International

Extreme poverty rises again in Latin America

SANTIAGO, Chile (AFP) — Extreme poverty in Latin America hit its highest level for nine years in 2017, according to a report by the UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) published on Tuesday. Poverty remained stable at 30.2 percent of the population — 184 million people — but extreme poverty increased from 9.9 percent in 2016 to 10.2 percent, or 62 million people, it said. “The proportion of people living in […]

China takes lead in some military tech: Pentagon

by Thomas WATKINS Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — China is on the cusp of fielding some of the world’s most advanced weapons systems — and in some cases already has surpassed its rivals, a Pentagon assessment released Tuesday found. An unclassified report by the Defense Intelligence Agency says Beijing has made enormous military strides in recent years, thanks partly to domestic laws forcing foreign partners to divulge technical secrets in exchange for […]

Turkey to set up Syria ‘security zone’ after Trump call

by Fulya OZERKAN Agence France-Presse ISTANBUL, Turkey – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that Ankara would set up a “security zone” in northern Syria suggested by US President Donald Trump. Erdogan’s comments came a day after he had a telephone conversation with Trump to ease tensions after the US leader threatened to “devastate” the Turkish economy if Ankara attacks Kurdish forces in Syria. Turkey has welcomed Washington’s planned withdrawal of some 2,000 US […]

Pro-EU protesters revel in parliament defeat of Brexit deal

by Antoine POLLEZ / Joe JACKSON Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom – Waving European Union flags, hundreds of anti-Brexit activists outside parliament roared with approval on Tuesday as the government’s divorce deal was crushed by MPs. Massed in front of two big screens airing live coverage of the pivotal vote, the crowd of fervent pro-Europeans erupted into cheers and clapping as the result was relayed. “I’m so pleased — but a bit concerned with what […]

‘Hostage politics’: Death sentence heightens China, Canada tensions

by Laurent Thomet and Elizabeth Law Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China – China on Tuesday vociferously defended a court’s decision to impose the death penalty on a convicted Canadian drug smuggler, escalating a diplomatic row that experts say has descended into a high-stakes game of “hostage politics”. China’s foreign ministry blasted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “irresponsible remarks” after he criticised the death sentence handed to 36-year-old Robert Lloyd Schellenberg. Beijing and Ottawa have been squabbling […]

Six dead in attack on upmarket Nairobi hotel complex

by Fran BLANDY / Celine CLERY Agence France-Presse NAIROBI, Kenya – At least six people were killed Tuesday when an Islamist suicide bomber and gunmen stormed an upmarket hotel complex in Nairobi, in the first such attack in the Kenyan capital in five years. Gunshots rang out sporadically as night fell in Nairobi, where police combed the hotel and outlying office buildings for survivors while trying to flush out the attackers. The attack at the […]

Int’l Criminal Court acquits former Ivory Coast strongman Gbagbo

  THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — The International Criminal Court on Tuesday acquitted former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo over post-electoral violence in the West African nation in a stunning blow to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Judges ordered the immediate release of the 73-year-old deposed strongman, the first head of state to stand trial at the troubled ICC, and his right-hand man Charles Ble Goude. The pair hugged each other after the […]

Japan Olympic chief denies corruption allegations

  by Natsuko Fukue Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The head of Japan’s Olympic Committee Tuesday denied involvement in a suspect payment made before Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Games, while apologizing for any possible impact on the hosting of the event. French investigating magistrates have indicted Tsunekazu Takeda as they probe two payments of 2.8 million Singapore dollars ($2.1 million) made before the Japanese capital was chosen to host the Olympics. During […]

Winter weather killed 15 displaced children in Syria: UN

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Freezing temperatures and the lack of medical care have killed at least 15 displaced Syrian children in recent weeks, the United Nations reported on Tuesday. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said eight of them had died as a result of the cold in the Rukban camp in southeastern Syria and seven others during the displacement from the jihadist bastion of Hajin, further north. “Freezing temperatures and harsh living conditions in Rukban… […]

Hundreds of flights axed as fresh strike hits German airports

by Michelle FITZPATRICK Agence France Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Hundreds of flights were canceled at eight German airports Tuesday, including at the nation’s busiest travel hub Frankfurt, as security staff walked off the job in a deepening row over pay. Germany’s powerful Verdi union said the strike would last from 02:00 am until 8:00 pm (0100-1900 GMT) at Frankfurt airport, with walkouts in Munich, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Dresden and Erfurt following roughly the […]

MIAA to travelers: Do not bring prohibited items in your luggage

(Eagle News) — The Manila International Airport Authority has reminded travelers not to bring prohibited items in their luggage, whether this be hand-carried or checked in. MIAA General Manager Ed Monreal issued the statement after a Filipino student was intercepted on Jan. 8 by Hong Kong airport authorities for carrying extendable batons in his check-in luggage. Under Hong Kong law, stunning devices that include batons are considered “arms.” “It is wise to check with the […]

China slams Trudeau’s ‘irresponsible remarks’ on Canadian’s death sentence

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing on Tuesday slammed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for making “irresponsible remarks” after he criticised a Chinese court’s death sentence against a convicted Canadian drug smuggler. Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, 36, was given the death penalty on Monday after his previous 15-year prison sentence was deemed too lenient — a ruling that came amid a deepening diplomatic rift between Ottawa and Beijing. Trudeau expressed “extreme concern” on Monday, saying “China has chosen to […]