LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The bosses of more than a third of Britain’s top companies on Tuesday urged voters to keep the country in the European Union, warning that a “Brexit” would threaten jobs. Some 198 business leaders including Roger Carr, chairman of BAE Systems, BP CEO Bob Dudley and Ron Dennis, chief of F1 team McLaren, wrote a joint letter published in the Times, backing Prime Minister David Cameron’s deal to reform the EU. “Following […]
International
U.S. and South Korean senior officials discuss North Korea sanctions
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — U.S. and South Korean senior officials held a meeting in Seoul on Tuesday (February 23) amid high tension on the Korean peninsula after North Korea’s rocket launch earlier this month. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes (TFFC), Jennifer Fowler, and South Korean Foreign Ministry’s Director General for North Korean Nuclear Affairs, Kim Gunn, attended the meeting in the South Korean capital. Fowler and […]
Hollande acknowledges impact of nuclear testing in Pacific
PAPEETE, France (AFP) — French President Francois Hollande on Monday acknowledged that three decades of nuclear tests in French Polynesia had had “an impact” on health and the environment and promised a review of the victim compensation process. Hollande’s remarks, made on a visit to the French Polynesian capital, are the clearest admission yet of the damage caused by the testing programme. “I recognise that the nuclear tests between 1966 and 1996 in French Polynesia have had […]
Crude prices down as doubts over production freeze linger
SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Oil prices dipped in Asia Tuesday after mounting a strong rally the day before as traders remain doubtful that talks on an output freeze among key crude producers will lead to agreement. US crude rose back above $30 a barrel and European benchmark Brent climbed well over $34 on Monday on hopes that the discussions would lead to concrete action to stabilise the battered market. But at around 0600 GMT on Tuesday, US […]
US failing to explain deadly drone policy: report
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States has made little or no progress in explaining how and why it orders lethal drone strikes, even as America’s reliance on the unmanned aircraft soars worldwide, a report found Tuesday. According to a study by the Stimson Center, a Washington-based nonpartisan think tank, President Barack Obama’s administration has failed to provide basic transparency into the drone program that has become a keystone in America’s counter-terrorism efforts. “In terms of […]
No Filipinos hurt in tropical cyclone in Fiji
FIJI, Pacific Ocean – After the rampage of tropical cyclone Winston, the Philippine consul-general reported that no Filipinos were harmed by said tropical cyclone. There are 300 Filipinos in Fiji working as doctors, civil engineers and technicians. <em>(Eagle News Service Described by Jay Paul Carlos, Video Editing by Jericho Morales, Uploaded by MRFaith Bonalos)</em>
Beijing builds radar in South China Sea: think tank
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing is installing radar facilities on its artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, an American think tank has said, in a move that could “significantly change” the operational landscape. Satellite imagery of Cuarteron reef in the Spratly islands released by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) shows what appears to be a high-frequency radar installation, as well as a lighthouse, underground bunker, helipad and other communications equipment. The […]
Remote Fijian areas still cut off days after super cyclone
RAKIRAKI and SUVA, Fiji (Reuters) — Fijian authorities were still trying to reach remote areas of the archipelago on Tuesday (February 23) to assess the scale of damage after a powerful cyclone tore through the Pacific island nation, killing at least 29 people. There are fears the death toll could rise in the nation of 900,000 people when communication resumes with the smaller islands where thousands of people live in tin or wooden shacks […]
Asian share rally runs out of steam as oil falls again
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asia’s share rally stalled Tuesday, as a boost from Wall Street was overshadowed by renewed weakness in the price of oil. Japanese stocks were broadly flat while Shanghai and Hong Kong were down in early trade, the day after Chinese markets surged on the announcement of a new securities regulatory chief. Mace Blicksilver, the US-based director of Marblehead Asset Management, said he was “cautious” about the prospect for further gains. “I […]
Singapore deports Indonesians en route to Syria: police
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Singapore has deported four Indonesian men thought to be followers of a leading Islamic extremist as they allegedly tried to travel to Syria, police said Tuesday. The four, who included a 15-year-old boy, were arrested Sunday in the city-state when immigration officials became suspicious after checking their documents, and finding one of them had previously spent time in Syria. Authorities deported them to Batam, an Indonesian island not far from Singapore, the same […]
Oil prices now down in Asia
Oil prices dipped in Asia Tuesday after mounting a strong rally the day before as traders remain doubtful that talks on an output freeze among key crude producers will lead to agreement. US crude rose back above $30 a barrel and European benchmark Brent climbed well over $34 on Monday on hopes that the discussions would lead to concrete action to stabilize the battered market. But around 0600 GMT on Tuesday, US benchmark West […]
S. Korea, US delay official missile shield talks: Seoul
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Washington and Seoul have postponed talks on deploying an advanced missile defense system opposed by Beijing, South Korea’s defense ministry said Tuesday as China’s foreign minister was set to discuss North Korea with his US counterpart. The allies had been set to sign an agreement Tuesday on setting up a joint working group to look into the roll-out of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence System (THAAD) against North Korea’s growing missile […]
