KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) – by Mamoon Durrani The Taliban stormed into Tarin Kot Thursday, triggering heavy fighting around government buildings as panicked residents scrambled to flee the capital of southern Uruzgan province, the latest city to be targeted by insurgents. Pitched battles prompted urgent calls from officials for reinforcements and air support, after the militants toppled security posts on the outskirts to breach the city gates. Residents said senior officials were abandoning government buildings and […]
Asia
Duterte missed ASEAN meetings with US, India because of illness — Malacanang
(Eagle News)– Government officials explained that President Rodrigo Duterte missed two meetings at the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos on Thursday (September 8) because he was ill. “He was not feeling well in the morning so he missed the two sessions. But he was able to attend the East Asia Summit with 18 world leaders and the rest of the day’s remaining schedule until departure for Indonesia early evening today,” Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Jesus […]
Japan bullet train driver puts feet up on the job
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Japanese bullet train driver came under fire Thursday after an online photo emerged of him operating it with his feet up. Central Japan Railway said the 29-year-old acknowledged that he operated the high speed train in that position for 10 seconds on Tuesday. “He told the company that he had tired feet,” a spokesman for the operator said, also telling AFP that there was never any danger to the 320 […]
Trump says Putin is ‘far more’ of a leader than Obama
by Jerome CARTILLIER NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is “far more” of a leader than Barack Obama, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Wednesday, echoing previous praise for the Kremlin strongman. Putin is “very much of a leader,” Trump said in a televised interview, where he and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton were separately grilled over their national security and military credentials. Trump has made no secret of his admiration for […]
Dozens treated for breathing problems after Syria attack
ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — Dozens of people had to be treated for breathing problems in the Syrian battlefront city of Aleppo after regime helicopters dropped barrel bombs on a rebel-held district, a monitor said. https://youtu.be/5MyP5H8yWJ0
Ex-Japan PM Koizumi says Fukushima not ‘under control’
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Former Japanese leader Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday accused current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of lying when he claimed the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant was “under control.” Abe made the assertion in 2013 at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which voted to grant the Japanese capital the right to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. “That was a lie,” Koizumi told reporters when asked about Abe’s remark. “It is not […]
27 dead in Egypt bus, train accidents before holiday
CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — At least 27 people were killed in a bus collision and five died when a train derailed in separate accidents south of Cairo Wednesday during a busy holiday travel time. The bus collided with a truck in the southwestern province of Wedi El-Gedid, the Egyptian health ministry said. The number of passengers on the bus was not immediately clear. Traffic accidents are common in Egypt, where many of the country’s roads […]
Ahead of summit, Philippines shows images of Chinese boats at disputed shoal
(REUTERS) The Philippines’ defense ministry released pictures on Wednesday showing what it said were Chinese boats near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, just hours before Southeast Asian nations were due to meet China’s premier at a summit in Laos. There was no explanation for the timing of the release, but it came two days after Manila expressed “grave concern” about the increasing number of Chinese vessels around the Scarborough Shoal and […]
U.S. says relationship with Philippines remains “rock solid”
(Eagle News) — The United States said the relationship between the US and the Philippines remained “rock solid” as a US official stressed that a “very close working relationship” between the two countries will continue. This was despite the cancellation of a bilateral meeting between US President Barack Obama and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during the ASEAN Summit in Laos on Tuesday (September 6) Obama’s deputy National Security director Ben Rhodes told reporters the […]
Dozens choke’ in Syria Aleppo after barrel bomb attacks
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Dozens of people had to be treated for breathing problems in the Syrian battlefront city of Aleppo after regime helicopters dropped barrel bombs on a rebel-held district Tuesday, a monitor said. In addition, rebel gunfire killed five people in Azamiyeh, a government-controlled area in Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The bombs that left more than 70 people choking and in need of treatment were dropped from helicopters on […]
Kim Jong-Un stresses need to bolster nuclear arms: KCNA
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un called on his military to continue building up Pyongyang’s nuclear force after issuing orders for the latest test-firing of ballistic missiles, the North’s state media said Tuesday. North Korea test-fired three missiles into the sea Monday, Seoul said, in a new show of force as world leaders met for the G20 summit in China. “He stressed the need to continue making miraculous achievements in bolstering […]
Tricky last G20 summit for Obama
by Andrew BEATTY HANGZHOU, China (AFP) — From the moment Barack Obama touched down in China, his last G20 summit seemed likely to be a tricky one. A kerfuffle over aircraft stairs — or lack of them — and overzealous Chinese apparatchiks drowned out Obama’s efforts to laud his “pivot” to Asia and a deal between Beijing and Washington to jointly ratify a major climate accord. By the end of Obama’s three days in Hangzhou, he […]
