International

Brazilian with German Olympian’s heart runs race of her life

by Sebastian Smith Agence France-Presse RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) – Brazilian Ivonette Balthazar felt jittery ahead of a Rio de Janeiro road race Sunday, but her heart — transplanted from a German Olympian a year ago — spurred her on. In the midst of a long recovery from a transplant operation last year, the three-kilometer (1.9-mile) fun run alongside Rio’s Copacabana Beach seemed like a marathon to 67-year-old Balthazar. That heart, though, wouldn’t let her sit […]

N. Korea, Venezuela, Chad among 8 countries on new US travel ban

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — North Korea, Venezuela and Chad were added Sunday on a new list of countries targeted by a US travel ban due to poor security and lack of cooperation with American authorities. Sudan, one of six majority-Muslim countries on the original travel ban, was removed from the list, leaving eight nations with complete or partial blocks on travel to the United States. Full travel bans were placed on nationals from North […]

Macron vows ‘essential cooperation’ with Germany after Merkel win

PARIS, France (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel on her election win, promising that the two key European partners would keep up their “essential cooperation.” “I called Angela Merkel to congratulate her. We will continue our essential cooperation with determination for Europe and for our countries,” Macron said on Twitter. Merkel won her fourth term in office on Sunday, scoring around 33 percent of the vote with her […]

Merkel- Complicated times ahead

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) — Germany’s conservative chancellor Angela Merkel may have won her fourth consecutive national election on Sunday (September 24), but she faces a huge challenge in trying to forge a three-way alliance between parties far apart on the political spectrum. Speaking to her supporters, Merkel said the coming weeks would not be easy. Despite winning most votes, Merkel’s bloc slumped to its worst result since 1949 and, just as significant in terms of […]

US, N. Korea brinksmanship brings warning of ‘unpredictable nosedive’

by Jim Mannion Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Spiking nuclear tensions between the United States and North Korea showed little sign of abating Sunday as Russia warned of a “very unpredictable nosedive” if Washington does not ease up on its fiery war of words with Pyongyang. US bombers and fighter escorts flew off the coast of North Korea on Saturday and US President Donald Trump took to Twitter with verbal threats as […]

Five days on, hopes fade in Mexico City quake rescue operations

by Marc Burleigh and  Yemeli Ortega Agence France Presse MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Hopes of finding more survivors after Mexico City’s devastating quake dwindled to virtually nothing on Sunday, five days after the 7.1 tremor rocked the heart of the mega-city, toppling dozens of buildings and killing more than 300 people. Yet authorities were still accommodating anguished families who insisted that painstaking rescue operations continue at a handful of sites. Foreign teams from Japan, […]

UPDATED: Merkel wins fourth term; hard right gains foothold in parliament

by Deborah Cole and Hui Min Neo Agence France Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) – Chancellor Angela Merkel clinched a fourth term in Germany’s general election on Sunday, but her victory was clouded by the hard-right AfD party winning its first seats in parliament. Merkel, who after 12 years in power held a double-digit lead for most of the campaign, scored around 33 percent of the vote with her conservative Christian Union (CDU/CSU) bloc, according to […]

US strikes IS camp in Libya, killing 17: official

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US forces carried out six “precision air strikes” against an Islamic State camp in Libya, killing 17 people, the US Africa Command said Sunday. The command said the air strikes were conducted on Friday, in coordination with Libya’s Government of National Accord.

Iglesia Ni Cristo conducts “Aid for Humanity” in Texas to help residents affected by hurricane Harvey

  (Eagle News) – The Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) helped local residents in Texas who were still reeling from the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Harvey when they conducted its “Aid for Humanity” on September 23, Saturday. Thousands of goodwill or care packs consisting of food, cleaning and hygiene supplies, first aid kits and flashlights, were given in two venues where the Aid for Humanity, under the auspices of the Iglesia Ni Cristo’s […]

North Korea quake not a nuclear test, say China experts

BEIJING, China (AFP) — A shallow 3.5-magnitude earthquake which hit North Korea near the country’s nuclear test site on Saturday was not the result of a fresh nuclear test, China’s seismic service said, after initially reporting a “suspected explosion.” The China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said in a statement late Saturday that study of infrasonic data determined “the incident is not a nuclear explosion, but had the nature of a natural earthquake.” The Chinese Academy […]

North Korea minister launches tirade against Trump at UN

by Carole Landry Agence France Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States — North Korea’s foreign minister assailed United States President Donald Trump at the United Nations on Saturday, deriding him as a “mentally deranged” leader whose threats had increased the chances of military confrontation. Ri Yong-ho told the General Assembly that Trump’s vow to “totally destroy” his country if necessary had made “our rockets’ visit to the entire US mainland all the more inevitable.” Describing Trump […]

Hurricane Irma reveals hometown heroes

By Colleen Knight EBC Florida Bureau BRUNSWICK, GA (Eagle News) – Hurricane Irma brought with it much destruction and damage, and while Brunswick and St Simons Island in Georgia did not receive a direct hit, the area saw its share of downed trees, inoperative utilities and historic flood levels. Glynn County had issued a Mandatory Evacuation of the area on September 6, 2017. However, not all the citizens of Glynn County decided to evacuate. Some […]