Storm, with int’l name Ma-on, makes landfall in Guangdong, China after hitting Hong Kong (Eagle News) – Storm “Florita” (international name Ma-on) left at least three people dead and four more injured, the country’s disaster agency said. The storm, which left the Philippines on Wednesday, August 24, has already made landfall in southern China’s Guangdong province. Storm Ma-on has a wind speed of 100 kilometers per hour. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction […]
International
Famed Winston Churchill photograph stolen from Canada hotel
Ottawa, Canada (AFP) The heist of a famed portrait of a scowling Winston Churchill has gripped Canada’s capital since it was discovered the photograph hanging at an Ottawa hotel for decades had been swapped for a fake. Police were called in after staff at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa last Friday noticed the picture of the late British prime minister was askew and didn’t match those of other portraits gifted by the late […]
Pakistan opposition warns Khan arrest would be ‘red line’
by Sajjad TARAKZAI Agence France-Presse ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) — Pakistan opposition leaders warned Monday that authorities would cross a “red line” if they arrested former prime minister Imran Khan after he was reported under the anti-terrorism act for comments he made about the judiciary. Since being ousted by a vote of no confidence in April, Khan has held mass rallies across the country, warning state institutions including the military not to back the coalition government […]
Musk lawyers seize on Twitter whistleblower revelations
San Francisco, United States (AFP) by Glenn CHAPMAN Elon Musk’s lawyers jumped Wednesday on the revelations of a Twitter whistleblower to try to force the platform to surrender vast amounts of information for their fight to cancel the billionaire’s buyout bid. The Tesla boss’s team told a US judge the former Twitter security chief’s allegations of major security gaps and problematic practices had bolstered their case, which has struggled for momentum in court. Musk has tried […]
Mexico ex-attorney general to stand trial over missing students
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — A Mexican judge on Wednesday ordered a former attorney general to stand trial in the case of 43 students whose murky disappearance in 2014 traumatized the nation. Jesus Murillo Karam will be tried on charges of forced disappearance, torture and obstruction of justice, the Federal Judiciary Council said after a court hearing in Mexico City. He is considered the architect of the so-called “historical truth” version of events — presented […]
Jury awards $31 mn damages in Kobe Bryant crash photo trial
Los Angeles, United States (AFP) A jury ordered Los Angeles County to pay $31 million in damages to Kobe Bryant’s widow and a co-plaintiff Wednesday over graphic photos of the helicopter crash that killed the basketball star. Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters who rushed to the scene of the January 2020 crash snapped pictures of the carnage, including the mangled remains of the Los Angeles Lakers legend and his 13-year-old daughter. The civil trial in Los […]
Japan eyes nuclear power push to combat energy crunch
Tokyo, Japan (AFP) by Etienne BALMER / Tomohiro OSAKI Japan’s prime minister on Wednesday called for a push to revive the country’s nuclear power industry in a bid to tackle soaring imported energy costs linked to the war in Ukraine. Such a move could prove controversial, after the 2011 Fukushima disaster led to the suspension of many nuclear reactors over safety fears. Like many countries, Japan — which is aiming to become carbon neutral by […]
Trouser snakes: US smuggler admits carrying reptiles in pants
Los Angeles, United States (AFP) A man who hid snakes and lizards in his trousers as he tried to sneak them into the United States as part of a $750,000 reptile smuggling enterprise faces decades in prison, officials said Wednesday. Jose Manuel Perez masterminded the six-year scheme from his home in southern California, which involved bringing 1,700 animals into the United States from Mexico and Hong Kong. In a plea deal with the Department of […]
Washington condemns possible Russian trials of Ukrainian PoWs
Washington, United States (AFP) The United States on Wednesday condemned any Russian effort to hold tribunals for prisoners of war in the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, labeling the proceedings “illegitimate.” Reports surfaced this week that Moscow is considering prosecuting Ukrainian prisoners of war (PoWs) under conditions that could amount to war crimes. “The planned show trials are illegitimate and a mockery of justice, and we strongly condemn them,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price […]
US responds to Iran on nuclear deal as momentum builds
by Shaun TANDON Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Wednesday responded to Iran’s suggestions on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal as momentum builds to bring back the landmark agreement trashed by former president Donald Trump. Just weeks after the deal looked dead, the European Union put forward on August 8 what it called a final text to restore the agreement, in which Iran would see sanctions relief and be able […]
California set to ban fossil fuel cars by 2035
Los Angeles, United States (AFP) All new cars sold in California by 2035 will have to be zero emission under plans set to be adopted by the state this week, as the biggest economy in the United States drives a nationwide fossil fuel evolution. Proposals to be debated by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) this week will formalize targets set by Governor Gavin Newsom — and will likely prod other US states in the […]
Sri Lanka widens import ban as economic crisis persists
Colombo, Sri Lanka (AFP) Sri Lanka tightened import restrictions Wednesday with a ban on more than 300 additional items, as an economic crisis that has created months of shortages and toppled a president refuses to abate. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who replaced Gotabaya Rajapaksa after his ouster in July, slapped a ban on goods including home appliances, tools and sports gear. The South Asian island nation of 22 million people has been suffering dire shortages […]





