DUSHANBE, Tajikistan (AFP) — Tajikistan has opened a criminal investigation after 14 prisoners were fatally poisoned while they were being transported between jails, the justice ministry said Monday, suggesting that another inmate may have given them contaminated bread. The incident happened on Sunday as more than a hundred prisoners, including eight women, were being transferred in a convoy from prisons in the north of the Central Asian country to jails in the south. The justice […]
International
PM-elect Mitsotakis vows to make Greece ‘proud’ after vote triumph
by John HADOULIS ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — Greece’s conservative prime minister-elect Kyriakos Mitsotakis vowed that the country would “proudly” enter a post-bailout period of “jobs, security and growth” after winning a landslide victory in Sunday’s general election. Official results showed Mitsotakis on track to crush leftist premier Alexis Tsipras, who oversaw austerity meausures after Greece’s dramatic rescue by international creditors in the European debt crisis. “A painful cycle has closed,” Mitsotakis said in a televised […]
Iran to face more ‘isolation, sanctions’: Pompeo
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Iran will face further sanctions in response to its expected breach Sunday of a uranium enrichment cap, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. “Iran’s latest expansion of its nuclear program will lead to further isolation and sanctions,” the top US diplomat said on Twitter. Iran said earlier it was hours away from breaching the cap set by an endangered nuclear deal reached with international powers but from which the […]
Trump: Migrant detention centers to open to media
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Sunday said migrant detention centers that have come under criticism for overcrowding and poor conditions will be opened to visits by journalists. “I’m going to start showing some of these detention centers to the press. I want the press to go in and see them,” Trump told reporters in Morristown, New Jersey. “We’re going to have some of the press go in because they’re crowded, […]
Guaido: Venezuela opposition, govt to resume talks, in Barbados
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela’s self-declared interim president Juan Guaido said Sunday a new dialogue between the opposition and President Nicolas Maduro’s government would be held in Barbados. He did not specify a date for resumption of talks at the new venue, in the Caribbean, after earlier discussions stalled in Norway. “In response to the mediation of the Kingdom of Norway (the opposition) will attend a meeting with representatives of the usurper regime in Barbados, […]
Strong 6.9 magnitude quake hits waters off Indonesia
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A strong magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off Indonesia on Sunday, the US Geological Survey reported, triggering a brief tsunami warning that sent panicked residents fleeing to higher ground. The Southeast Asian nation is one of the most disaster-hit on Earth due to its position straddling the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide. Earthquakes and tsunamis have claimed thousands of lives in recent years. Sunday’s quake struck at […]
China station next target for Hong Kong protesters as new rally begins
by Jerome TAYLOR / Elaine YU Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Thousands of anti-government protesters began a march in Hong Kong Sunday that will end outside a controversial train station linking the territory to the Chinese mainland, as activists try to keep pressure on the city’s pro-Beijing leaders. The rally is the first major large-scale protest since last Monday’s unprecedented storming of parliament by largely young, masked protesters — a move […]
Iran set to exceed nuclear deal uranium enrichment cap
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran said Sunday it was set to breach the uranium enrichment cap set by an endangered nuclear deal within hours as it seeks to press signatories into keeping their side of the bargain. The Islamic republic also threatened to abandon more commitments unless a solution is found with parties to the 2015 agreement. The move to start enriching uranium above the agreed maximum purification level of 3.67 percent comes despite […]
PHL Embassy in New Zealand, POLO in Australia conduct consultations on OFW welfare
-Consultations in preparation for establishment of PHL overseas labor office in New Zealand EBC New Zealand correspondent Greg Basa reports about the consultations with overseas Filipino workers conducted by the Philippine embassy in New Zealand, with the help of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Australia. Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Jesus Domingo said that the Philippine embassy in New Zealand is working to have a Philippine overseas labor office (POLO) to be established […]
Los Angeles ‘Big One’ quake fears revived by major shocks
by Javier TOVAR / Andrew MARSZAL Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Two strong earthquakes that pierced years of seismic calm in southern California have revived fears of the “Big One” striking Los Angeles, with officials warning citizens to be prepared for further shocks. A 7.1-magnitude quake that struck a remote region some 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles on Friday evening was felt throughout the city, prompting Angelenos […]
Prince Harry and Meghan’s son Archie christened in private service
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prince Harry and Meghan’s baby son Archie was on Saturday christened in the chapel at Windsor Castle in a private ceremony following his birth in early May. The couple’s first child — who is seventh in line to the British throne — wore a handmade replica of the royal christening robe, which was made in 1841 for the christening of Queen Victoria. The replica has been worn by royal infants […]
Russia buries navy officers killed in sub fire
by Marina KORENEVA Agence France Presse SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (AFP) — Russia buried 14 navy officers amid tight security in Saint Petersburg on Saturday who were killed in a fire on a nuclear-powered submersible in circumstances that have not been fully revealed by the Kremlin. The officers died in the Barents Sea on Monday, but the accident was only made public a day later. Moscow has said the crew was studying the sea floor […]
