International

Vietnam floods kill 25 as new typhoon approaches

  HANOI, Vietnam | AFP | — Severe flooding in central Vietnam has killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes, officials said Monday, as the country braced for further destruction with a typhoon barrelling closer. Images from flood-hit provinces showed houses almost completely submerged and people paddling down waterlogged streets following heavy rain that started last week. Four people are still missing after the deluge, which destroyed or damaged more than 240,000 […]

6.9-magnitude quake hits off PNG: USGS

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea on Monday, officials said, but no Pacific-wide tsunami warning was issued. The tremor was estimated at a depth of 35 kilometres (22 miles) in the New Britain region of the country, some 418 kilometres northeast of the capital Port Moresby, the United States Geological Survey said. © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

25 inmates killed in Brazil prison clash

  by Natalia Ramos SAO PAULO, Brazil | AFP | — At least 25 inmates died Sunday in clashes between two rival factions in a prison in far northern Brazil, the latest episode of violence shaking the country’s underfunded and overcrowded prison system. Seven of the dead were beheaded and six burned to death in fighting at a prison in Boa Vista, the capital of Roraima state, the news site G1 reported, citing local police. […]

Japan bans Galaxy Note 7 on airplanes over fire risk

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan has barred all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones from airplanes, mirroring moves by US regulators and a string of carriers that banned the recalled devices over fire risk concerns. The weekend announcement from Japan’s transport ministry follows an earlier warning that asked airlines to urge passengers not to turn on or charge the smartphones on aircraft. But aviation authorities went a step further on Saturday, ordering airlines to ban the […]

Hospitals among destroyed buildings in hurricane ravaged Haiti

Hospitals are among the buildings destroyed in southwestern Haiti which was devastated by Hurricane Matthew earlier this month, complicating efforts to treat the injured, cholera patients and pregnant women. A team from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) set out for the hurricane ravaged southwest peninsula of Haiti on Saturday (October 15) to assess the damage with one team focusing on maternity clinics in the region. UNFPA is a United Nations organization that focuses on […]

Bridge collapse near Indonesia’s Bali kills eight

(Reuters) A bridge connecting two small islands near the Indonesian resort island of Bali collapsed on Sunday (October 16) killing eight people and injuring 34 others, officials said. There were too many people passing over the bridge for a religious ceremony when it collapsed at 6 PM local time, police officer Arendra Wahyudi said, adding some motorbikes also fell into the water. The sea beneath the bridge was less than two meters deep, Wahyudi said, […]

Japan PM sends offering to controversial Yasukuni shrine

    TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine for war dead on Monday (October 17) to mark the annual autumn festival of the shrine. The shrine is seen in China and the two Koreas as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism. Past visits by Japanese leaders to Yasukuni have outraged Beijing and Seoul because it honors 14 Japanese leaders convicted by an Allied tribunal as […]

N. Korea missile exploded shortly after lift-off: Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — An explosion almost immediately after launch was behind the failure of North Korea’s latest test-firing of a powerful medium-range missile, the South Korean military confirmed Monday. North Korea tested a Musudan missile — capable of hitting US bases as far away as Guam — shortly after midday Saturday near an air base in the northwestern city of Kusong. Such launches are usually reported within a few hours or even minutes […]

World’s oldest panda in captivity dies in Hong Kong

HONGKONG, China (Reuters) — The oldest giant panda living in captivity, 38-year-old Jia Jia, was euthanized in Hong Kong after rapidly deteriorating health over the past two weeks, her owners Ocean Park said on Sunday. Jia Jia, whose name means “good”, had been gifted to Hong Kong in 1999 along with another panda, to mark the second anniversary of the city’s handover from former colonial ruler Britain. In recent weeks Jia Jia’s food consumption had […]

Trump attacks, Clinton lies low as last debate nears

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump fired off an erratic new broadside at Hillary Clinton on Sunday, making more explosive claims that American media and a conspiracy to commit voter fraud are rigging the presidential election against him. Amid the latest Twitter blasts from the Republican White House nominee, his running mate Mike Pence sought to lower tensions by insisting his camp would accept defeat if that’s what voters decide on November 8. Two […]

Operation to retake Mosul from IS has begun: Iraq PM

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Operations to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State group have begun, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced early Monday on state television. “The time of victory has come and operations to liberate Mosul have started,” he said in an address broadcast by the Iraqiya channel. “Today I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh (IS),” he said, addressing […]