International

Japan govt, Fukushima operator told to pay over nuclear disaster

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Japanese court Wednesday awarded nearly $4 million in fresh damages to scores of residents forced to flee their homes after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown. The Yokohama district court ordered the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) to pay 419.6 million yen ($3.8 million) to 152 local residents, a court spokeswoman told AFP. The verdict was the fifth time the government has been ruled liable for the disaster […]

India-Pakistan tensions threaten to derail Saudi prince’s Delhi trip

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday, with his business mission under threat of being overshadowed by soaring tensions between India and Pakistan. The crown prince, who wants to persuade the world’s fastest-growing major economy to consume more Saudi oil, was greeted at the airport by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who gave his traditional bear hug for honored guests. The prince arrived from a […]

Pilot killed as Indian military jets collide in air show rehearsal

BANGALORE, India (AFP) — Two Indian Air Force jets practicing for an aerobatic display collided in midair Tuesday killing one of the pilots, officials said. Witnesses told how the aircraft spiraled out of control after hitting each other and crashed near a residential area outside the Yelahanka air base in the southern city of Bangalore. A huge fireball rose into the sky, they added. Only one civilian was hurt by flying debris however while two […]

Venezuela ‘on alert,’ closes Curacao border ahead of aid shipment

by Roland Lloyd Parry and Maria Isabel Sanchez Agence France Presse CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela’s military said Tuesday it was on “alert” at its frontiers following threats by US President Donald Trump and ordered its border with Curacao closed ahead of a planned aid shipment. Opposition leader and self-declared interim president Juan Guaido vowed to bring aid in from various points Saturday “one way or another” despite military efforts to block it. But commanders […]

Bernie Sanders launches second run for US president

by W.G. Dunlop Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Senator Bernie Sanders launched a second bid for the White House on Tuesday, taking direct aim at Donald Trump in an announcement that called the incumbent a “racist” and a “pathological liar.” Sanders, 77, joins an already crowded field of candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to run against Trump in 2020. A self-described democratic socialist, Sanders made an unsuccessful run for the presidency […]

Seoul willing to resume inter-Korean cooperation ahead of summit: Moon

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Seoul is willing to resume inter-Korean economic cooperation if it would help to hasten Pyongyang’s denuclearisation, President Moon Jae-in said in a phone call with Donald Trump on Tuesday. The US President and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are due to meet in Hanoi for a much-anticipated second summit on February 27-28 following their landmark first meeting in Singapore last year. Those talks –- the first-ever between the leaders […]

Venezuela military backs Maduro, on ‘alert’ for border violations

by Maria Isabel SANCHEZ Agence France Presse CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela’s military reaffirmed its support for embattled President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday and said they were on “alert” for border violations following threats by US President Donald Trump who urged them to back opposition leader Juan Guaido. “The armed forces will remain deployed and on alert along the borders … to avoid any violations of territorial integrity,” said Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, reading out […]

British govt to strip teen who joined IS of citizenship: lawyer

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain will strip citizenship from Shamima Begum, a UK teenager who joined the Islamic State group in Syria and wants to return home with a newborn baby, a lawyer for her family said Tuesday. “Family are very disappointed with the Home Office’s intention to have an order made depriving Shamima of her citizenship,” their lawyer Tasnime Akunjee said on Twitter. “We are considering all legal avenues to challenge this decision,” […]

Trump:US-China trade talks ‘going very well’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that trade talks with China are complex but are “going very well” and again indicated the March 1 deadline for raising tariffs could be extended. Officials on Tuesday resumed the high-stakes negotiations aimed at ending a damaging tariff war between the economic superpowers. “I think the talks are going very well,” Trump said on the sidelines of an event at the White House. But he […]

Jewish graves vandalized as France rallies against anti-Semitism

  PARIS, France (AFP) — Nearly 100 graves were daubed with swastikas at a Jewish cemetery in eastern France, authorities said Tuesday, with President Emmanuel Macron vowing to crack down on hate crimes as the country grapples with a surge in anti-Semitic acts. Macron went immediately to the cemetery in Quatzenheim in the Alsace region near Germany, a few hours ahead of nationwide rallies to denounce a surge in anti-Jewish hate crimes. “We shall act, […]

Hello Kitty Cafe makes pit stop in Tampa

By Angelo Corpuz EBC Florida Bureau TAMPA, Florida (Eagle News)– Hundreds of mallgoers created lines that stretched from one side of the Westshore Plaza Mall to the other, as fans of Sanrio products were eager to see what the Hello Kitty Cafe touring truck had to offer. One couple was determined to brave the long line and buy limited time Hello Kitty products, however, they were expecting a little more from the cafe. “I was […]

The race to save Myanmar’s Inle Lake

by Ye Aung THU Agence France-Presse Nyaung Shwe, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s famed Inle Lake has enchanted tourists for decades with its floating gardens and the graceful leg-rowing style of its fisherman, but experts warn the lake is drying up and urgent action is needed to avoid disaster. Each year around 200,000 foreigners and one million locals visit Inle — a vast, serene body of water surrounded by verdant hills. Many criss-cross the lake on small wooden […]