fighting broke out between rival drug gang factions in the Altamira Regional Recovery Center in the northern state of Para. Sixteen were decapitated in the hours-long battle, but most died in a fire that engulfed part of the overcrowded […]

N. Korea fires several ‘unidentified projectiles’: South

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea launched “multiple unidentified projectiles” on Wednesday, Seoul said, days after firing two ballistic missiles as a warning to the South over planned joint military drills with the United States. A “number of projectiles” were fired from the Wonsan area on the east coast at dawn, said an official with South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We can’t say at this point how far they flew and are analyzing […]

At least 57 dead in Brazil prison riot

by Allison JACKSON RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — At least 57 inmates were killed during a prison riot in northern Brazil on Monday as rival gang factions fought each other, an official said. Sixteen of the dead were decapitated in the second major eruption of violence to rock the country’s severely overpopulated and deadly prison system in as many months. Fighting broke out in the Altamira Regional Recovery Center at around 7:00 am (1000 […]