A magnitude 6.3 earthquake took place 140km North of Palapag, Philippines at 12:54 UTC (7 minutes ago). The depth was 10km and was reported by GFZ. #earthquake #earthquakes #Palapag #Philippines pic.twitter.com/nE9Kb7DZIz — Earthquake Alerts (@QuakeAlerts) April 4, 2023 Manila, Philippines | AFP | Tuesday 4/4/2023 An evacuation order was issued to coastal dwellers on a remote Philippine island Tuesday after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck in the ocean off the archipelago, triggering a tsunami warning. The […]
International
10 Nigeria schoolchildren kidnapped: official
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Tuesday 4/4/2023 Ten students have been kidnapped in northwest Nigeria’s Kaduna State where criminal gangs have previously carried out several mass abductions of children, a government official said Tuesday. The victims who are students at the Awon Government Secondary School in the central Kachia district were seized on Monday in unclear circumstances, said Samuel Aruwan, Kaduna’s internal security and home affairs commissioner. This was the first known mass abduction of […]
Huge fire engulfs market in Bangladeshi capital
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) — Hundreds of Bangladeshi firefighters were mobilized in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday to battle an inferno that raged through a popular clothing market and blanketed the city’s oldest neighborhoods in black smoke. No casualties have been reported so far, but shop owners and fire officials told reporters that the Bongo Bazar market and three adjacent commercial precincts had been almost completely gutted. “Some 600 firefighters … are working to bring the […]
From the Cold War to the Ukraine war: NATO in brief
PARIS, France (AFP) — NATO is the world’s biggest military alliance, bringing together 30 European and North American countries who commit to defend each other in the event of attack. After Finland joins on Tuesday, it will have 31 members. The alliance was formed at the start of the Cold War to protect Western Europe against the threat of Soviet aggression but its remit and reach have expanded over time. Here is a brief history […]
Australia bans TikTok on government devices
by Steven TRASK Agence France-Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia said Tuesday it will ban TikTok on government devices, joining a growing list of Western nations cracking down on the Chinese-owned app due to national security fears. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the decision followed advice from the country’s intelligence agencies and would begin “as soon as practicable”. Australia is the last member of the secretive Five Eyes security alliance to pursue a government TikTok ban, […]
Two civilians killed in Israeli strike on Syria: state media
DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) — Two Syrian civilians were killed in an Israeli air strike Tuesday, state media reported, the fourth such attack on government-held areas of the war-torn country in less than a week. “At 00:15 (2115 GMT Monday) the Israeli enemy carried out an air strike… and the attack resulted in the death of two civilians,” state news agency SANA said, quoting a military source. The strike came from the direction of “the occupied […]
Police, journalists greet Trump but few New Yorkers
by Andrea BAMBINO and Celine GESRET Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Hoards of reporters, police and barriers greeted Donald Trump when he arrived at his Manhattan residence Monday — but only a small group of supporters. Just before midday, authorities closed off Trump Tower to the public, as a heavy police presence and barricades surrounded the building situated on Fifth Avenue. A tiny group of Trump supporters staged a demonstration that relied […]
Russia blames Ukraine, opposition for death of top military blogger
Russia alleged on Monday the “terrorist attack” that killed a top military blogger the day before was orchestrated by Ukraine with the help of supporters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Russian investigators detained 26-year-old Darya Trepova, who was said to have links to Navalny, and posted a video in which she is heard saying she brought to the cafe a statuette rigged with an explosive device. Ukraine has blamed Russia’s domestic infighting for […]
Top Republican McCarthy to meet Taiwanese president in US
Washington, United States | AFP | Monday 4/3/2023 Republican US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday he would meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, a move China said would be a provocation. “On Wednesday, April 5, Speaker Kevin McCarthy will be hosting a bipartisan meeting with the President of Taiwan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library,” his office announced in a statement. China has warned the United States that it is “playing with fire” over […]
Philippine lawmaker accused of organizing governor’s murder
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Monday 4/3/2023 A Philippine lawmaker has been accused of organising the murder of a provincial governor last month, officials said Monday, after an investigation into one of the country’s deadliest political attacks in years. Gunmen wearing military-style uniforms shot and killed Roel Degamo, governor of the central province of Negros Oriental, and eight others in Degamo’s home. Police have arrested 11 people over the audacious attack in the sugarcane-growing […]
Malaysia ready to negotiate with China on South China Sea: PM
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Monday 4/3/2023 Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Monday that Malaysia was prepared to negotiate the South China Sea dispute with Beijing to safeguard the country’s energy exploration efforts. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea — a strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars in trade pass annually — despite an international court ruling that Beijing’s assertion has no legal basis. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and […]
Malaysian MPs vote to axe mandatory death penalty
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Monday 4/3/2023 Malaysia’s parliament passed a bill Monday to remove mandatory death sentences, with rights groups welcoming the vote as an “important step” that could have a knock-on effect elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Convictions for several offences, including murder and drug trafficking, previously came with automatic death penalties, giving judges no leeway. The bill does not scrap death sentences, but grants judges the option to instead impose lengthy prison […]
