International

Atlanta shootings expose fear in Asian-American community

by Cyril JULIEN ATLANTA, United States (AFP) — The shooting rampage in Atlanta by a 21-year-old white man that left six women of Asian origin dead has laid bare fears among an Asian-American community on edge over a surge in hate crimes because of the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s heartbreaking,” said Andrew Yang, a former Democratic presidential hopeful who is now running for mayor of New York. “I’ve been Asian all my life, and I remember […]

N.Korea breaks ties with Malaysia over citizen’s extradition to US

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Pyongyang announced Friday that it broke diplomatic ties with Malaysia after that country extradited a North Korean citizen to the United States, in a foreign ministry statement carried on state news wire KCNA. On March 17, Malaysian authorities “committed an unpardonable crime… of forcibly delivering the innocent citizen (of North Korea) to the United States,” the statement read. North Korea’s foreign ministry “hereby announces total severance of the diplomatic relations […]

French PM announces limited Covid lockdown for Paris

by Stuart WILLIAMS and Adam PLOWRIGHT PARIS, France (AFP) — French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Thursday announced a limited month-long lockdown for Paris and several other regions to combat surging Covid-19 cases, while insisting the measures would be less strict than in the past. While non-essential businesses will close and movement outside will be restricted in the affected regions, schools will stay open and outdoor exercise allowed up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) from […]

Biden says 100 million US vaccines target will be met this week

by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that his goal of getting 100 million coronavirus vaccine doses administered in his first 100 days in office will be met by Friday, far in advance of the original target. “I’m proud to announce that tomorrow, 58 days into my administration, we will have met my goal of administering 100 million shots to our fellow Americans,” he said in a White House […]

Suspect charged with eight murders in Atlanta shootings

  by Cyril JULIEN Agence France Presse ATLANTA, United States (AFP) — A 21-year-old suspect described as a sex addict was charged Wednesday with murdering eight people in spas around the US city of Atlanta, in triple attacks that have deeply shaken the Asian-American community. Police said Robert Aaron Long has denied a racist motive to Tuesday’s attacks — in which six of the victims were women of Asian origin — but that they had […]

Report finds hundreds of child sex abuse cases in German diocese

  by Isabelle LE PAGE and Deborah COLE Agence France Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — An independent study commissioned by the Roman Catholic Church released Thursday has uncovered hundreds of cases of sexual violence allegedly committed by clergy and laymen in Germany’s top diocese. The long-awaited 800-page report on the Cologne diocese found 202 alleged perpetrators of sexual assault and 314 victims between 1975 and 2018, Bjoern Gercke, a lawyer mandated by the Church, told […]

Anti-Asian violence ‘must end,’ Obama says after Atlanta shootings

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Violence against people of Asian descent “must end,” former US president Barack Obama said Wednesday after a series of shootings in the Atlanta area left six Asian women dead. “Although the shooter’s motive is not yet clear, the identity of the victims underscores an alarming rise in anti-Asian violence that must end,” Obama said on Twitter. A total of eight people were killed in three separate attacks Tuesday at spas […]

India’s PM warns of new wave as Covid-19 cases rise

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for increased testing and local restrictions to halt an “emerging second peak” of the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday, as fresh daily cases hit a three-month high. The world’s third most infected nation with more than 11.4 million cases, India recorded a peak of just under 100,000 new daily infections in September, before a gradual decline. Infections fell to below 9,000 new cases in early […]

Shallow 6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes off Algerian coast: USGS

ALGIERS, Algeria (AFP) — A shallow 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the Algerian coast on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake hit 20 kilometres north-east of the city of Bejaia at 1:04 am local time (0004 GMT), at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the US monitoring service. Bejaia, which has a population of roughly 164,000, endured moderate shaking, USGS said. The capital city Algiers also felt some light shaking. In the aftermath […]

Dutch PM claims ‘overwhelming’ win in Covid-dominated vote

by Danny KEMP THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte claimed an “overwhelming” victory in elections on Wednesday, vowing to use his fourth term in office to rebuild the country after the coronavirus pandemic. Already one of Europe’s longest serving leaders after ten years in office, exit polls showed Rutte’s liberal party clearly winning the most seats in parliament after the socially distanced three-day vote. The pro-EU D66 party, which has challenged […]

France virus cases surge as new restrictions loom

PARIS, France (AFP) — France recorded its highest daily number of coronavirus cases in nearly four months on Wednesday, with the hard-hit Paris region bracing for a possible weekend lockdown to stem the rising tide of cases. In the past 24 hours, 38,501 new infections were registered, up from 29,975 the day before, and the highest number since November, the public health authority said. The “positivity” rate — the proportion of positive results compared to […]

N. Korea says will ignore US contact unless Washington drops ‘hostile policy’: Yonhap

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea said Thursday it will ignore attempts by the US to contact it, the South’s Yonhap news agency reported, hours before President Joe Biden’s top envoys were to hold talks in Seoul. “No US-DPRK contact nor dialogue can take place until the US withdraws its hostile DPRK policy,” Yonhap cited senior North Korean minister Choe Son Hui as saying in a statement carried by state media. “Therefore, we will […]