International

Australia braces for new prime minister after bitter coup

  by Martin Parry Agence France-Presse SYDNEY, Australia  (AFP) — Australia was bracing for yet another change of prime minister Friday after a revolt against Malcolm Turnbull by hardline conservatives in his Liberal party, with his near three-year reign hanging by a thread. Former home affairs minister Peter Dutton, an ex-police officer and right-winger, has been the stalking horse seeking to unseat Turnbull after a party backlash against his more moderate approach to politics. Turnbull survived […]

Trump declares emergency as Hawaii braces for hurricane

  by Ronit Fahl Agence France Presse Hurricane Lane drenched Hawaii Thursday ahead of its arrival in the island state, prompting US President Donald Trump to declare a state of emergency as landslides and flash flooding left roads blocked. The National Weather Service said Lane — located about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Hawaii — remained a powerful category four hurricane, packing winds in excess of 130 miles per hour. The eye was expected […]

Argentine investigators search homes of ex-president Kirchner

  by Liliana Samuel Agence France-Presse BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — Police accompanied by sniffer dogs searched the homes of Argentina’s former president Cristina Kirchner on Thursday as the investigation intensified into the so-called “notebooks” corruption scandal that has rocked the country. The move came one day after judge Claudio Bonadio, who is leading the investigation into the multi-million-dollar bribery case, successfully petitioned the Senate to partially lift Kirchner’s congressional immunity to accommodate the searches. Police […]

US-Mexico trade talks progressing but no breakthrough with China

    by Heather Scott Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Negotiations between the United States and Mexico to revise the nearly 25-year-old North American Free Trade agreement are making progress but will not be concluded this week, Mexico’s Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said Thursday. But a Chinese delegation, in Washington for talks aimed at defusing the spiraling US trade war with Beijing, left without any breakthrough. NAFTA and China have been two key targets of US President […]

Russia will block US bid for UN blacklist of Russian ships over N.Korea

    by Carole Landry  Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS , United States (AFP) — Russia will oppose a US request to the UN Security Council to blacklist two Russian shipping firms and six Russian-flagged vessels over their dealings with sanctions-hit North Korea, the Russian ambassador said Thursday. The United States presented a request to a UN sanctions committee on Wednesday — its third bid in two months to seek UN action and turn up the pressure […]

Watch: NASA satellite images capture Hurricane Lane heading towards Hawaii

  Satellite images of Hurricane Lane, a major storm approaching Hawaii, are captured by the International Space Station.  (Video source: NASA TV) Honolulu governor David Ige said in a tweet that “a Hurricane Warning is in effect for #Oahu, #Maui County and #Hawaii County.” “A Hurricane Watch is in effect for #Kauai County. Hurricane warning means the hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hrs while a hurricane watch is issued when hurricane conditions are within 48 […]

EBC Hawaii Bureau reports on preparations in Hawaii before arrival of Hurricane Lane

  Eagle News Service’s Hawaii correspondent Alfred Acenas reports near the Daniel K. Inouye airport, also known as the Honolulu International airport, on Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2018 on the preparations being done in Hawaii before the expected arrival of Hurricane Lane later on nightfall. Acenas reports on the public address made by Honolulu mayor Kirk Caldwell urging residents to step up preparedness measures before the monster hurricane’s arrival. “Everyone on O‘ahu and throughout the state […]

China investigates top Buddhist leader for sexual assault

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — The former head of China’s government-run Buddhist association is under criminal investigation for alleged sexual assault, the country’s top religious authority said Thursday. Xuecheng, a Communist Party member and abbot of Beijing’s Longquan Monastery, is one of the most prominent figures to face accusations in China’s growing #MeToo movement. He stepped down earlier this month after a report by fellow monks accused him of sexual and financial improprieties. In the […]