International

Syria force evacuates ‘human shields’ in push to crush IS remnant

by Rouba El Husseini and Emmanuel Duparcq Agence France Presse BAGHOUZ, Syria (AFP) — Kurdish-led forces supported by air strikes from an international coalition evacuated civilians held as “human shields” Monday after smashing their way into the jihadists’ last scrap of territory in eastern Syria. The Syrian Democratic Forces and its allies from the US-led coalition unleashed a deluge of fire on the village of Baghouz at the weekend to break the defences of Islamic […]

South Korea’s Moon urges new US-North denuclearization talks

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged the US and North Korea to quickly resume denuclearization talks after their Hanoi summit last week ended without a deal. Moon, who has adopted a dovish approach to Pyongyang and brokered the US-North Korea talks process, urged his officials to find out what exactly had gone awry at the high-stakes meeting, and predicted a deal would ultimately be reached. “We hope […]

Bushfires rage after Australia’s hottest summer on record

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Homes have gone up in flames and skies turned blood red as nearly 1,000 firefighters battle dozens of out-of-control blazes in southern Australia in the wake of the nation’s warmest summer on record. A days-long heatwave sent temperatures soaring towards 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) over the weekend, with bushfires raging across Victoria state forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. A lightning strike late last week sparked southeast […]

Death toll in Alabama tornado jumps to 22: US media

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A tornado tore through the southern US state of Alabama on Sunday, killing 22 people, uprooting trees and causing “catastrophic” damage to buildings and roads, a local sheriff said. “Unfortunately, I feel that number may rise yet again but that’s going to depend on our search efforts,” Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told a press conference. Other people have been hospitalized, some with “very serious injuries,” while the search was […]

Trump says Cohen grilling may have contributed to summit ‘walk’

by Frankie TAGGART Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that the congressional questioning last week of his former lawyer may have contributed to the failure of his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — even as his national security advisor claimed the Hanoi meeting was a success. A high-stakes second summit to strike a disarmament deal with Kim broke up in disarray in Vietnam Thursday, with […]

Tornado kills 14 in US state of Alabama: sheriff

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A tornado killed 14 people and caused “catastrophic” damage in the southern US state of Alabama on Sunday, a local sheriff said. “At this time, we have 14 confirmed fatalities,” Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said in a video posted on Facebook by a journalist from a local CBS affiliate. Other people have been hospitalized, some with “very serious injuries,” while the search is still continuing for more who are missing, […]

Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou lodges complaint against Canada authorities: lawyers

MONTREAL, United States (AFP) — Chinese telecoms giant Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, has filed suit against Canadian authorities for violating her constitutional rights when she was arrested in Vancouver, her lawyers said Sunday. As she suffered “serious breaches of her constitutional rights,” she is “seeking damages for misfeasance in public office and false imprisonment” when detained at Vancouver International Airport on December 1, attorneys Howard Mickelson and Allan Doolittle said in a statement. […]

White House security chief calls Trump-Kim summit ‘success’

by Frankie TAGGART Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US national security advisor John Bolton denied Sunday that last week’s nuclear summit with North Korea was a failure, despite President Donald Trump coming home empty-handed. A high-stakes second meeting to strike a disarmament deal with the North’s Kim Jong Un broke up in disarray Thursday in Hanoi, without even a joint statement. Bolton told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that Trump’s failure to obtain […]

Guaido calls for mass protests ahead of return to Venezuela Monday

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela’s opposition leader called for mass protests across the country on Monday as he announced his return to the country after a week touring Latin American allies. “I’m announcing my return to the country. I am calling on the Venezuelan people to mobilize all over the country tomorrow at 11:00 am (1500 GMT),” Guaido said on Twitter. Guaido, who has been recognized by more than 50 countries as interim president, gave […]

Shinawatra parties rally across Thailand as crucial court ruling looms

by Aidan Jones Parties aligned with Thailand’s powerful Shinawatra clan staged major rallies Saturday ahead of a court ruling that could deal a gut punch to their prospects in national elections later this month. Public gatherings were taking place across the country — including in the Chiang Mai hometown of divisive billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Shinawatra-linked Pheu Thai party members addressed throngs of supporters in a stadium in Chiang Mai as the sun went down, […]

US, S. Korea to end key joint military exercises

by Kang Jin-kyu The US and South Korea announced Sunday an end to key annual large-scale military exercises in support of diplomatic efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme. The decision comes days after the conclusion of US President Donald Trump’s second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, which ended without a formal agreement but with both sides suggesting they would keep talking. There are close to […]

US, S. Korea to ‘discontinue’ major military exercise: US official

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US military and South Korea are planning to “discontinue” annual large-scale military exercises as President Donald Trump pursues efforts to improve ties with North Korea, a US official told AFP Friday. The comment from the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, came shortly after the conclusion of Trump’s second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, which ended without a formal agreement but with […]