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SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with visiting Cuban president in Pyongyang and discussed “crucial issues of common concern” on the current international situation, the North’s state media reported Monday. The visit by Miguel Diaz-Canel comes amid stalled talks between North Korea and the United States and only days after Washington imposed fresh economic restrictions on Cuba. Washington’s ties with Havana were fully restored in 2015 after more than […]
by Charlotte PLANTIVE Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Supreme Court is set to consider on Tuesday the fate of a death row prisoner who says the government’s plan to execute him by lethal injection could cause him to choke on his own blood due a rare medical condition. Missouri death-row inmate Russell Bucklew, 50, was sentenced to death for rape and murder — but says execution via lethal injection would violate […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — President Xi Jinping said on Monday that China would accelerate efforts to remove barriers to foreign businesses and to increase imports, amid growing pressure to follow through on earlier pledges to open the country’s huge markets. Xi said China would seek to “step up” moves to stimulate domestic consumption of imports, lower tariffs, ease customs clearance procedures, and implement harsh punishments for intellectual property infringements, among other measures. “We will foster […]
by Brian KNOWLTON Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States is reimposing punitive measures targeting the Iranian oil and financial sectors in what US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called “the toughest sanctions ever placed” against Iran. Taking effect Monday, the measures are the most concrete result yet of US President Donald Trump’s controversial decision in May to abandon the multi-nation nuclear deal with Tehran. They will directly affect companies from […]
SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — President Xi Jinping on Monday will open a Shanghai import fair intended as a signal by China that its markets are open despite mounting criticism to the contrary and the worsening trade war with Washington. Organisers say more than 3,000 foreign companies from 130 countries including the United States, Europe and across Asia, will put their products on display for potential Chinese buyers at the China International Import Expo. Companies in […]
by Douglas Gillison Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — An Iowa Republican jokes that US President Donald Trump’s trade war with China has him thinking of jumping out a window. But a five hour drive to the south, an Illinois Democrat cheers the local steel mills that Trump’s punishing import tariffs have brought roaring back to life. Though by no means the top issue on voters’ minds nationwide, Trump’s multi-front trade battles have […]
by Alessandro FUCARINI with Catherine Marcinao in Rome Agence France Presse CASTELDACCIA, Italy (AFP) — Floods killed 12 people on the island of Sicily, including nine members of a single family, pushing Italy’s week-long storm toll beyond 30, rescuers said Sunday. After a river burst its banks, the bodies of the family including children aged one, three and 15 were discovered in the town of Casteldaccia in the Palerno region. Their house was near a […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A shallow 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido on Monday, the US Geological Survey said. The moderate quake hit at a depth of eight kilometers (five miles), 107 kilometers northeast of Shibetsu. USGS said there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage. It comes after a powerful 6.6-magnitude quake in September rocked Hokkaido, triggering landslides, collapsing houses and killing more than 40. Japan sits at the junction […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — An Indonesian diver died while recovering body parts from the ill-fated Lion Air plane which crashed into the sea killing 189 people, an official said Saturday. Syachrul Anto, 48, who died on Friday, was part of the team searching for body parts and debris from the jet in the Java Sea. “He was a volunteer with the Search and Rescue Agency,” Isswarto, commander of the Indonesian navy’s search and rescue […]
by Raziye Akkoc with Daniel Lawler in Istanbul Agence France Presse ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the order to murder Jamal Khashoggi came from “the highest levels” of the Saudi government Friday as he promised no let-up in the hunt for his killers. A month on from Khashoggi’s murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Erdogan said he did “not believe for a second” that King Salman was to blame. […]
by Douglas Gillison Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US economic engine delivered another jolt of good news as Republicans battle to maintain control of Congress in next week’s midterm elections, churning out jobs and giving workers a fat pay bump, government data showed Friday. The economy brushed past Hurricane Michael, adding 250,000 net new positions in October and handily overshooting forecasts, while salaries rose at the fastest pace in nearly […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A scuffle between a driver and a passenger caused their bus to plunge from a bridge into a river in southwest China, killing at least 13 people, police said Friday. Dramatic video footage of Sunday’s crash shows a woman striking the driver over the head with an object, prompting him to hit back with one hand. The woman then lashes out once more. The driver then suddenly yanks the wheel […]
