International

Total lunar eclipse set to woo skywatchers Sunday night to Monday

An unusual set of celestial circumstances comes together Sunday for skywatchers in Europe, Africa and the Americas, where a total lunar eclipse may be glimpsed, offering a view of a large, red Moon. The full Moon will appear bigger than normal because it is closer to the Earth — about 222,000 miles (358,000 kilometers) away — which earns it the nickname “super Moon.” Other monikers include a “Wolf Moon,” a traditional way of coining an […]

Fuel pipeline blaze in Mexico kills at least 73

An explosion and fire in central Mexico killed at least 73 people after hundreds swarmed to the site of an illegal fuel-line tap to gather gasoline amid a government crackdown on fuel theft, officials said. Hidalgo state governor Omar Fayad announced that the toll had increased to 73 after the discovery of five additional bodies. The blast — which Fayad said injured 74 people — occurred near Tlahuelilpan, a town of 20,000 people about an hour’s drive […]

Trump attacks top Democrat for rejecting Mexico wall deal

US President Donald Trump bitterly attacked top Democrat Nancy Pelosi on Sunday after she rejected a deal on immigration and the Mexico border wall that would end a 30-day-old government shutdown. Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, on Saturday called Trump’s offer of temporary protections for about a million immigrants in return for $5.7 billion to fund the wall a “non-starter.” “Nancy Pelosi has behaved so irrationally & has gone so far to the […]

UK PM’s office says MP Brexit moves ‘extremely concerning’

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Downing Street office said Sunday that reported plots for parliament to seize control from the government over Brexit were “extremely concerning”. Downing Street blasted reported moves by lawmakers seeking to rewrite the rules of the House of Commons in an attempt to take control of the business of the lower chamber in order to frustrate May’s Brexit plans. Groups of MPs are planning to table such amendments this week, newspapers reported Sunday. “The British […]

Police link N. Ireland car bomb to ‘New IRA’

Police investigating a suspected car bombing in the Northern Irish city of Londonderry said Sunday they believe dissident republican group the New IRA to be responsible. The suspected bomb exploded at 8:10 pm (2010 GMT) on Saturday, as police were evacuating the area following a warning that a device had been planted outside the city courthouse. There were no casualties. “Our main line of inquiry is against the New IRA,” said Police Service of Northern Ireland assistant […]

Thousands protest in Athens against Macedonian accord

  Scuffles broke out in central Athens Sunday as tens of thousands of people protested a planned name change for neighbouring Macedonia that parliament is due to ratify this week. After some 30 masked youths tried to force the closure of the parliament building by throwing stones, riot police responded with tear gas volleys to break up the crowd there. Hundreds of buses, especially from northern Greece, had brought protesters in for the rally, on […]

Macron’s debate put to test as ‘yellow vests’ stage tenth protest

by Clare BYRNE Agence Franc Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — France’s “yellow vests” took to the streets on Saturday for a 10th straight weekend of anti-government protests, defying attempts by President Emmanuel Macron to channel their anger into a series of town hall debates. A police source said the authorities expected the protests to be “at least as big as last week” when over 80,000 people demonstrated over inequality, the privileges enjoyed by senior public […]

Zimbabwe blocks social media as crackdown intensifies

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AFP) — Zimbabwe on Friday blocked most social media as international criticism mounted of a ruthless security crackdown after anti-government protests. Police and soldiers have been accused of indiscriminately dragging people from their homes and beating them. Several hundred people have been arrested and doctors say they have treated scores of victims for serious gunshot injuries. The United Nations human rights office on Friday urged Harare to “stop the crackdown”, voicing alarm over […]

Six suspects in court over Nairobi hotel attack

NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — Six suspects, including a Canadian national, appeared in a Kenyan court on Friday in connection with a radical Islamist attack on a Nairobi hotel complex that left 21 dead. A magistrate granted a request from the prosecution to detain four men and one woman for 30 days while investigations continue. A sixth suspect will be held until next week. The suspects are accused of “possible involvement” in the almost 20-hour siege […]

Trump to make ‘major announcement’ about shutdown

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump will make a “major announcement” Saturday about the long-running US government shutdown and the situation on the country’s southern border. The partial shutdown — which began when Trump refused to sign off on budget legislation that did not include funding for his planned border wall — enters its fifth week on Saturday. “I will be making a major announcement concerning the Humanitarian Crisis on our Southern […]

Striking teachers march in LA as talks held to end walkout

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Tens of thousands of striking teachers and supporters marched in Los Angeles on Friday, as talks to end the crippling walkout offered hope of a settlement between the union and school district officials. Some 30,000 teachers walked off the job on Monday, after two years of contract negotiations on salaries, class sizes and more staffing failed. The strike is affecting about 500,000 students and has cost the district — […]

‘Not partners’: Abe, Putin on collision course over islands

by Richard Carter with Ola Cichowlas in Moscow Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The leaders of Japan and Russia hold crunch summit talks on Tuesday, with the two countries locked in an undiplomatic war of words over a set of disputed islands. Simmering tension between Moscow and Tokyo over the islands has ramped up in recent weeks, with Russia angrily accusing Japan of whipping up tension ahead of the summit and failing to […]