International

Armenia PM’s bloc takes lead in snap parliamentary polls: early resul

YEREVAN, Armenia (AFP) — The electoral bloc of Armenia’s acting premier Nikol Pashinyan was in the lead according to early results in Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections triggered by the reformist leader, who is aiming to cement his political authority in the post-Soviet country. The bloc led by Pashiniayn’s Civil Contract party had 70.25 percent of the votes,  and in second place with 9.15 percent was the Prosperous Armenia party, according to results from 25 percent […]

Thousands march for climate in Paris despite ‘yellow vest’ unrest

Paris, France | AFP | Up to 25,000 people marched through Paris on Saturday urging greater action on climate change, despite fears that their protest would be scuppered by “yellow vest” demonstrations. Police estimated the number of green activists heading onto the streets at 17,000 while organisers counted 25,000 urging world governments to better protect the environment. The numbers were similar to previous climate marches in Paris, despite sporadic violence in the city on Saturday among thousands of “yellow […]

Trump says chief of staff John Kelly leaving at year’s end

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced his chief of staff John Kelly will soon be leaving the administration, the latest key personnel move at a time of mounting pressure from the Russia election-meddling probe that comes amid increased focus on preparing for the 2020 elections. Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, was long rumored to be on the way out, amid reports that his relationship with the volatile Trump had deteriorated to such an […]

Trump’s revolving door: Kelly is latest senior White House departure

  White House chief of staff John Kelly will be leaving by the end of the year, US President Donald Trump announced Saturday. That will make him the latest top official to exit the US leader’s inner circle. Dozens of White House aides — from Attorney General Jeff Sessions to press secretary Sean Spicer to chief of staff Reince Priebus — have either left or been sacked from their posts since Trump took office on January 20, 2017. […]

Surfer severely mauled by shark in Australia

sA surfer was severely mauled by a shark off Australia’s east coast, officials said Sunday, the latest in a series of attacks in recent months. The 36-year-old was surfing near Scotts Head Beach some 490 kilometres (300 miles) north of Sydney in the morning when he was bitten, New South Wales state police said. “The man suffered a severe leg injury below his knee on his right leg,” a NSW Ambulance spokesman told AFP. “He […]

Nearly 300 detained as Paris braces for ‘yellow vest’ protests

  by Katy Lee Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Paris police detained nearly 300 people Saturday ahead of fresh anti-government “yellow vest” protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a third weekend in a row. Clad in their luminous road safety jackets, dozens of demonstrators — who accuse President Emmanuel Macron of only looking out for the rich — gathered at dawn on the Champs-Elysees, the scene last Saturday of the worst […]

Six dead, dozens hurt in stampede at Italian nightclub

  ROME, Italy (AFP) — Six people died and dozens were injured in a stampede when panic broke out during a rap concert at an Italian nightclub Saturday morning, the fire service said. Media reports say the suspected use of a pepper spray-like substance sparked the chaos at the venue in the town of Corinaldo, near Ancona in central Italy. “The cause may have been the dispersal of a stinging substance, the young people fled […]

DFA: Body of Filipina found floating in river in Sabah

(Eagle News)–The body of a Filipina was found floating in a river in Sabah  recently, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday, Dec. 8. In a statement, the DFA said authorities were looking at the possibility the case of Madelyn Bernardo Asuncion, who was discovered by a plantation worker in Pengalan River in Melalap on Nov. 28, was a homicide. The DFA said the embassy in Malaysia is waiting for the official report of the incident […]

Cash for kids: South Korea seeks to raise falling birthrate

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea issued a raft of measures Friday to try to reverse one of the world’s lowest birth rates, offering potential parents increased benefits as it faces a looming population decline. The country’s fertility rate — the number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime — fell to 0.95 in the third quarter, the first time it has dropped below 1 and far short of […]

Road accident deaths swell to 1.35 million each year: WHO

by Nina LARSON Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Road accidents kill someone every 24 seconds, with a total of 1.35 million traffic deaths around the world each year, the World Health Organization said Friday, demanding global action. The number of fatalities annually has swelled by around 100,000 in just three years, with road accidents now the leading killer of children and young people between the ages of five and 29, the UN health agency […]

Huawei arrest a ‘despicable rogue’ action: Chinese media

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese state-run media on Friday condemned the arrest in Canada of a top executive of telecoms giant Huawei on a US extradition request as a “despicable rogue’s approach” to contain Chinese high-tech ambitions. The arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer, has angered the Chinese government and raised concerns that it could disrupt a trade war truce between the world’s two biggest economies. “The Chinese government should seriously mull over […]

Aquarius migrant rescue ship quits after facing ‘sustained campaign’

The charity-run migrant rescue ship Aquarius will end its missions in the Mediterranean, with humanitarian group MSF blaming Italy and other European states for smearing and obstructing its work. The vessel, chartered by SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), has been stranded in Marseille, in the south of France, since October after Panama revoked the right to fly its flag following a request from Italy’s far-right, anti-establishment government. The ship became a symbol of the […]