International

Russian fighter in ‘unsafe’ intercept of US spy plane: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to a US spy plane over the Black Sea on Wednesday, the Pentagon said, although Moscow quickly insisted the encounter was within “international rules.” A Russian Su-27 Flanker jet made an unsafe, close-range intercept of a US P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine and intelligence plane conducting “routine operations” in international airspace, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said. A US defense official, speaking earlier on condition […]

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Nine dead and two missing after rains cause mudslide in Guatemala

At least nine people died and two people were missing from a small town near Guatemala City on Wednesday (September 7) after intense rains the night before caused a mudslide, emergency workers said. Around 50 people were affected and various homes were damaged in Santa Isabel Villanueva, a town 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of the capital, David de Leon, a spokesman for the national emergency services, told reporters. After Tuesday’s rains, the lack of […]

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Duterte, Obama shake hands and chat after rift over insult

  (REUTERS)  U.S. President Barack Obama and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte shook hands and had a brief chat on Wednesday, officials said, easing a standoff after Duterte called Obama a “son of a bitch” ahead of a summit of Asian leaders in Laos. The presidents of the two longtime allies were due to hold talks on Tuesday but the White House canceled the meeting after Duterte’s insult. “I’m very happy that it happened,” Philippines’ foreign […]

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Syrians begin returning home, two weeks into Turkish offensive

A group of 292 Syrians went back to the Syrian town of Jarablus from Turkey on Wednesday (September 7), marking the first formal return of civilians since Ankara launched a military incursion two weeks ago to try to secure the border region, a Turkish official said. Jarablus, which had been held by Islamic State, was the first town captured by Turkey’s army and its Syrian rebel allies in an offensive launched on Aug. 24 that […]

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Raging temperatures spark wildfires in northern Portugal

Portuguese firefighters on Wednesday (September 7) struggled to control six active wildfires in several parts of the country. In the town of Vila Pouca de Aguiar, at least 15,000 hectares have burned in the last two days, according to local authorities. The fire surrounded villages but firefighters prevented flames from reaching houses. Other districts affected by the fires were Viseu, Castelo Branco, Guarda, Braganca, Vila Real and Faro. Summer forest fires are common in Portugal, […]

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Ahead of summit, Philippines shows images of Chinese boats at disputed shoal

  (REUTERS)  The Philippines’ defense ministry released pictures on Wednesday showing what it said were Chinese boats near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, just hours before Southeast Asian nations were due to meet China’s premier at a summit in Laos. There was no explanation for the timing of the release, but it came two days after Manila expressed “grave concern” about the increasing number of Chinese vessels around the Scarborough Shoal and […]

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U.S. says relationship with Philippines remains “rock solid”

  (Eagle News) — The United States said the relationship between the US and the Philippines remained “rock solid” as a US official stressed that a “very close working relationship” between the two countries will continue. This was despite the cancellation of a bilateral meeting between US President Barack Obama and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during the ASEAN Summit in Laos on Tuesday (September 6) Obama’s deputy National Security director Ben Rhodes told reporters the […]

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Los Angeles passenger train crash injures 21

Nearly two dozen people were injured when a Metrolink commuter train carrying nearly 200 passengers crashed into a semi truck on Tuesday (September 06) morning in Los Angeles, fire department officials said. The collision occurred around 10:40 a.m. local time in Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The department said 21 people were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries. The driver of the truck was uninjured. Dozens of […]

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U.S. urges Bahrain to free jailed rights campaigner Nabeel Rajab

The United States voiced concern on Tuesday (September 6) about the detention of leading Bahraini democracy campaigner Nabeel Rajab and called on the Manama government to release him immediately. The call by the U.S. State Department came just two days after The New York Times published a letter by Rajab that said he was facing prosecution for his work exposing human rights abuses in Bahrain and criticizing the war in Yemen. Prosecutors in Bahrain filed […]

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Hurricane Newton roars across Mexico resort

by Pedro Juarez Mejia LA PAZ, Mexico (AFP) — Hurricane Newton charged across Mexico’s northwestern resort of Los Cabos on Tuesday, blowing away trees and tin roofs but apparently sparing the region of major damage as thousands of tourists hunkered down. The storm packed winds of 145 kilometers (90 miles) an hour when it made landfall before dawn at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. But the region prized by American and Canadian […]

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Dozens choke’ in Syria Aleppo after barrel bomb attacks

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Dozens of people had to be treated for breathing problems in the Syrian battlefront city of Aleppo after regime helicopters dropped barrel bombs on a rebel-held district Tuesday, a monitor said. In addition, rebel gunfire killed five people in Azamiyeh, a government-controlled area in Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The bombs that left more than 70 people choking and in need of treatment were dropped from helicopters on […]

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Arsonists blamed for Spanish wildfires

JAVEA, Spain (AFP) – Spanish authorities on Tuesday blamed arsonists and record temperatures for wildfires ravaging the eastern coast near the popular resort of Benidorm that have forced 1,400 people to flee. Hundreds of firefighters backed by water-dropping aircraft were battling the largest of several fires which began Sunday near the resort of Javea, up the coast from Benidorm on Spain’s Costa Blanca. Another blaze was raging near the mountain town of Bolulla, about 40 kilometres […]

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