HUARMEY, Peru (Reuters) — Residents of the flood-ravaged city of Huarmey in central Peru are struggling to tame encroaching waters after lagoons in the city burst their banks, exacerbating a natural disaster that has claimed at least 75 lives nationally. An avalanche of mud has hit homes in the city, forcing residents to lay down sandbags to protect their belongings. Drinking water has also been cut off for many residents, with authorities forced to truck […]
International
UK laptop ban on flights to be implemented by Saturday
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Airlines impacted by Britain’s cabin ban on electronic devices on flights from some Middle East and North Africa countries have until Saturday to implement the measure, officials said Wednesday. But passengers “should go to the airport with the expectation that the measures are already in effect”, a transport ministry spokeswoman said. On Tuesday, Britain said it would tighten airline security on direct flights originating from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, […]
World leaders ‘stand’ with Britain after London attack
PARIS, France (AFP) — World leaders unanimously condemned the attack in the heart of London by a man who was shot dead by armed police, with many saying they stand with Britain. At least four people were killed and more than 40 injured in the attack outside parliament Wednesday when a man mowed down pedestrians with a car then leapt out and stabbed a police officer. In an address outside her Downing Street office, […]
Eiffel Tower to go dark at midnight for London victims
PARIS, France (AFP) — Lights on the Eiffel Tower will be switched off at midnight (2300 GMT) on Wednesday in solidarity with those killed and injured in a terror attack outside Britain’s parliament. The decision was taken by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo following the deadly attack in which a man ploughed his car into pedestrians on London’s Westminster Bridge then leapt out and stabbed a policeman, killing three people and wounding more than 20. Hidalgo […]
Dramatic moments from Westminster attack
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — From a government minister trying to resuscitate a dying policeman to a woman rescued from the River Thames, here are some of the most dramatic moments from Wednesday’s Westminster attack. Hero MP Junior foreign minister Tobias Ellwood was pictured with blood on his face after trying in vain to save the policeman stabbed to death on the cobbled yard outside the Houses of Parliament. “I tried to stem the flow […]
After Trump tweet, Pentagon chief explains NATO funding
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told lawmakers Wednesday that NATO does not track “past money owed,” days after President Donald Trump claimed Germany has shortchanged the alliance by massive amounts. “I cannot give you an accounting for past money owed, because that’s not the way we do that in NATO,” Mattis said at a Senate hearing in Washington. After meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House last […]
Allies vow to destroy IS as attacks overshadow talks
by Dave Clark Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States – The US-led coalition against the Islamic State group vowed to crush the jihadists Wednesday at a meeting overshadowed by an attack in London and civilian deaths in Syria. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson welcomed his counterparts from the mainly Western and Arab 68-nation alliance to Washington with a promise to hunt down IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. But he also warned the coalition is “not in […]
Brazil tries to rescue meat industry from scandal
by Damian WROCLAVSKY Agence France-Presse BRASILIA, Brazil -Brazil’s government fought Wednesday to save the country’s meat industry from getting burned in a corruption scandal that has prompted several countries to pull Brazilian beef and chicken from the menu. Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi did not mince his words. “What we are suffering now is a blow, a punch to the stomach,” he told the Senate. “We have to recover, to reorganize our forces, to travel around […]
Four killed in attack on symbol of British democracy
by Dario THUBURN / Alice RITCHIE Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom – Four people were killed and 40 injured after being run over and stabbed in a lightning attack at the gates of British democracy on Wednesday attributed by police to “Islamist-related terrorism”. The attack unfolded across Westminster Bridge in the shadow of Big Ben, a towering landmark that draws tourists by the millions and stands over Britain’s Houses of Parliament — the very image of […]
British police: Security incident outside UK Parliament “terrorist”
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British police said a security incident outside parliament on Wednesday which saw a police officer stabbed and his assailant shot was being treated as “terrorist.” “We are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise,” police said in a statement.
US envoy Joseph Yun meets South Korean counterpart in Seoul
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy, Joseph Yun, met with his South Korean counterpart Kim Hong-kyun in Seoul on Wednesday (March 22) to discuss a response to the North’s weapons program. The bilateral meeting comes one week after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s first Asia trip to Japan, South Korea and China. Yun said Tillerson has delivered a strong message to Beijing that they are concerned about […]
Trump will attend NATO summit in May: White House
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House confirmed on Tuesday that President Donald Trump will take part in a summit of North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders in Brussels on May 25, the first since his election victory last year. “The President looks forward to meeting with his NATO counterparts to reaffirm our strong commitment to NATO, and to discuss issues critical to the alliance, especially allied responsibility-sharing and NATO’s role in the fight against terrorism,” […]





