International

All Chilean bishops quit over child abuse scandal: spokesman

  VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Thirty-four Chilean bishops announced their resignation Friday over a child sex abuse scandal within the Church in Chile after three days of intense meetings with Pope Francis at the Vatican. “We, all the bishops present in Rome, have tendered our resignation to the Holy Father so that he may decide freely for each of us,” the bishops said in a statement read out by a spokesman at the Vatican. “We […]

Prince Charles to walk Meghan down aisle after dad drops out

  by Edouard Guihaire  Agence France Presse WINDSOR, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prince Charles will be the one to walk Meghan Markle down the aisle when she marries his son Prince Harry, palace officials said Friday as final preparations were under way on the eve of the royal wedding. The bride had initially hoped her father Thomas Markle would take on the role, but confirmed Thursday he would not attend as he is recovering from […]

25 people dead due to Ebola in DR Congo as disease spreads

  The number of suspected, probable and confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 45, with 25 people dead, the World Health Organization said Friday. WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic, who gave the figures to reporters in Geneva, said that 14 of the cases had been confirmed as the deadly Ebola virus following laboratory tests. This came about after WHO warned Friday that the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the […]

Cambridge Analytica files for voluntary bankruptcy in US: court filing

  NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — British political consulting group Cambridge Analytica filed for voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the Southern District of New York, court documents showed. The firm, whose attorney filed late Wednesday, announced early May that it would close and file for bankruptcy in Britain and the United States after failing to recover from the Facebook data scandal. The documents, seen by AFP, listed Cambridge Analytica LLC’s estimated assets in the […]

Egypt opens Gaza border for month of Ramadan: president

CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has made a rare decision to open the Rafah crossing with Gaza for a month, allowing Palestinians to cross during the period of Ramadan. The decision to keep the crossing open was taken “to alleviate the suffering” of residents in the Palestinian enclave, Sisi said on Facebook late Thursday. The Rafah crossing is Gaza’s only gateway to the outside world not controlled by Israel, but Egypt […]

No plans to cut back US-South Korea drills: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pentagon is not considering cutting back the joint US-South Korean military exercises that have drawn angry condemnation from Pyongyang ahead of a planned US-North Korea summit, an official said Thursday. “There’s been no talk of reducing anything. There’s been no talk of changing our scope,” Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said. The exercises “are defensive in nature and the scope hasn’t changed … This is about safeguarding the alliance,” she […]

Trump promises N.Korea’s Kim can stay in power

by Andrew BEATTY Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump tried to put his summit with Kim Jong Un back on track Thursday, offering the North Korean leader guarantees of staying in power if he abandons nuclear weapons. As prospects for a historic summit next month between the two leaders dimmed, Trump told reporters that if the meeting were to go ahead successfully, Kim “will get protections that will be […]

Hawaii volcano summit erupts, residents urged to take shelter

by Jocelyne Zablit Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted from its summit early Thursday, shooting a huge plume of ash miles into the sky and prompting authorities to urge area residents to take cover. The Hawaii Volcano Observatory said the explosion within Kilauea’s Halemaumau crater had produced a volcanic cloud that reached as high as 30,000 feet (9,000 meters) and was drifting downwind to the northeast. The Observatory […]

Israel launches new air raid on Hamas in Gaza

JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel said Thursday it launched an overnight air raid on a Hamas facility in Gaza after gunfire from the territory targeted its soldiers and damaged a building. “The Israeli army struck targets belonging to Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip, including terrorist infrastructure and weapons-making facilities,” the military said in a statement. Palestinian security sources confirmed the target was a Hamas base, saying there were no immediate reports of injuries. On Wednesday, […]

Fujimori says he will not appeal travel ban

LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Ex-president Alberto Fujimori said Wednesday he would not oppose a judge’s ban on his leaving Peru ahead of a new trial. “I will not appeal. All I want is to have time with my family and write my memoirs,” the ex-president, 79, said on Twitter. Fujimori, president from 1990-2000, had been serving a 25-year prison sentence for crimes that included commanding death squads that killed suspected civilian sympathizers of leftwing guerrillas […]