International

Tens of thousands evacuated from Ukraine arms depot ‘sabotage’ blasts

by Andriy Perun Agence France-Presse KALYNIVKA, Ukraine – Ukrainian authorities evacuated more than 30,000 people Wednesday from the central Vinnytsia region after a huge arms depot storing missiles caught fire and exploded in what prosecutors said was a possible act of “sabotage.” It was the second major incident affecting a large Ukrainian weapons storage site this year. Kiev had blamed a deadly March munitions blast on Moscow and its Russian-backed insurgents fighting Ukrainian forces in the war-wracked east. […]

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Saudi Arabia wins plaudits for ending ban on women driving

by Anuj Chopra Agence France-Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia’s historic decision to allow women to drive won plaudits internationally and inside the conservative kingdom on Wednesday, as euphoria mixed with disbelief among activists who long fought the ban. King Salman’s decree, which takes effect next June, is part of an ambitious reform push that runs the risk of a backlash from religious hardliners. Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world to ban women driving, […]

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Massive ‘yes’ vote in Iraqi Kurd independence referendum

by Abdel Hamid Zebari Agence France-Presse ARBIL, Iraq – Iraq’s Kurds announced a massive “yes” vote for independence on Wednesday following a referendum that has incensed Baghdad and sparked international concern. Official results showed 92.73 percent of voters backing statehood in Monday’s non-binding referendum, which Iraq’s central government rejected as illegal. Turnout was put at 72.61 percent. Longtime Iraqi Kurd leader Massud Barzani said the vote would not lead to an immediate declaration of independence and should instead […]

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Catalan police warn of public disorder if polling stations closed

by Daniel Bosque with Antonio Rodriguez in Madrid Agence France-Presse BARCELONA, Spain – Catalan police warned Wednesday that public disorder may erupt as Spain orders the authorities to seal polling stations and stop the region holding a referendum on independence. The Catalan government has vowed to press ahead with Sunday’s plebiscite despite a crackdown by Madrid which wants to prevent a vote deemed unconstitutional by the courts. The referendum has deeply divided the wealthy northeastern region which is […]

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Rohingya militants deny Myanmar army claims of Hindu massacre

MAUNGDAW, Myanmar  (AFP) – Rohingya militants on Wednesday denied the Myanmar army’s allegations that they had massacred scores of Hindu villagers, whose bodies soldiers displayed to the press after exhuming them from mass graves in northern Rakhine state. Major clashes between the army and the Muslim insurgents erupted last month, triggering a dire refugee crisis with nearly half a million Rohingya fleeing across the border to Bangladesh. An information war has followed, as Myanmar’s government pushes back against […]

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Ammunition depot explodes in central Ukraine

KALYNIVKA, Ukraine (Reuters) — Explosions at a military ammunition depot in central Ukraine were seen in the early hours of Wednesday (September 27), 240 kilometers (168 miles) from the capital. Blasts also occurred late on Tuesday (September 26) at the military base near Kalynivka in the Vynnytsya region, 270 kilometers (168 miles) west of Kiev, Ukrainian emergencies service said in a statement. One person was injured, it said. Rescue teams were evacuating nearby villages in the […]

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Watch: “Batman” cheers up volunteers in Mexico City aid center after quake

https://youtu.be/16RYvW2-OLg   Superhero “Batman” tried to cheer up volunteers in a makeshift aid center in the Mexican capital, bringing much needed joy to a country still reeling from a destructive earthquake that claimed more than 300 lives a week ago. And this local “Batman” in Mexico City brought with him his very own “Bat Mobile” which also attracted the attention of the volunteers and residents. “Because they are working hand in hand, day after day, […]

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UN plans food aid for up to 700,000 Rohingya

   COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AFP) — The United Nations has drawn up a contingency plan to feed up to 700,000 Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar after some 480,000 fled to Bangladesh over the past month and arrivals continue. A senior official from the UN’s World Food Program (WFP) told AFP they were now prepared to provide massive food and other emergency aid if the influx continues in coming weeks. “All the UN agencies together have now set a […]

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Indonesia ready to divert tourists as Bali volcano rumbles

KARANGASEM, Indonesia (AFP) – Indonesian authorities are on standby to divert flights destined for the holiday island of Bali as increasingly frequent tremors from a rumbling volcano stoke fears an eruption could be imminent. Mount Agung, 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the tourist hub of Kuta, has been shaking since August, threatening to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years and forcing more than 80,000 people to flee their homes. Bali attracts millions of […]

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US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and NATO chief Stoltenberg in Kabul

KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Afghanistan Wednesday, the first member of Donald Trump’s cabinet to visit the war-torn country since he pledged to stay the course in America’s longest war. In a sign of the country’s continuing insecurity six rockets landed near Kabul international airport hours after Mattis flew in, the interior ministry said. The rockets struck near the airport’s military section. There were no reports of casualties or […]

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Indian protesters end Darjeeling strike after 104 days

KOLKATA, India (AFP) – A strike that shut down India’s picturesque hill station of Darjeeling — causing violence and disruption to tourism and tea production — was called off Wednesday after 104 days, protesters said. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), a movement demanding the formation of a separate Indian state for ethnic Gorkhas in West Bengal, said it would enter into talks with the government. “After the union home minister Rajnath Singh’s appeal, we had a discussion […]

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Tokyo governor Koike vows break from the past with new party

by Kyoko Hasegawa Agence France-Presse Popular Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike Wednesday vowed a break with old-school politics as she officially launched a new party she hopes will shake up the upcoming snap election in Japan. Pledging to bring back “hope” to the Japanese people, Koike said the party aimed to “reset” the country, which is expected to go to the polls on October 22. “Now is the time for us to carry out reforms that […]

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