ANKARA , Turkey (AFP) — Turkish police on Thursday arrested 12 suspects as they stepped up efforts to identify a female bomber who blew herself up in the city of Bursa, wounding 13 people, state media said. The arrests took place in Bursa, Istanbul, the southeastern city of Sanliurfa and Afyon in central Turkey, Anatolia news agency said. Wednesday’s bombing, the latest attack to strike Turkey, took place near Bursa’s 14th century Grand Mosque, a […]
International
JAL, ANA flying high on healthy travel demand
TOKYO , Japan (AFP) — All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) announced robust annual profits on Thursday, thanks to healthy demand on China and other international routes as well as falling fuel costs. Japan’s top carriers benefitted from a record number of foreigners visiting Japan with mainland Chinese being among the most conspicuous as they flock to Japan for shopping and entertainment, International terror attacks in Paris and Brussels, however, slowed demand on […]
S. Korea says North failed with second mid-range missile test
by Jung Ha-Won SEOUL , South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Thursday tried and failed in what appeared to be its second attempt in two weeks to test a powerful, new medium-range ballistic missile, South Korea’s defence ministry said. A ministry official said the North had fired what was believed to be a Musudan missile at around 6:40 am (2140 GMT Wednesday) from Wonsan on the east coast, but it plunged back to […]
White House hopeful Cruz taps Carly Fiorina as running mate
by Michael Mathes James MANNION WASHINGTON ,United States (AFP) — White House hopeful Ted Cruz went all-in Wednesday as he sought to bar Donald Trump’s triumphant march to the Republican nomination, naming Carly Fiorina as his running mate as the primary race hits its final stretch. The Texas senator made the surprise announcement a day after Trump clinched a knock-out series of wins in five states, putting him within striking distance of the nomination as […]
Breaking News : Apparent N. Korea mid-range missile launch failed again: South
SEOUL , South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Thursday tried and appeared to have failed a second attempt to launch a powerful, new medium-range ballistic missile, South Korea’s defense ministry said. A ministry official said the North had launched what was believed to be a Musudan missile at around 6:40 am (2140 GMT Wednesday) from Wonsan on the east coast. “It fell within seconds after the launch so is believed to have failed,” the […]
Yemen suicide bomber targets Aden police chief
ADEN , Yemen (AFP) — A suicide bomber targeted the police chief of Yemen’s second city Aden on Thursday in the latest attack against senior officials in the base of the Saudi-backed government, a security official said. The bombing came after loyalist forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition seized the key southeastern port city of Mukalla and the nearby airport and oil facilities from Al-Qaeda, ending a year-long occupation by the jihadists. General Shallal […]
NY seeks to shield Ecuadorans from deportation after earthquake
NEW York, United States (AFP) — The United States should grant a special protected status to undocumented Ecuadoran immigrants so they don’t have to fear deportation as their country recovers from a huge earthquake, New York’s mayor said Wednesday. The April 16 quake killed around 650 people and flattened coastal cities, causing billions in damage to an oil-dependent country already hit hard by low crude prices. New York is home to some 140,000 Ecuadoran immigrants, […]
Red tide affects thousands of molluscs along Chile’s coast
ISLA DE CHILOE, Chile (Reuters) — Thousands of molluscs, such as clams and mussels, were found stranded on the island of Chiloe, located in southern Chile, after being infected by a toxic red tide. In a statement on its website, the Chilean Navy said the molluscs were found in Playa Grande de Cucao, Huentemo and Chanquin, all islands belonging to the archipelago of Chiloe. Smaller quantities of crabs were also spotted in an area covering […]
N. Korea video appeal by family of ‘kidnapped’ daughter
SEOUL,South Korea (AFP) — North Korea has released a video appeal by the parents of one of 12 waitresses that Pyongyang insists were kidnapped by South Korean agents from the restaurant where they were working in China. In the footage, uploaded Wednesday to the North’s propaganda website Uriminzokkiri, the parents wept and demanded the South return their daughter, So Gyong-A. So and 11 other waitresses from the same restaurant arrived in South Korea earlier this […]
Yen soars as BoJ holds off fresh stimulus, delays inflation target
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The yen soared against the dollar Thursday after the Bank of Japan surprised markets by holding off fresh stimulus while it pushed back its timeline for hitting a 2.0 percent inflation target. The dollar plunged to 109.15 yen just after the announcement from above 111 yen. Markets had widely expected new measures to counter a downturn in the world’s number three-economy. Speculation had picked up pace after Japan published another set […]
Obama looking for laughs one last time
by Jérôme CARTILLIER WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Once a year, the US president attends a party he can’t avoid and is asked to make Washington laugh. When Barack Obama steps onto the stage of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday, he will carry out that ritual for the eighth and final time. The clips will be played again and again and endlessly dissected by pundits — so finding the right tone and […]
Australia warned of ‘eroding’ gun laws, 20 years after massacre
SYDNEY , Australia (AFP) — Australia marked 20 years since its last mass shooting Thursday as campaigners warned its gun laws, which were severely tightened after the massacre, are being eroded. Thirty-five people died at the historic Tasmanian colonial convict site of Port Arthur in 1996 as lone gunman Martin Bryant, armed with semi-automatic weapons, went on the rampage. Now aged 48, he remains in jail after being sentenced to 35 life sentences without parole. […]
