International

Two Koreas agree to withdraw some border guard posts

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The two Koreas on Friday agreed to remove 11 guard posts along the heavily-fortified border next month with a goal to possibly remove all of them in the future, senior military officials said. The agreement made between generals from the two sides came as diplomatic thaw between the former wartime foes gathered pace. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the North’s leader Kim Jong Un previously agreed on a broad […]

Hurricane largely wipes out tiny Hawaiian island

Marine debris teams were dispatched to assess the damage this week after a tiny, remote Hawaiian island was largely wiped off the map when a raging hurricane passed through, officials said. East Island was a low-lying island composed mainly of loose sand and gravel, and was home to threatened nesting green sea turtles and endangered Hawaiian monk seals. All but a couple of slivers of sand were erased from the already tiny island — about […]

School pupils among 17 killed in Jordan flash floods

AMMAN, Jordan (AFP) — Flash floods in Jordan swept away a school bus Thursday, killing at least 17 people, mostly pupils, emergency services said, as Israel sent forces to help with rescue operations. At least 25 more people were injured in the incident near the Dead Sea, said an official from the civil defense — Jordan’s fire service — who asked not to be named. “Heavy rains caused a flash flood close to the Dead […]

Pentagon to send about 800 troops to US-Mexico border

by Thomas Watkins Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pentagon is expected to deploy about 800 troops to the US-Mexico border, two US officials told AFP on Thursday, after President Donald Trump said the military would help tackle a “national emergency” and called on a caravan of migrants to turn around. The active-duty troops would augment the 2,000 or so National Guardsmen already deployed to support operations on the border, and could […]

Trade ministers, without US and China, call for urgent WTO reforms

  by Michel Comte Agence France Presse OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — An overhaul of global trade is urgently needed, 13 trade ministers representing all regions of the world said Thursday, following two days of talks in Ottawa aimed at setting objectives to reform the troubled system. The group made a veiled appeal to the United States to stop blocking appointments to WTO dispute resolution panels, warning the system will otherwise collapse soon. Leaders also said […]

Strong 6.8 magnitude quake strikes off Greece: USGS

  ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Greece on Friday, and was felt in the tourist hotspot island of Zante, monitoring agencies said. It struck off the southern part of the island, also known as Zakynthos, in the Ionian Sea at 1.50 am (2250 GMT Thursday), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Local media reported damage caused by landslides and electricity outages. USGS said the quake, which struck at a […]

Authorities arrest and question man suspected of throwing Molotov cocktails at INC house of worship in Seattle

  (Eagle News) – Arson detectives are now questioning the man arrested by Seattle police on Tuesday, October 23, suspected to have thrown several Molotov cocktail devices at the house of worship of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) in Seattle’s Rainier Valley district last Thursday, October. 18. In a statement, the police said the suspect was in his 30s. He was arrested “Tuesday evening around 6:30 in South Seattle.” “Arson detectives are currently […]

US probes pipe bombs sent to Trump foes Obama, Clinton, CNN

by Jennie Matthew/ with Saul Loeb in Mosinee NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — US authorities pressed ahead Thursday with an all-out probe into who was behind pipe bombs sent to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, other top Democrats, and CNN, all of them hate figures for supporters of President Donald Trump. Trump critics accused him of encouraging violence just days before a bitterly divided America votes November 6 in elections. Trump reacted to the rapid […]

Questions mount over delay after Cathay Pacific admits huge data leak

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific came under pressure Thursday to explain why it had taken five months to admit it had been hacked and compromised the data of 9.4 million customers, including passport numbers and credit card details. The airline said Wednesday it had discovered suspicious activity on its network in March and confirmed unauthorized access to certain personal data in early May. However, chief customer and commercial officer Paul […]

Koreas remove guns from Cold War truce village

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The two Koreas were removing the last remaining firearms and guard posts on Thursday from a Cold War era truce village where armed soldiers have stared each other down for decades, Seoul’s defense ministry said. The Joint Security Area — also known as the truce village of Panmunjom — has historically been both a flashpoint and a key location for diplomacy between the two Koreas ever since their split in […]

Saudi crown prince deplores ‘repulsive’ Khashoggi murder in first comments

by Anuj Chopra and Mohamad Ali Harissi Agence France Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s crown prince denounced the “repulsive” murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and vowed justice will prevail, in his first public comments on the case, without addressing US accusations of a monumental cover-up. Speaking at an investment conference in Riyadh, due to end on Thursday, the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged there would be “no rupture” in ties with […]

Migrant caravan resumes trek to US-Mexico border

MAPASTEPEC, Mexico (AFP) — Thousands of Central American migrants crossing Mexico toward the United States in a caravan resumed their long trek Wednesday, walking about 12 hours to their next destination. The migrants, who have drawn near-daily Twitter tirades from US President Donald Trump, walked and hitched rides from the town of Huixtla, in southern Mexico, to Mapastepec, some 60 kilometers (40 miles) away. Carrying their few belongings on their backs — many with babies […]