TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A powerful typhoon is on track to batter parts of western Japan that were hit earlier this month by devastating flooding and landslides, Japanese officials warned on Friday. Typhoon Jongdari is currently packing winds of nearly 200 kilometres (125 miles) an hour, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said, and local media reported the system would hit the country’s main island on Saturday night. Authorities are warning of heavy rain, landslides, strong winds and […]
International
Heatwave grips northern Europe as Greece burns
ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — Scorching hot weather set the conditions for Greece’s wildfires — Europe’s deadliest this century with scores killed — while record temperatures in the north of the continent have also sparked blazes causing widespread damage in recent days. Ten EU countries have mobilised firefighters and equipment to help battle the fires in Greece as well as Sweden and Latvia. Here is a roundup of the devastation. – Greece – The fires in […]
Paraguayan minister, deputy die in plane crash: rescuers
ASUNCION, Paraguay (AFP) — Paraguay’s agriculture minister and a deputy minister were among four people killed in an airplane crash near the Argentine border, rescuers said Thursday. The twin-engine light aircraft had taken off from the southern fishing town of Ayolas on Wednesday afternoon but crashed soon afterward, just eight kilometers (4 miles) from the airport. “There are no survivors,” Roque Gonzalez, a member of a search and rescue unit, told AFP. The dead were […]
Rescuers search fire-devastated Greek areas as toll hits 81
by Helene Colliopoulou and Patrick Galey Agence France-Presse ATHENS, Greece (AFP) – At least 81 people died in huge wildfires around Athens, Greek authorities have said, as rescuers scoured scorched homes and burned-out cars for victims of one of the world’s deadliest fire outbreaks. Scores of locals and holidaymakers fled to the sea to try to escape the flames as they tore through towns and villages near the capital stoked by 100-kilometre-per-hour wind gusts, devouring […]
Judge lets anti-corruption case against Trump move forward
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)–A lawsuit that accuses President Donald Trump of violating the constitution by maintaining his interest in a hotel that does business with foreign governments has been allowed to proceed by a US judge. It marked the first time a judge has interpreted anti-corruption clauses in the constitution known as emoluments clauses and applied them to a sitting president, news reports said. US District Judge Robert Messitte in Maryland ruled Wednesday that the […]
Rains hamper search for survivors after Laos dam collapse
ATTAPEU, Laos (AFP) — Rescuers battled fresh rains Thursday to reach scores of people still missing after a dam collapse in southern Laos that unleashed a torrent of water, washing away whole villages and killing at least 26 people. The search for survivors has been hampered by monsoon weather in the remote southern corner of Laos where the Xe-Namnoy dam collapsed on Monday. Panicked residents took flight, taking refuge on rooftops or making their […]
China launches nationwide vaccine sector inspection after scandal
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s drug regulator said it has launched a nationwide inspection of vaccine production as authorities step up the response to a fraud case that has re-ignited public fears over the safety of the country’s medicines. The State Drug Administration (SDA) said in an announcement issued late Wednesday that it had dispatched inspection teams “to thoroughly investigate the whole process and entire chain of vaccine production of all vaccine producers”. The […]
Trump postpones Putin visit as Pompeo defends US stance on Russia
by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Wednesday delayed a second summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, while his top diplomat insisted there was no let up against Moscow following the two leaders’ controversial meeting in Helsinki. Facing mounting calls to release the details of Trump’s closed-door talks with Putin, the US administration stepped up its damage control operation, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo going […]
White House under fire for barring CNN reporter from event
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – The White House was under fire Wednesday for barring a CNN reporter from attending an event with the president, allegedly for having asked questions that officials objected to. Reporter Kaitlan Collins was quoted by CNN as saying that White House communications officials told her she could not attend an event with US President Donald Trump and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker because she had asked “inappropriate” questions earlier in the […]
Trump praises rapport with Kim, hails dismantling of N.Korea site
by with Thomas Watkins in Washington Agence France Presse KANSAS CITY, United States (AFP) — Praising his “good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday welcomed reports that Pyongyang has started dismantling a facility seen as a testing ground for intercontinental ballistic missiles. New satellite imagery shows “that North Korea has begun the process of dismantling a key missile site, and we appreciate that,” Trump said at […]
Hong Kong, US airlines bend to China pressure over Taiwan listing
by Yan Zhao Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific and major American airlines moved to comply Wednesday with Beijing’s demand that they list Taiwan as part of China, sparking anger on the self-governed island. Taiwan condemned what it called the “insolent actions” of Beijing which it said was wielding its political and economic clout to pressure international firms. “Taiwan’s existence in the international community is an […]
IS claims deadly Toronto attack: propaganda agency
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — The Islamic State group on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a weekend shooting that killed two people in Canada’s Toronto. The group’s propaganda agency Amaq said the attacker was “one of the soldiers of the Islamic State”. “He carried out the attack in response to calls to target nationals of countries of the coalition” fighting IS in Syria and Iraq since 2014, it said. © Agence France-Presse





