International

China invites foreign cancer experts to treat Liu Xiaobo

Shenyang, China (AFP) — The Chinese hospital caring for cancer-stricken Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo has decided to invite United States, German and other foreign experts to treat him in China following international pressure to let him go abroad. The legal bureau of Shenyang — the northeastern city where Liu is being treated — said in a statement Wednesday the invitation was made “at the request” of Liu’s family. China has faced global calls to give the democracy […]

South Korea says joint missile drill with US shows zero tolerance for North provocation

SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) – A South Korean military spokesperson on Wednesday (July 5) said a joint missile drill it conducted earlier in the day with the United States army showed that both countries’ forces would “never tolerate any kind of provocation from North Korea.” North Korea on Tuesday (July 4) said it had conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, which some experts believe had the range to […]

‘Are we really the problem?’ ask aid groups saving migrants

  Privately-run aid organizations rescuing migrants off Libya have slammed the idea of creating a “code of conduct” for them to follow, saying European ministers tackling the crisis are bungling their response. Italy, France and Germany held a working dinner on Sunday to prepare the ground for a six-point plan to address the biggest migrant phenomenon since World War II, to be submitted to the bloc at a meeting on Thursday in Talinn. Top of […]

Hong Kong leader lays out difficulties in achieving universal suffrage

HONG KONG, China (Reuters) – New Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam struck a conciliatory tone on Wednesday (July 5) and vowed to improve ties with the legislature, but she suggested fresh reforms to bring greater democracy to the Chinese city would not be tabled anytime soon. Lam, in her first week in office, spent about an hour answering lawmakers’ questions in an especially arranged meeting, where the mood appeared less hostile compared with sessions involving […]

Pro-Kurdish party’s ex-leader tried on ‘terror’ charges in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — The former co-leader of Turkey’s third largest political party went on trial in Ankara on Tuesday on charges of disseminating “terror propaganda” for outlawed Kurdish militants. Figen Yuksekdag and the other co-leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtas, were detained in November and have been held in jail ever since. Their incarceration alarmed the European Union and raised further concerns over use of the state of emergency imposed in […]

Gas pipeline blast in northeast China kills 5, injures 89

SONGYUAN, China (Reuters) – At least five were killed and 89 others were injured in a gas pipeline explosion in northeastern China, state media reported on Wednesday (July 5), the second deadly incident of its kind this week. The blast occurred at 2:45 p.m. (0645 GMT) on Tuesday (July 4) in Songyuan city in Jilin province, state broadcaster CCTV said. It did not name the owner of the pipeline. CCTV-carried mobile phone footage showed black […]

The sights and sounds of Independence Day across the US

Americans celebrated Independence Day on Tuesday (July 4) with fireworks, acts of gluttony and escapes to the beach, even for people in New Jersey where legislators brokered a last-minute deal to reopen state parks. In keeping with tradition, cities across the country will launch fireworks after dark, perhaps the most emblematic way to commemorate July 4, 1776, when the American colonies’ Declaration of Independence from Britain was adopted. The document enshrines the rights to life, […]

Venezuela prosecutor snubs court, defying government in crisis

by Maria Isabel Sanchez Agence France-Presse CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) – Venezuela’s chief prosecutor refused to appear in court Tuesday in a case she says was trumped up by the authorities. Luisa Ortega faced imminent suspension after her move cranked up the tension in a standoff with President Nicolas Maduro, who is resisting opposition calls to quit. Ortega, 59, is the most senior figure to defy Maduro as he fends off efforts to remove him from […]

UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on N. Korea

UNITED STATES (AFP) – The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday after North Korea said it had successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile, diplomats said. The United States — which confirmed it was an ICBM launch — backed by Japan and South Korea, requested the urgent meeting that is scheduled for 3 pm (1900 GMT). North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un oversaw the launch of the Hwasong-14 missile which experts […]

China, Russia to further deepen partnership amid new international situation

RUSSIA (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, have signed a joint statement to further deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership. Under historic new conditions, the two countries will be devoted to further consolidating their relations based on equality, mutual support, common prosperity and an enduring friendship, and will seek to promote deeper political mutual trust, practical cooperation, security cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and international coordination, the document signed on Tuesday in […]

Rain-triggered floods leave 27 dead, 8 missing in central China province

CHINA (Reuters) – Floods triggered by a continuous bout of heavy rain have killed 27 people with 8 missing in central China’s Hunan Province, local authorities announced Tuesday. The floods have also affected over 11 million people and caused a direct economic loss of nearly 29.5 billion yuan, according to the latest data released by Hunan Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters at a press briefing. The heavy rain, which started on June 22, […]

Colombia’s rebel leader released from hospital after mild stroke

BOGOTA, Colombia (AFP) – The leader of the rebel group Colombia’s Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) was released Tuesday from a hospital where he was treated after he suffered a mild stroke, the government said Tuesday. After spending two days in the hospital, Rodrigo Londono has now travelled to Cuba to continue his convalescence, the high commissioner for the country’s peace process said. Doctors said the FARC leader, 58, checked himself into a hospital in Villavicencio in […]