International

Houston struggles with massive flooding as more rains forecast

https://youtu.be/qCJMgvM8tcg     by Brendan Smialowski and Antoni Belchi Agence France Presse HOUSTON, United States (AFP) — Widespread flooding unleashed by deadly storm Harvey left Houston — the fourth-largest US city — increasingly isolated Monday, with airports and highways closed and residents being rescued from their inundated homes by boat and helicopter. The city’s two main airports suspended all commercial flights and two hospitals were forced to evacuate patients. A local television station also was […]

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Libya navy seizes oil tanker; detains Filipino crew

TRIPOLI, Libya (AFP) — The Libyan navy said Monday it has seized an oil tanker near the maritime border with Tunisia and detained the 20-member Filipino crew on suspicion of fuel smuggling. Navy spokesman General Ayoub Kacem said the vessel was intercepted on Sunday off Abu Kamash, 170 kilometers (110 miles) west of Tripoli, and its crew transported to the capital to appear before the prosecutor general. The Liberian-flagged tanker belonging to a Greek company […]

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N. Korea scraps air show as sanctions tighten: reports

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea has cancelled this year’s Wonsan Air Show, travel agents said Monday, with reports suggesting tightened travel restrictions by several countries due to nuclear tensions with Pyongyang could be behind the move. The first-ever Wonsan International Friendship Air Festival was held in September last year, attracting hundreds of foreigners as the isolated North showcased a line-up of civilian and military aircraft. The event had been planned to take […]

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German nurse murdered ‘at least 90 patients’: police

by Frank Zeller Agence France Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — A male nurse jailed for life two years ago for killing two hospital patients with lethal drug overdoses murdered at least 90 patients in total, and possibly twice as many, police said Monday, calling it post-war Germany’s worst killing spree. Niels Hoegel, 40, was jailed in February 2015 for two murders and four counts of attempted murder or causing bodily harm on intensive-care patients at […]

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Two dead, 25 missing in China landslide: state media

BEIJING, China (AFP) — A landslide struck some 34 homes in southwest China on Monday, killing two people and leaving another 25 missing in the latest natural disaster to hit the country, state media reported. Rescuers pulled six people out of the rubble, including two who died, in Bijie, Guizhou province, city authorities told the official Xinhua news agency. Search efforts are ongoing and local authorities sent tents, quilts and camp beds to the site, […]

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51 bankers, businessmen on trial in Vietnam for fraud

HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — A former banking magnate and 50 others went on trial in Vietnam Monday over a multi-million dollar fraud at a major private bank, as the communist nation cracks down on corruption in the sector. Authorities have vowed to clean up an industry plagued by favoritism and dodgy loans — part of a broader drive against corruption in the country. In the latest trial the ex-chairman of Ocean Bank, Ha Van Tham, […]

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India says troops ‘disengaging’ after stand-off with China

NEW DELHI, India (AFP)–India said Monday its troops were disengaging from a months-long stand-off with the Chinese military at a strategically important  disputed area in the Himalayas. The foreign ministry said it had reached an “understanding” after talks with Beijing on the confrontation in an area near the Indian border that is claimed by both China and Bhutan. “India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam,” the ministry said in a […]

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Remains of all missing sailors recovered from US warship

SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Divers have recovered the remains of all 10 United States sailors who went missing after their warship collided with a tanker off Singapore, the US Navy said Monday. The remaining eight sailors were retrieved by divers searching flooded compartments of the USS John S. McCain, it said, after the discovery of two bodies was announced last week. The guided-missile destroyer collided with an oil tanker as it headed for a routine […]

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Harvey forces ExxonMobil to close Baytown refining complex

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US petroleum giant ExxonMobil said Sunday it was temporarily closing its enormous refinery in Baytown, Texas, after flooding caused by monster storm Harvey had led to “operational issues.” “We are in the process of a safe and systematic shutdown of operations,” a company statement said. ExxonMobil said it was “taking all precautions” to ensure workers’ safety and minimize the impact of the closure on employees and the local community. The […]

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Houston floods spark chaos, much more rain to come

  by Brendan Smialowski/ and Antoni Belchi Agence France Presse HOUSTON, United States (AFP) Massive flooding unleashed by deadly monster storm Harvey left Houston — the fourth-largest city in the United States — increasingly isolated Sunday as its airports and highways shut down and residents were rescued from their inundated homes by boat. The city’s two main airports suspended all commercial flights and two hospitals were forced to evacuate patients. A local television station also […]

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Death toll from Spain attacks rises to 16: local officials

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — The number of people killed in twin vehicle attacks in Spain last week rose to 16 on Sunday, local authorities in Barcelona said. “This morning a 51-year-old German woman died after being treated in a critical condition in hospital,” said a statement from the region’s civil defense. The attacks on Las Ramblas boulevard in Barcelona and in the seaside resort of Cambrils left around 120 wounded. The woman who died on […]

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Finland police confirm identity of suspect in stabbing attack

HELSINKI, Finland (AFP) — The identity of the main suspect in the stabbing attack this month in the Finnish city of Turku has been confirmed, police said Sunday. Investigators have determined that Abderrahman Mechkah, an asylum seeker whose name had previously been released by police, is a Moroccan  born in 1994. “The police have interviewed the main suspect, and he is willing to communicate with the interviewing police officer,” the National Bureau of Investigation said […]

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