Other News
UK government under pressure to publish Brexit papers
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – The British government came under pressure on Wednesday to publish papers detailing the potential impact of Brexit, after MPs appealed to a rare parliamentary power. The opposition Labour party tabled the “humble address” motion in which they called for the government to publish its assessment of 58 sectors, including tourism and nuclear. London’s Brexit department has so far refused to make their findings public, claiming that doing so could harm its negotiating […]
National Australia Bank axes 6,000 jobs as annual profit jumps
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Up to 6,000 jobs will be axed in a major restructure at National Australia Bank, the lender said Thursday after posting Aus$5.28 billion (US$4.1 billion) in annual net profits. The positions will go as it further automates and simplifies its business. Some 2,000 new jobs will be created. “This will result in a net reduction in staff currently targeted at approximately 4,000 by the end of full year 2020,” it said. The bank […]
NY suspect confesses IS inspired, ‘felt good’ after attack
by Jennie MATTHEW / Thomas Urbain in Paterson Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – The Uzbek immigrant behind New York’s worst attack in 16 years confessed to acting in the name of the Islamic State group and “felt good” about the killings, having planned an assault for a year, investigators said Wednesday. The shocking details emerged after federal agents questioned Sayfullo Saipov in a Manhattan hospital, injured with a police bullet to the abdomen after […]
“Ramil” maintains its strength as it traverses the W. Philippine Sea
(Eagle News) — Tropical Depression “Ramil” maintained its strength as it traversed the West Philippine Sea on Thursday. It is packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour, and gustiness of 65 kph. As of 4 a.m., “Ramil” was seen 230 km west of Palawan and was moving at 15 kph. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said if its track and speed don’t change, “Ramil” could be out of the Philippine […]
Amid soaring profits, Facebook vows to curb abuse
by Glenn Chapman Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Wednesday reported profits leapt on booming revenue from online ads in the third quarter, topping investor forecasts and buoying shares already at record highs. The leading social network said it made a profit of $4.7 billion in the quarter that ended on September 30, a jump of 79 percent from the same period a year earlier. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg […]
US approves $1 bln Qatar arms deal despite Gulf crisis
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States government on Wednesday approved a $1.1 billion deal to service Qatar’s F-15 fighter jets despite the diplomatic stand-off between the Gulf emirate and its neighbors. Qatar, home to one of the largest US military bases in the Middle East, is locked in a bitter dispute with Washington’s other Arab allies in the region, led by Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump took Riyadh’s side in June when Saudi Arabia, […]
Anger wells in NY suspect’s shocked Jersey town
by Thomas Urbain Agence France-Presse United States (AFP) — The largely Muslim neighborhood where the New York terrorist suspect lived for little over a year seethed with anger Wednesday, furious that the Uzbek had besmirched their hard-working immigrant community. “They should hang him!” snapped the manager of a launderette near the two-storey brick building where Sayfullo Saipov lived with his wife and children in the New Jersey town of Paterson. “If you come to the US, it’s […]
Axed Catalan leader spurns Spanish legal summons
by Simon Sturdee with Laurence Boutreux in Barcelona Agence France-Presse MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Axed Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont’s lawyer confirmed Wednesday his client will spurn a Spanish legal summons to be grilled about alleged rebellion and sedition in his quest for independence. “He will not go to Madrid and I have suggested that he be questioned here in Belgium,” Paul Bekaert told Spanish television channel TV3. Puigdemont, currently in Brussels, and 13 other members of his […]
DepEd condemns ambush in Davao del Sur that saw 16-year-old student killed, 5 others injured
(Eagle News) — The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday condemned the Oct. 29 ambush of high school students in Davao del Sur that led to the death of a 16-year-old and saw five others injured. In a statement, the DepEd said it “strongly condemned” the attack by the unidentified gunmen on the Kimlawis National High School students, who were only returning home onboard a truck after attending a local event at the municipal gymnasium at that […]
Suspect planned NY attack for weeks in name of IS: police
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Terror suspect Sayfullo Saipov spent weeks planning to conduct an attack in the name of the Islamic State group, police said Wednesday, after eight people were killed in New York’s worst attack since September 11, 2001. Authorities say Saipov, an Uzbek immigrant who moved to America in 2010, used a rented pickup truck to mow down pedestrians and cyclists along a mile-long stretch of a bike path on Lower’s […]
Uzbekistan offers help in New York truck attack probe: president
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The president of Uzbekistan on Wednesday offered to help US authorities in the investigation of the attack in New York where a truck driver, reportedly an Uzbek national, mowed down passersby, killing eight. “Uzbekistan is ready to use all forces and resources to help in the investigation of this act of terror,” President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said, offering condolences to US President Donald Trump in a statement on the foreign ministry’s website. […]
