International

Strong 5.9-magnitude aftershock jolts Indonesia’s Lombok; quake survivors panic

  MATARAM, Indonesia (AFP) — A strong aftershock struck Indonesia’s Lombok on Thursday, causing panic among evacuees sheltering after a devastating earthquake killed more than 160 on the holiday island four days earlier. The 5.9-magnitude quake Thursday struck at a shallow depth in the northwest of the island, the US Geological Survey said, even as relief agencies raced to find survivors among wreckage from Sunday’s quake. “The quake was felt strongly. There have been 355 aftershocks […]

Venezuela lifts opposition lawmakers’ immunity for drone ‘attack’ trial

  by Alexander Martinez / Esteban Rojas Agence France-Presse CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — A super-legislative body loyal to President Nicolas Maduro revoked the immunity of two Venezuelan opposition lawmakers Wednesday, in order to put them on trial for allegedly masterminding a drone “assassination” bid on the leader. Maduro, who has systematically sidelined the opposition as he tightens his grip over his troubled nation, accuses the opposition and Colombia of being behind Saturday’s drone “attack.” He has […]

Australia offers cash assistance to farmers as worst drought in 400 years cripples land

  (Eagle News) — The Australian Government is implementing strategies to assist farmers, as a crippling drought — said to be the worst in the last 400 years  — has taken over vast areas of pastoral heartlands affecting thousands of farmers who heavily rely on their farms to sustain their households. The Federal Government has announced that they will be providing cash payments of up to Aus$12,000 to assist farmers and drought stricken communities. The […]

Criminal case filed against BMW over S. Korea car fires

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A group of BMW owners in South Korea filed a criminal complaint against the German automaker Thursday over alleged delays in recalling more than 100,000 cars after a spate of engine fires, their lawyer said. The timing of the recall, which was issued last month, is already the subject of a government probe, after more than 30 BMW cars — mostly the 520d sedan model — caught fire this year […]

Indonesia quake toll jumps to 164, survivors wait for aid

  by Kiki Siregar Agence France-Presse MATARAM (West Nusa Tenggara), Indonesia (AFP) — The devastating earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok was “exceptionally destructive” and wiped out entire villages in the worst-hit regions, relief agencies warned as the death toll jumped to more than 160 on Thursday. Relief efforts have yet to reach parts of the island four days after the quake hit, Indonesian authorities said, as hopes fade of finding further survivors among the […]

Canada PM does not back down on rights defense in Saudi spat

  by Michel Comte / with Anuj Chopra in Riyadh Agence France-Presse OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday refused to apologize for calling out Saudi Arabia on its human rights record, after Riyadh said it was considering further punitive measures against Ottawa over its criticisms of the kingdom. Tensions have been high between the two countries since Monday, when Riyadh expelled Canada’s ambassador, recalled its own envoy and froze all new […]

US camp raid suspect trained children for school shootings: prosecutors

  LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A man arrested in a raid on a squalid compound in New Mexico was training children living there to carry out school shootings, prosecutors said Wednesday. Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, 40, was arrested along with four other people on Friday at the desert compound in Amalia, New Mexico, and has been charged with 11 counts of child abuse. Eleven children aged one to 15 were found living on the compound […]

Iran’s Zarif: ‘no one trusts America’ anymore

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) —  Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Wednesday it was hard to imagine new talks with the US after it lost the trust of the world with its erratic decision-making. “Imagine negotiating now — how can we trust them?” Zarif told reporters on state broadcaster IRINN. “America has zig-zagged constantly, so now no one trusts them.” Zarif was speaking a day after Washington reimposed a first tranche of harsh sanctions following […]

California scorched by raging wildfires the size of LA

by Josh Edelson Agence France Presse MENDOCINO, United States (AFP) — Thousands of firefighters battled relentless flames ripping across California on Wednesday, as the death toll from a series of infernos that erupted last month hit 11. The raging Mendocino Complex fire comprising twin blazes in the state’s north has now ravaged almost 300,000 acres (120,000 hectares) — approximately the size of sprawling Los Angeles — in less than two weeks, becoming California’s largest wildfire […]

Hurricane Hector threatens Hawaii, John targets Mexico

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Hurricane Hector whirled toward Hawaii Tuesday with 130 mph winds, bringing the threat of dangerous sea swells on two islands in the US archipelago state. The Category Four storm was expected to pass about 100-150 miles (60-100 km) south of the Big Island on Wednesday, government forecasters said. Swells kicked up by Hector are expected to reach shores of the Big Island and Maui late Tuesday, “likely becoming large and […]

Strong typhoon churns towards Japan

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A powerful typhoon was churning towards Japan on Wednesday, prompting the nation’s weather agency to warn of heavy rain and violent winds and airlines to cancel dozens of flights. Typhoon Shanshan was expected to make landfall about 100 kilometres (62 miles) northeast of Tokyo by early Thursday, sparking fears that the busy morning commute in the capital could be disrupted. The storm is packing maximum gusts of 180 kilometres per hour […]

More than 70,000 homeless after deadly Lombok quake

MATARAM, Indonesia (AFP) — More than 70,000 people have been left homeless in the deadly earthquake that hit Lombok island, forced to sleep in makeshift shelters and lacking food, medicine and clean water, authorities said Wednesday. The shallow 6.9-magnitude quake killed at least 105 people and triggered panic among locals and tourists on Lombok on Sunday, just a week after another tremor surged through the holiday island and killed 17. Some 236 people have been […]