International

Hong Kong Red Cross gives citation, award to INC for recent blood donation drive

  (Eagle News) – The Hong Kong Red Cross has given recognition to the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) for its recent blood donation drive in Hong Kong that helped its campaign to save lives. The Hong Kong chapter of the Red Cross cited the “high participation” and the “contribution to social responsibility” of the INC members and awarded the “Give Blood Alliance” Gold, Silver, Bronze award to the Church. The INC was also […]

Tsunami warning for three Pacific islands after quake

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) —  Small tsunami waves lapped New Caledonia, Fiji and Vanuatu Wednesday after a strong earthquake in the Pacific Ocean, but the threat passed without any damage reported. After the 7.1 magnitude quake struck off the eastern coast of New Caledonia, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said “waves reaching 0.3 to 1 metre above the tide level” were possible. But only minor sea level fluctuations were recorded and the warning was soon called off. Despite […]

Small tsunami waves after New Caledonia quake

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of New Caledonia on Wednesday and generated small tsunami waves, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage. The tremor hit at a depth of 27 kilometers (16 miles) in the southern Pacific Ocean, some 231 kilometers from the nearest town Tadine in the lightly populated Loyalty Islands, the US Geological Survey said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said “small […]

Trudeau stands firm on US demands as NAFTA talks set to resume

    by Heather Scott Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — As Washington and Ottawa resumed trade talks Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would only sign a new trade pact that was good for his country. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland was upbeat in Washington after meeting US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, saying that “detailed” discussions to salvage the North American Free Trade Agreement as a three-nation deal would begin the following […]

Catholic Church’s Pope Francis silent on claim he ignored reports of clergy sexual abuse

  by Catherine Marciano Agence France Presse VATICAN CITY (AFP) — The Catholic Church’s Pope Francis has declined to comment on a claim that he ignored sexual abuse allegations against a senior clergyman amid speculation conservative elements in the Catholic hierarchy are using the issue to mount a “putsch” to remove the liberal pontiff. Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a former Vatican envoy to the United States, on Saturday said he had told Francis of the […]

France’s Environment Minister Hulot announces resignation

PARIS, France (AFP) — France’s Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot, one of the most popular members of President Emmanuel Macron’s government, announced his resignation on Tuesday. “I am taking the decision to leave the government,” he said on France Inter radio, adding that he felt “all alone” on environmental issues within the cabinet. © Agence France-Presse

End of an ‘era’: Emperor’s exit resets Japan calendar

by Miwa Suzuki Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The abdication of Japan’s Emperor Akihito next year will be quite literally the end of an era, the Heisei era of his rule, and behind closed doors, talks on the next era have begun. Japan is the only country in the world still using Chinese-style imperial calendars. It might be 2018 in much of the world, but in Japan it is Heisei 30, or 30 […]

Trump, under pressure to honor McCain, orders flags to half-staff

by Jerome Cartillier with Robyn Beck in Phoenix Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump bowed to pressure Monday to honor the late John McCain, ordering that flags be lowered to half-staff across the country, as the late senator fired a parting shot at the president in a farewell message to the United States. Trump’s about-face came after he found himself mired in controversy over his rather conspicuous failure to pay tribute […]

North Korea still ‘serious and imminent threat’: Japan

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — North Korea still poses a “serious and imminent threat”, Japan said Tuesday in its first annual defence review since an outbreak of diplomacy on the Korean peninsula. Japan’s 2018 defence white paper also took aim at China’s rise as a military power, saying Beijing was sparking “strong security concerns in the region and international community, including Japan”. Last year’s defence review was published at the height of the tensions with North […]

Fire forces brief Statue of Liberty evacuation

NEW YORK, United States (AFP)–More than 3,000 tourists were evacuated Monday from the island where the Statue of Liberty stands, after propane cylinders caught fire at a construction site near the iconic landmark, officials said. Liberty Island, which welcomes thousands of visitors a day during the busy summer season, was evacuated for more than two hours, before the fire department announced at around 2pm (1800 GMT) that the blaze was under control. Jerry Willis, a […]

Congolese ‘Terminator’ war crimes case to wrap up at ICC

  THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — International judges will hear closing arguments Tuesday in the case against former Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda, accused of war crimes including using child soldiers and sex slaves in his rebel army. Once known as “The Terminator”, Ntaganda faces 13 counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity for his role in a brutal civil conflict in the DR Congo’s volatile east more than 15 years ago. The […]

Mexico president-elect wants Canada in new NAFTA

  TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico (AFP) — Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called Monday for a three-way trade deal with the United States and Canada, saying a two-way agreement reached with the US was just a first step. “It’s important that Canada also be included,” said the leftist president-elect after the US and Mexico announced a bilateral deal to update the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). “We’re very interested in it remaining a three-country […]