China on Wednesday offered to help Venezuela as it faces a crippling multi-day power blackout that President Nicolas Maduro has blamed on the United States. “China hopes that Venezuela can quickly find the cause of this accident and restore normal power and social order,” foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular briefing. “China is willing to offer assistance and technical support to Venezuela to restore the power system,” Lu said. Power has been […]
International
Israel says uncovers Hezbollah unit led by notorious commander
Israel’s army said Wednesday it had uncovered a unit recently created by Hezbollah across the ceasefire line in the Syrian Golan Heights and led by a commander previously jailed over an attack on US forces. With President Bashar al-Assad regaining control of southern Syria with the help of Russia and Hezbollah backer Iran, Israel is concerned that a front against it could be established there. Hezbollah, based in neighbouring Lebanon, has also been supporting Assad […]
Floods kill 66 in Mozambique
MAPUTO, Mozambique (AFP) — At least 66 people have been killed and 141,000 affected after heavy rains deluged central and northern Mozambique, the government has said as it appealed for funds to manage the crisis. “The government has decreed a red alert due to the continuing rains and the approach of the tropical cyclone Idai, expected to reach the country between Thursday to Friday,” said cabinet spokeswoman Ana Comoana. She spoke to reporters late […]
Cardinal Pell victim says ‘hard to take comfort’ from sentencing
The former choirboy molested by Australian Cardinal George Pell led the response to his sentencing Wednesday, saying it was “hard to take comfort” from his six-year jail term. Pell was sentenced in the County Court of Victoria after being found guilty of five counts of sexual and indecent assault in the sacristy of a Melbourne cathedral in 1996 and 1997. Chief Justice Peter Kidd told the court the 77-year-old would be eligible for parole after […]
Hong Kong bans Boeing 737 MAX flights
Hong Kong on Wednesday barred Boeing 737 MAX airliners from its airspace, the latest in a series of government bans worldwide in the wake of a deadly plane crash in Ethiopia. Despite Boeing’s assurances in the wake of the disaster, the European Union, Britain and India joined China and other countries grounding the plane or banning it from their airspace as they await the results of the crash investigation. The semi-autonomous Chinese city’s Civil Aviation […]
UAE regrets inclusion in EU tax blacklist
The United Arab Emirates has slammed a European Union decision to add it to a tax haven blacklist despite the Gulf state’s efforts to meet EU requirements. The EU on Tuesday added 10 countries to the list, created in 2017 as part of efforts to battle tax evasion by the wealthy. The UAE was among the new countries included. “This inclusion was made despite the UAE’s close cooperation with the EU on this issue and […]
British MPs set to vote on no-deal Brexit
By Dario THUBURN LONDON, March 13, 2019 (AFP) – British MPs will vote Wednesday on whether the country should leave the EU without a deal in just over two weeks, after overwhelmingly rejecting a draft divorce agreement. The House of Commons is expected to vote against a “no deal” Brexit, although this could still happen on March 29 unless it can agree on what should happen instead. MPs on Tuesday rejected for a second time […]
US says ‘no basis’ to ground Boeing 737 MAX jets after crash
by Heather SCOTT The United States said there is “no basis” to ground Boeing 737 MAX airplanes, after a second deadly crash involving the model in less than five months prompted governments worldwide to ban the aircraft. Despite the aviation giant’s assurances that the plane is safe and reliable, the European Union, Britain and India joined China and other countries grounding the plane or banning it from their airspace as they await the results of […]
Timeline of Cardinal Pell child sex abuse case
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Born in 1941, Cardinal George Pell grew up in rural Australia and, inspired by his devout Catholic mother, chose a career in the church. His star rose fast, and in 2003 he was named to the Vatican’s powerful College of Cardinals — a position that allowed him to vote in the conclaves that elect popes. At home, he was an outspoken conservative who former prime minister Tony Abbott described as […]
California governor to impose moratorium on executions
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Governor Gavin Newsom will Wednesday impose a moratorium on carrying out the death penalty in California, granting temporary reprieve to the 737 inmates on death row — the largest such group in the United States. Newsom is a Democrat who took office in January and a long-standing opponent of the death penalty, which was last carried out in California in 2006. “The death penalty is inconsistent with our bedrock […]
Gobierno de Maduro: Servicio eléctrico reestablecido en casi toda Venezuela
Nadine Dueñas Eagle News Service URUGUAY, SUDAMÉRICA–El gobierno de Presidente Nicolás Maduro aseguró que el servicio eléctrico ha sido reestablecido en la mayoría de los estados de Venezuela. En una rueda de prensa esta semana, Jorge Rodríguez, vicepresidente sectorial de Comunicación, Cultura y Turismo, dijo que el Presidente estaba “al frente” del ” trabajo de recuperación,” y ha “ordenado del despliegue de todos los ministerios para la distribución de alimentos, de cisternas con agua, de la […]
19 migrants kidnapped from bus in Mexico: president
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Nineteen passengers who were kidnapped from a bus last week in northern Mexico were migrants, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Tuesday, as investigators worked through the murky details of the case. The men were crossing the violent state of Tamaulipas, on the US-Mexican border, on Thursday when four vehicles blocked the road and forced their bus to stop, according to authorities. Armed men then boarded the coach and kidnapped […]





