International

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. […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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“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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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Peru expels Venezuela ambassador over ‘break with democratic rule’

LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru on Friday ordered the expulsion of Venezuela’s ambassador over his country’s “break with democratic rule” under President Nicolas Maduro, the foreign ministry said. Ambassador Diego Molero has five days to leave Peru, the ministry said. The decision came days after Peru’s congress voted for the Venezuelan envoy to be kicked out. “The Peruvian government ratifies its firm position of continuing to contribute to the restoration of democracy in Venezuela,” a […]

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Video: Egypt train collision kills at least 37: ministry

https://youtu.be/2E72VlS1STU   ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (AFP) — At least 37 people were killed as two trains collided Friday outside the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, in one of the deadliest in a string of such accidents in Egypt, the health ministry said. The crash also injured 123 people, the ministry said in a statement. Footage on the state broadcaster showed one train had partly keeled over in the crash, and medics were seen moving the dead and […]

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Trump to talk with China’s Xi on NKorea crisis

BEDMINSTER, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said he would have a phone call on Friday with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to discuss the stand-off over North Korea’s nuclear drive. “That phone call (with Xi) will take place tonight,” Trump told reporters in New Jersey after talks with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and UN ambassador Nikki Haley. “We have been working very closely with China and with other countries.” China has […]

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Satellite photos suggest North Korea preparing submarine missile test: report

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Recent satellite photos suggest North Korea could be preparing for fresh submarine-based ballistic missile tests, an expert on its military said Friday. Joseph Bermudez, a specialist in North Korean defense and intelligence affairs, posted photographs on the authoritative 38 North blog of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University which he said could show preparations for a test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). “Recent commercial satellite imagery reveals […]

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Trump says US military ‘locked and loaded’ on N.Korea

  by Maggy Donaldson in Washington / with Laurent Thomet in Beijing Agence France Presse President Donald Trump on Friday once again upped the ante in his war of words with North Korea, warning Pyongyang that the US military is “locked and loaded” in the event of a misstep by the totalitarian state. Ignoring appeals from China for restraint, Trump launched another rhetorical salvo at the North to keep its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile […]

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