BISHKEK, Kyrgystan (AFP) — A Turkish Airlines cargo plane crashed into a village near Kyrgyzstan’s main airport Monday, killing 32 people and destroying homes after attempting to land in thick fog, authorities said. The majority of the dead were from the village of Dacha-Suu where the cargo plane crashed at around 7.30 am local time (0130 GMT), a spokesman for the country’s emergency services, Muhammed Svarov, told AFP. The total number of dead “could be bigger” […]
International
Pro-Israeli demonstrators say Middle East Paris summit “pointless”
Reuters — Around 300 people demonstrated outside the Israeli embassy in Paris on Sunday (January 15) in support of Israel over a conference held in the French capital which aims to help find a solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Some 70 countries, including key European and Arab states as well as the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, gathered in Paris for a meeting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu […]
Obama doesn’t regret ‘red line’ over Syria conflict
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Barack Obama says he does not regret his speech drawing a “red line” over Syria’s use of chemical weapons, a phrase critics say symbolizes the US failure to act over the country’s conflict. Obama made the comment in 2012 about possible US military action in Syria, saying “a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized.” In […]
Trump promises health care ‘for everybody’
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President-elect Donald Trump wants health “insurance for everybody,” he told The Washington Post, no small feat in a country where millions are uninsured. The Republican has long lashed out at President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act, campaigning on a pledge to repeal and replace it. But the billionaire developer had never said precisely with what. Now, however, he told the Post by phone late Saturday […]
Japan’s Abe calls for peaceful solution of South China Sea dispute
BOGOR, WEST JAVA PROVINCE, Indonesia (Reuters) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said during his visit to Indonesia on Sunday (January 15) that it was important to solve the South China Sea dispute peacefully. Abe made the comments after meeting Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the presidential palace in Bogor. Abe is in Indonesia on a two-day visit aimed at strengthening maritime security and economic ties. Widodo told a joint news conference with Abe that […]
Pence defends Trump in spat with US civil rights icon
by Maggy DONALDSON Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A feud between Donald Trump and a prominent civil rights icon ramped up Sunday, as Vice President-elect Mike Pence jumped to his boss’s defense while a growing number of Democrats vowed to skip the upcoming inauguration. Pence said he was “deeply disappointed” in veteran Congressman John Lewis’s decision to boycott Trump’s inauguration. The Georgia Democrat questioned the legitimacy of the 2016 election and became […]
Trump accuses Merkel of ‘catastrophic mistake’ over migrants
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel made a “catastrophic mistake” in letting migrants flood into Germany, US President-elect Donald Trump said in a newspaper interview Sunday. He blamed the refugee crisis for being the “straw that broke the camel’s back” and triggered Britain’s vote last year to leave the European Union. “I think she made one very catastrophic mistake and that was taking all of these illegals, you know, taking all of the people […]
Trump suggests Russia deal on nuclear arms, sanctions: London Times
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday called for a deal with Russia that would “very substantially” reduce nuclear arsenals and ease sanctions against Moscow, in an interview published by The Times. “They have sanctions on Russia — let’s see if we can make some good deals with Russia. I think nuclear weapons should be way down and reduced very substantially, that’s part of it,” Trump said. “But Russia’s hurting very […]
Practice run for Trump’s US presidential inauguration held
(Reuters) — A dress rehearsal for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration is held on Sunday (January 15) at the U.S. Capitol, ahead of the official inauguration which will be held on Friday, January 20th. Trump will serve as the 45th president of the United States. Estimates vary for the number of people expected to attend the inauguration. The D.C. Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is reportedly planning for 800,000 to 900,000 people […]
Brooklyn Nets Lose Their Tenth Straight in Blowout Loss to Houston Rockets
BROOKLYN, NY – The Houston Rockets took advantage of the Brooklyn Nets’ non-existent defense behind Eric Gordon’s 24 points off the bench and James Harden’s 12th triple-double of the season as the Rockets rout the Nets 137-112 Sunday evening snapping their two-game losing streak. A sold out crowd of 17,732 were in attendance at the Barclay’s Center to watch the Nets lose their tenth straight game on Taiwanese Heritage Night, where the first 10,000 fans […]
Washington protesters vow to fight for civil rights under Trump
U.S. civil rights activists vowed on Saturday to defend hard-fought gains in voting rights and criminal justice during the presidency of Donald Trump, kicking off a week of protests ahead of the Republican’s inauguration. About 2,000 mostly black protesters ignored steady rain to march and rally near Washington’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, as speakers urged them to fight for minority rights and President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, which Trump has vowed to […]
Japan’s Abe pushes Pacific trade deal in Australia
Sydney, Australia (AFP) — Japan and Australia will work together to ensure the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal comes into force, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Saturday, making no mention of strong US opposition. After talks with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Abe took the lead on the trade pact covering 12 Pacific Rim nations that was ratified by Japan’s parliament last month. “We agreed that we should demonstrate anew to the world the importance of free […]
