KOLKOTA , India (AFP) — Four people were killed when the crude bombs they were making exploded in India’s West Bengal, where bitterly fought state elections are underway, a senior police official said Monday. Another six people were injured in the explosion on Sunday night in a village about 360 kilometres (220 miles) north of Kolkata, close to the eastern state’s border with Bangladesh. “Four people were killed and six others injured when the bombs […]
International
Eyeing an Indiana victory, Trump says, ‘It’s over’
(Reuters) Front-runner Donald Trump said on Sunday that he will have essentially sealed the Republican U.S. presidential nomination if he wins Tuesday’s contest in Indiana, where he holds a big lead over chief rival Ted Cruz. A new NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist opinion poll showed Trump with a wide lead in Indiana, 49 percent to 34 percent for Cruz and 13 percent for a third candidate, Ohio Governor John Kasich. Trump, a 69-year-old billionaire real […]
Iraqi protesters end Green Zone sit-in for now after issuing demands
(Reuters) Protesters camped out in Baghdad’s Green Zone for 24 hours left the heavily fortified government district on Sunday after issuing demands for political reform but they pledged to return by the end of the week to keep up the pressure. Iraq has endured months of wrangling prompted by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s attempt to replace party-affiliated ministers with technocrats as part of an anti-corruption drive. A divided parliament has failed to approve the […]
Brazil impeachment: Rousseff begins her long goodbye
by Sebastian Smith RIO DE JANEIRO , Brazil (AFP) — Dilma Rousseff greets the Olympic flame in Brazil on Tuesday, but the pomp and ceremony will seem empty to a president likely to be suspended from office just a week later. The arrival of the flame in Brasilia from an ancient Greek temple via Switzerland will trigger a three-month countdown to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and Brazil’s big chance to shine on the global […]
Armed guards at India dams as drought leaves farmers dry
by Jalees ANDRABI TIKAMGARH , India (AFP) –As young boys plunge into a murky dam to escape the blistering afternoon sun, guards armed with guns stand vigil at one of the few remaining water bodies in a state hit hard by India’s crippling drought. Desperate farmers from a neighbouring state regularly attempt to steal water from the Barighat dam, forcing authorities in central Madhya Pradesh to protect it with armed guards to ensure supplies. India […]
British firm’s Korean unit apologises over poison deaths
SEOUL , SOUTH KOREA (AFP) –The head of a Korean subsidiary of a British consumer goods company was slapped and shouted down Monday as he apologised for his firm’s role in selling a humidifier disinfectant blamed for more than 100 deaths in South Korea. Shouting “too late” and “cannot forgive” in English, a handful of the victims’ relatives rushed the podium where Atar Safdar, the head of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser Korea, was speaking at a […]
In Chile, world’s driest desert slakes thirst with fog
by Mathilde BELLENGER ALTO PATACHE , Chile (AFP) — Every morning at dawn, a thick mist known as “The Darkness” blows in from the Pacific to the edge of the Atacama Desert, the most arid place in the world. After tantalizing the northern Chilean desert with the promise of moisture, the mist evaporates in the sun, leaving the heat to bake the stark lunar landscape. But the South American country is researching how to use […]
Japan foreign minister meets China’s state councilor and premier in Beijing
(Reuters) — Visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida met China’s State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing on Saturday (April 30), in a visit aimed at improving the ties between the two largest economies in Asia. Kishida shook hands with China’s State Councillor Yang Jiechi before sat down for talks with delegations from both sides. “I would like to express my gratitude to the Chinese people for welcoming me and I am […]
Indonesian workers hope for higher wages ahead of May Day
Indonesian workers are calling for higher wages to improve the quality of their lives as worries mount over a slowing economy and competition from neighboring ASEAN countries. There are almost 110.8 million workers in Indonesia, according to the National Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data from August 2013, but almost half of are low-skilled laborers. According to the same figures, 46.93 percent have graduated from elementary school, 18.5 percent have graduated from junior highschool, and 6.83 […]
Poaching for ivory identified as major threat to African elephants
As its protest of sincerity, Kenya has burned 105 tons of ivories on Saturday for the largest scale of ivory destruction in African history. The burned ivories are worth about 100 million U.S. dollars. The Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, has done the lighting in person to further emphasize the sincere determination of the nation in its fight against elephant poaching. Of the 450,000 to 500,000 heads of elephants now roaming the African continent, more than […]
Foreign minister reaffirms Japan’s economic ties to Thailand
Japan’s foreign minister arrived in Bangkok on Sunday (May 1) for a two-day visit aiming to strengthen economic ties after Japanese investments in Thailand slumped last year amid political fears as well as stiff competition emerging from more nimble neighbours. Fumio Kishida and his Thai counterpart, Don Pramudwinai, met to discuss various issues on bilateral cooperation and regional matters. Kishida told a news conference after the meeting that Thailand remained an important stakeholder to […]
Kerry says hopes for progress in Geneva talks on Syria ceasefire
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday (May 1) he hoped to make progress in discussions in Geneva over the next two days toward renewing a cessation of hostilities agreement throughout Syria and resuming peace talks to end the fighting. “The hope is that we can make some progress. But the United Nations Security Council Resolution calls for a full countrywide cessation and also for all of the country to be accessible for […]
