International

Floods wiped out quarter of Greek farm produce: experts

ATHENS, Sept 15, 2023 (AFP) – A quarter of Greece’s annual agricultural production was wiped out in last week’s deadly flash floods triggered by Storm Daniel, which drenched the central region of Thessaly, according to experts. The floods, which killed 15 people, have also left thousands of people in temporary shelters in hotels, schools or with relatives while 30 villages were inaccessible amid the threat of waterborne diseases. Officials were trying to determine if a […]

India’s Nipah virus outbreak: what do we know so far?

NEW DELHI, Sept 15, 2023 (AFP) – Authorities in India are scrambling to contain a rare outbreak of Nipah, a virus spread from animals to humans that causes deadly fever with a high mortality rate. Here is a look at what we know so far: – What is the Nipah virus? – The first Nipah outbreak was recorded in 1998 after the virus spread among pig farmers in Malaysia. The virus is named after the […]

US auto workers’ union launches historic strike on Detroit’s ‘Big Three’

WAYNE, United States, Sept 15, 2023 (AFP) – The US auto workers’ union launched a targeted strike at three factories just after midnight on Friday, ordering simultaneous stoppages at Detroit’s “Big Three” for the first time. The dramatic walkout — marked outside a Detroit-area Ford plant with rowdy honking and cheers at the arrival of the United Auto Workers’ leader — came after a last-minute push by General Motors, Ford and Stellantis failed to produce […]

Several ASEAN air force chiefs skip Myanmar meeting

YANGON, Myanmar, Sept 14, 2023 (AFP) – Air force chiefs from several countries around Southeast Asia did not attend a conference in Myanmar this week after the ASEAN regional bloc accused the ruling junta of targeting civilians in its post-coup crackdown. The snub came after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) accused the junta last week of ignoring a peace plan agreed with the bloc to end violence sparked by the military regime’s coup. […]

US believes China defense chief under investigation by Beijing: report

WASHINGTON, Sept 15, 2023 (AFP) – The US government believes China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu is the subject of an investigation by Beijing and has been relieved of his duties, the Financial Times reported late Thursday citing American officials. The report came shortly before high-ranking diplomat Rahm Emanuel, the US ambassador to Japan, stated on social media that Li “hasn’t been seen or heard from in 3 weeks,” and that the minister might have been […]

Three relatives charged with British girl’s murder after Pakistan manhunt

LONDON, Sept 15, 2023 (AFP) – UK police investigating the death of a 10-year-old girl said Friday they had charged her father, stepmother and uncle with murder after they returned to Britain from Pakistan. Sara Sharif’s body was discovered at the family’s home near Woking, southern England, on August 10. A post-mortem examination revealed she had sustained “multiple and extensive injuries” over a sustained period. Her relatives were arrested late on Wednesday at London’s Gatwick […]

Kim visits fighter jets factory on Russia tour

MOSCOW, Sept 15, 2023 (AFP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a Russian military aviation factory on Friday following his summit with President Vladimir Putin, as the two countries ostracised by the West seek deeper ties. Historic allies, Russia and North Korea are both under rafts of global sanctions — Moscow for its Ukraine conflict, Pyongyang for its nuclear tests — with Kim’s rare foreign visit sparking concern from Kyiv’s allies over a […]

Biden’s son Hunter indicted on gun charges

WASHINGTON, Sept 14, 2023 (AFP) – US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter was indicted Thursday for illegally buying a gun when he was using drugs, casting a new shadow over his father’s campaign for reelection next year. Hunter Biden, 53, was charged with two counts of making false statements when claiming on forms required for the 2018 gun purchase that he was not using drugs illegally at the time. A third charge said that, based […]

Putin accepts Kim’s invitation to visit North Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation to visit North Korea, Pyongyang’s state media said Thursday, as Kim Jong Un wrapped up a rare trip to meet with his ally. The isolated Kim, who seldom leaves his country and has not travelled since before the pandemic, had a “historic meeting and talks” with Putin on Wednesday, the Korean Central News Agency said. Among the results of the leaders’ summit were Russian promises of help […]

Devastation unleashed: Libya’s Derna counts the dead as flood toll climbs

DERNA, Libya, Sept 13, 2023 (AFP) – Libya’s devastated eastern city of Derna was counting its dead on Wednesday with the toll from the floodwaters unleashed by Storm Daniel expected to rise even further. Two dams burst there on Sunday afternoon after the storm hit, releasing a surge of water that tore through the city, sweeping away buildings and the people inside them. By late Tuesday, the preliminary death toll from authorities in the politically […]

Romania builds air-raid shelters near Ukraine border

BUCHAREST, Sept 12, 2023 (AFP) – NATO member Romania announced Tuesday that it has begun building air-raid shelters for residents near the Ukraine border, after drone fragments were found there last week. Romanian soldiers on Saturday found fragments of a drone “similar to those used by the Russian army” in the Plauru area across the border from Ukraine. Bucharest has already beefed up measures to strengthen monitoring and airspace security following repeated Russian attacks close […]

Top House Republican backs Biden impeachment inquiry

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, bowing to pressure from his party’s hard right, gave the go-ahead on Tuesday for an impeachment investigation into US President Joe Biden. “I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden,” McCarthy said, alleging that the Democratic president had lied to the American people about his son Hunter’s foreign business dealings. “House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations about President Biden’s conduct,” […]