International

Madcap flying machines compete in Moscow

MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) – Contestants in Moscow’s Red Bull Flugtag competition were ready to crash and get wet on Sunday (August 13) with hand-made aircrafts in a variety of shapes from a goblin bolt thrower to human brain plummeting into a river in Moscow. Flugtag means “flight day” in German, but all of these craft ultimately splash into the waters below. Teams built their flying machines with three criteria in mind: how far it will […]

Virginia police, FBI probe deadly violence at white nationalist rally

(Reuters)  U.S. authorities will investigate on Sunday the violence stemming from a white nationalist rally a day earlier that killed one person, injured more than 30, and challenged U.S. President Donald Trump’s leadership. The unrest in the southern college town presented Trump with a domestic crisis, with many on both left and right criticizing him for waiting too long to address it and then, when he did so, failing to explicitly condemn the white-supremacist marchers […]

6.4-magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia’s Sumatra: USGS

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit off the Indonesian island Sumatra on Sunday but there was no tsunami risk, seismologists said as panicked residents fled their homes. The quake hit at a depth of 35 kilometers (22 miles) at 10:08 am (0308 GMT) 73 kilometers west of Bengkulu, according to the United States Geological Survey. “The earthquake was quite strong and shallow, it was felt all the way to Padang, West Sumatra, […]

Amid calls for restraint, Trump again cites ‘military’ option on N. Korea

by Brian Knowlton, with Yanan Wang in Beijing WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States President Donald Trump and his French counterpart pledged Saturday to work to denuclearize North Korea, but Trump again invoked the grim possibility of “military measures” if other steps should fail. Trump’s latest warning came amid a flurry of international calls — from China, the North’s key ally, as well as Russia, Germany, Britain and the United Nations — for the […]

Trump orders probe of China’s intellectual property rules: officials

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) –United States President Donald Trump will sign a memorandum Monday that could lead to sanctions against China over its intellectual property practices, administration officials said Saturday. Trump will direct US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to determine whether any Chinese laws, policies or practices discriminate against or harm American innovators and technology companies, the officials said. If so, Lighthizer would have “broad powers” to seek remedial action. The officials, who spoke on […]

Canadian Presbyterian pastor returns home after N. Korea ordeal

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — A Canadian Presbyterian pastor imprisoned in North Korea for more than two years returned home Saturday days after being released, officials said. Hyeon Soo Lim, 62, was arrested in January 2015 on charges of subversive activities against the North Korean regime, an accusation denied by Ottawa. Although sentenced to hard labor for life, he was granted “sick bail” following a visit to Pyongyang by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national security adviser Daniel Jean. […]

Venezuela calls Trump military threat ‘craziness’

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — United States President Donald Trump’s threat of considering military force in Venezuela is “craziness,” the South American country’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said Friday. “This is an act of craziness, an act of supreme extremism,” General Padrino, who is also in charge of Venezuela’s armed forces, told state television. He was reacting to Trump saying just hours earlier that he was mulling “many options for Venezuela, including a possible military option […]

US forces ‘ready’ to protect Guam against N. Korea: W. House

(Agence France Presse) — United States military forces “stand ready” to safeguard Guam after after North Korea threatened to fire ballistic missiles toward the American Pacific island territory, the White House said early Saturday. During a call with Guam Governor Eddie Calvo, President Donald Trump “reassured” him that “United States forces stand ready to ensure the safety and security of the people of Guam, along with the rest of America,” a statement read. It said White House Chief of […]

Xi urges Trump to avoid exacerbating North Korea tensions

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping urged US President Donald Trump in a phone call Saturday to avoid “words and deeds” that would “exacerbate” the already-tense situation on the Korean Peninsula, state television reported. Xi also called on “relevant parties to maintain restraint” and to “persist in the general direction of dialogue, negotiations and a political settlement”, CCTV said. Xi stressed that “China and the US have a common interest in realising the […]

“Harmful to humans”: Insecticide contaminated eggs from Europe reach Hong Kong

  HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong is increasing inspections of eggs imported from Europe, officials said Saturday after some were found to be contaminated with an insecticide in a scandal which has now spread beyond the EU. Millions of eggs have been pulled from supermarket shelves across Europe and dozens of poultry farms closed since the discovery of fipronil, which can be harmful to humans, was made public on August 1. But in […]

Japan deploys missile defense over N. Korea threat to Guam: reports

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan was on Saturday deploying its Patriot missile defense system after North Korea threatened to fire ballistic missiles over the country towards the US Pacific territory of Guam, reports said. Regional tensions are mounting as Washington and Pyongyang ratchet up their war of words, with President Donald Trump warning Pyongyang would “truly regret” any hostile action against the US. The defence ministry started deploying the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) system in […]

Contaminated eggs scandal spreads from Europe to Asia

by Danny KEMP Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — A scandal involving eggs contaminated with insecticide spread to 15 EU countries, Switzerland and as far away as Hong Kong on Friday as the European Commission called for a special meeting on the growing crisis. Ministers and food safety chiefs from around the European Union are set to meet on September 26 in a bid to get countries to stop “blaming and shaming” each other […]