International

Firefighters battle wildfire in San Bernardino National Forest

SAN BERNARDO, California (Reuters) — Hundreds of California firefighters continued battling brush fires burning Monday (August 8) in the San Bernardino National Forest, an area popular for outdoor activities. Residents were ordered to evacuate the area, as emergencies crews battled the flames overnight. According to local news reports the fire started on Sunday and has burned more than 4500 acres (1820 hectares) close to Silverwood Lake. Officials say the fire is only five percent contained. No […]

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Macedonia mourns after storms kill 21

SKOPJE, Macedonia (*AFP) — Macedonia held a day of mourning Monday after at least 21 people were killed in flooding and violent winds as a freak storm battered the capital Skopje. The city was battered overnight Saturday- Sunday with winds packing speeds of more than 70 kilometres (43 miles) an hour, while torrents of mud and water swept away cars. “Our teams are on the ground, searching the affected terrain,” interior ministry spokeswoman Natalija Spirova […]

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Dozens killed in new wave of Ethiopia protests

  ADDIS ADABA, Ethiopia (AFP) – Several dozen people were killed in weekend clashes in Ethiopia between police and anti-government demonstrators, as the authorities brutally suppressed a new wave of unrest in two key regions. Protests swept the vast state of Oromia and even reached the capital Addis Ababa, a rare event in a nation with a government considered among the most repressive in Africa. “We have reports of between 48 to 50 protesters killed in Oromia. […]

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Olympics: Rio to replace flawed Chinese flags

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) – Rio Olympics organisers said they would replace the Games’ official Chinese flags on Monday after the discovery of a design flaw which caused fury in China. A spokesman insisted the design had been approved by Chinese officials but he said their Brazilian manufacturer was now rushing to produce correct flags. The realisation that the four small, golden stars on the Chinese emblem are pointing upwards rather than towards the […]

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Both sides brace for crucial battle for Syria’s Aleppo

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) – by Layal Abou Rahal with Karam al-Masri in Aleppo Syrian regime forces and rebel factions sent hundreds of reinforcements to Aleppo on Monday as both sides braced for a crucial battle to control the country’s second city. Fighting for Syria’s former economic powerhouse is intensifying after an opposition advance at the weekend broke through a three-week government siege of the city’s rebel-held east, dealing a major setback to regime troops. Rebel […]

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Hundreds join crucial battle for Syria’s Aleppo

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) – by Layal Abou Rahal Syrian regime forces and rebel factions sent hundreds of reinforcements to Aleppo on Monday as opposition fighters announced an all-out offensive to take the country’s second city. The battle for Syria’s former economic powerhouse is intensifying after an opposition advance at the weekend broke through a three-week government siege of the city’s rebel-held east, dealing a major setback to regime troops. Rebel forces on Sunday announced a […]

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Pakistan hospital blast kills at least 45

QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) – by Maaz KHAN At least 45 people were killed Monday when a powerful explosion ripped through a Pakistani hospital, officials said, as witnesses described tearful staff rushing towards the smoking blast site to help dozens of wounded. The explosion in the Balochistan provincial capital Quetta came as up to 200 people gathered at the Civil Hospital after the fatal shooting of a senior local lawyer, AFP reporters on the scene said. […]

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Japan’s crown prince an unlikely critic of the monarchy

by Natsuko FUKUE TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito may be heir to one of the world’s oldest monarchies, but he is not shy about knocking the institution he represents or his country’s warring past. The 56-year-old has levelled subtle yet unprecedented criticism at the monarchy, blaming the rigid lifestyle imposed on royals for a decade of stress-related illness suffered by his wife, who was once a high-flying diplomat. And, like his popular […]

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Mexico landslides leave 40 dead as new storm forms

PUEBLA, Mexico (AFP) — Landslides triggered by Tropical Storm Earl’s remnants have killed at least 40 people in Mexico, officials said late Sunday, as a new storm threatened the country’s Pacific coast. Hardest-hit was the central state of Puebla, where 29 people died, including at least 15 minors, as landslides buried several homes in the state’s northern mountains, the local government said. Another 11 died in similar circumstances in the eastern state of Veracruz, its […]

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Death toll from blast in SW Pakistan rises to 40: minister

QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) — At least 40 people were killed and dozens wounded when a bomb ripped through a crowd of mourners Monday at a hospital in southwest Pakistan, officials said, with fears the toll will rise. The blast in the Balochistan provincial capital Quetta came after mourners including journalists and lawyers had gathered at the hospital following the fatal shooting of a senior local lawyer. Video footage showed bodies strewn on the ground, some […]

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Japan’s emperor says may be ‘difficult’ to fulfill duties

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese Emperor Akihito said Monday he is concerned his weakening health may make it hard to fulfil his duties, in a speech seen as signalling a possible future abdication. “I am worried that it may become difficult for me to carry out my duties as the symbol of the state with my whole being as I have done until now,” he said in an address to the nation. “There are times when […]

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