SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — An Australian student who was released after being held in North Korea had been “spying” in the reclusive country, state media said Saturday. Alek Sigley, 29, disappeared around two weeks ago prompting deep concern about his fate, but was freed and flew to Japan on Thursday. Official North Korean news agency KCNA said Sigley had admitted “he had been spying by collecting our internal information and sharing with others […]
International
EBC correspondent in Ridgecrest reports from ground zero of 7.1 magnitude quake in S. California
RIDGECREST, Calif. (Eagle News) — Eagle News reports from Ridgecrest, California to survey the damage after another strong earthquake hit the area. The first major quake hit the region on July 4 and recorded a magnitude of 6.4. Just a day after, a stronger quake, initially reported to be a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, shook Southern California again. (Eagle News Service)
S. California hit by 7.1-magnitude quake; tremor part of “earthquake sequence,” warns seismologists
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Southern California was rattled by its largest earthquake in two decades late Friday, a 7.1-magnitude tremor that shook buildings and cut power supplies in parts of Los Angeles but did not cause major damage or deaths, officials said. The shallow quake struck near the small city of Ridgecrest at 8:19 pm (0319 GMT Saturday), US seismologists said, and follows a 6.4-magnitude quake that hit the same area the […]
Seoul dissolves Japan fund for WWII sex slaves
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A foundation set up to compensate victims of Japan’s wartime sex slavery has been formally dissolved, South Korean officials said Friday, the latest chapter in a bitter dispute over the two countries’ shared history. The $8.8 million fund was established in 2015 as Tokyo and Seoul made a renewed effort to push past their continuing row over Japan’s brutal 1910 – 1945 occupation. The money — which the two […]
First charges against Hong Kong anti-government protester
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A Hong Kong street artist was charged on Friday with assaulting a police officer and criminal damage, the first prosecution against an anti-government protester since the city was rocked by unprecedented demonstrations. Sparked by a law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, the city has witnessed three huge peaceful rallies as well as civil disobedience and violence from a hard core of younger protesters who have besieged […]
Trump celebrates US might, avoids politics in rousing July 4 speech
by Lucie AUBOURG WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump sang the praises of the US military and American heroes of the past two and a half centuries Thursday as he skirted politics in a rousing Independence Day speech in Washington. “What a great country,” Trump exclaimed in an address saturated with patriotism and exceptionalism. “For Americans, nothing is impossible.” As combat aircraft, including the rarely seen B2 stealth bomber flew overhead, Trump scrolled […]
Shaking took about 2 minutes: Eagle News correspondent in California reports right after 6.4 magnitude quake
LANCASTER, Calif. (Eagle News) — Eagle News Correspondent Ivan Sanchez reports from Lancaster, California after experiencing a 6.4 earthquake. The quake was originally reported as a magnitude 6.6 earthquake but later the United States Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed it as a 6.4 . “The shaking was for about two minutes,” Sanchez said, reporting 10 minutes after the quake. Sanchez described the movement as a “side-to-side sway.” California is one of US states with a […]
Southern California rocked by strongest quake in two decades; 6.4 magnitude quake causes “minor” injuries
by Laurent BANGUET Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Southern California was rocked by its largest earthquake in two decades on Thursday, but the 6.4-magnitude tremblor caused only “minor” injuries. The shallow quake, which was followed by dozens of aftershocks, struck in a sparsely populated portion of the Mojave Desert, six miles (10 kilometers) from the city of Ridgecrest at 10:33 am (1733 GMT). It was felt 160 miles away in […]
Trump discussed detained Canadians with Xi: Trudeau
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — US President Donald Trump raised the issue of two Canadians detained in China with President Xi Jinping in a recent meeting, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed on Thursday. Trudeau had earlier said he was “confident” that Trump discussed with Xi the detention of ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig and consultant Michael Spavor, who are being held in China on suspicion of espionage. “I can confirm that Mr. Trump did speak to his […]
Iran condemns detention of oil supertanker in Gibraltar
by Jorge GUERRERO GIBRALTAR, United Kingdom (AFP) — Iran on Thursday condemned the “illegal interception” of one of its oil tankers in Gibraltar where authorities said they suspected it was carrying crude to Syria in violation of EU sanctions. The detention of the 330 metre (1,000 feet) Grace 1 vessel comes at a sensitive time in Iran-EU ties as the bloc mulls how to respond to Tehran announcing it will breach the maximum uranium enrichment […]
Stromboli clears up ash after deadly volcano eruption
by Giovanni Isolino STROMBOLI, Italy (AFP) — The village of Ginostra on Stromboli began sweeping away layers of ash on Thursday, the day after a dramatic volcanic eruption on the tiny Italian island killed a hiker. Emergency workers brushed and scooped volcanic cinders from streets and the tiny harbour in the village at the foot of the still smoking volcano. A veil of ash lay atop restaurant terrace tables, boats and parts of the coastline. […]
UN decries Venezuela ‘executions’, urges dissolution of special forces
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The UN rights chief warned Thursday that many of the thousands killed in Venezuela security operations since 2018 likely constituted “executions”, and urged Caracas to dissolve its special police force. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who visited Venezuela last month, pointed out in a fresh report that thousands of people, mostly young men, had been killed in alleged confrontations with state forces in the country in recent years. […]





