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CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand police on Thursday said that all 50 victims of last week’s terror attack in Christchurch had now been identified, allowing burials to take place. “I can say that as of a few minutes ago the identification process and to all 50 victims have been completed and all of the next of kin have been advised,” said Commissioner Mike Bush. “That is a landmark for this process.” © Agence […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Thursday an immediate ban on the sale of assault rifles and semi-automatics in response to the Christchurch terror attack that killed 50 people. “I am announcing that New Zealand will ban all military-style semi-automatic weapons. We will also ban all assault rifles,” Ardern said, while announcing interim measures that will stop a rush of purchases before legislation on the measures takes effect. She added that […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Boeing’s ill-fated 737 MAX and federal regulators next week will face the first public grilling by Congress over the two fatal plane crashes in recent months. Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican, called for a hearing of the Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation and Space, for March 27, with three transportation officials, notably the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration. Cruz intends to hold a second hearing to question […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the Islamic State’s last bastion in Syria will be “gone” by the end of the day. He showed off maps that illustrate the dramatic shrinking of territory held by the jihadist group in the period from his election in 2016 and now. In one map shown by Trump to reporters in Washington and then again at a rally to factory workers in Lima, […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Singapore’s trade minister said Wednesday he was hopeful that an Asia-wide trade pact, which is backed by China and excludes the United States, could be sealed by the end of the year. On a visit to Washington, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said that a clearer picture would emerge on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in May after elections in four countries that are part of it […]
by Margioni BERMÚDEZ MENE GRANDE, Venezuela (AFP) — Greasy slicks continue to darken the ground in Mene Grande, a modest town where Venezuela’s oil boom was born more than a century ago. But now the days of crude glory are gone, replaced by desolation. The asphalt on the roads is worn down. Water, cooking gas and electricity are absent most of the time. Locals, who previously received generous oil-related salaries, have left the country because […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is being investigated by the Pentagon’s inspector general for alleged bias in acquisitions toward his former employer, Boeing, the inspector general said Wednesday. “We have informed him that we have initiated this investigation,” said Dwrena Allen, a spokeswoman for the inspector generals’ office. Investigators are seeking to see if Shanahan, as deputy defense secretary, had violated ethics rules by disparaging Boeing rival Lockheed Martin […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday she remained “determined” to deliver Brexit, hours after formally requesting European Union leaders grant a three-month delay to Britain’s departure from the bloc. “I passionately hope MPs will find a way to back the deal I have negotiated with the EU,” she said in a statement, referring to an agreement British lawmakers have already rejected twice but which May plans to put to […]
by Sebastian Smith / Douglas Gillison WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that US tariffs on Chinese imports could remain in place for a “substantial period,” dampening hopes that a new trade agreement would see them lifted soon. Top American trade negotiators are due to travel to Beijing next week for a fresh round of talks, and officials have said they were in the final stages of negotiations on resolving […]
by Catherine MARCIANO ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italian police on Wednesday rescued 51 children taken hostage by their school bus driver, who doused the vehicle in petrol and set it alight apparently in protest at migrant deaths in the Mediterranean. Some of the children were tied up during the 30 minute ordeal, which saw the bus slam into a car but was brought to an end by police after one of the children was able […]
by Francesco Fontemaggi JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Top US diplomat Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to counter Iranian “aggression” as the two met in Jerusalem just weeks ahead of Israel’s elections. Pompeo was on a regional tour focused largely on Iran, but the meeting and his warm words on Netanyahu’s leadership will likely be seen as support from US President Donald Trump’s administration amid the Israeli premier’s re-election fight. Netanyahu, […]
by Adrien BARBIER and Joaquim NHAMIRRE International aid agencies raced Wednesday to rescue survivors and meet spiralling humanitarian needs in three impoverished countries battered by one of the worst storms to hit southern Africa in decades. Five days after tropical cyclone Idai cut a swathe through Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, the confirmed death toll stood at more than 300 and hundreds of thousands of lives were at risk, officials said. “We’ve thousands of people… in […]
