International

Australian police charge man over New Year threats

SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) –Australian counter-terror officers arrested a 40-year-old man at Sydney Airport, after he disembarked from a flight from London on Thursday (29 December), and charged him with making online threats “relating to New Year’s Eve” festivities in Sydney, police said on Friday (30 December). The arrest follows police raids across the southern city of Melbourne a week ago, which authorities said foiled an Islamic State-inspired plot to attack prominent sites in the city […]

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Winter storm takes aim at northeastern U.S.

MONROE COUNTY, Pennsylvania (Reuters) — A winter storm that snarled traffic on highways in Pennsylvania is expected to bring heavy snows and fierce winds to New England on Thursday evening (December 29) and into Friday morning, the National Weather Service said. The storm triggered traffic accidents that blocked highways in northeastern and central Pennsylvania on Thursday for hours, according to local media. The system is forecast to bring more than a foot of snow (30 […]

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Carrie Fisher’s Death Broke the Heart of Mother Debbie Reynolds

After just one day without her beloved daughter Carrie Fisher, America’s sweetheart Debbie Reynolds passed away from a stroke at the age of 84. She was brought to the Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, December 28th. “The last thing she said this morning was that she was very, very sad about losing Carrie and that she would like to be with her again,” her son, Todd Fisher, shared to the public […]

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Gang-ravaged Mexico stuck in weed ban as U.S. opens up

(Reuters) Mexico, for years the front line of a U.S.-led war on drugs that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, is still mired in prohibitionist policies even as the United States and Canada step up the liberalization of marijuana. California in November became the first border state to vote for comprehensive cannabis legalization, and shortly afterward Mexico’s Senate made its first move to catch up – but only with a medical marijuana bill still […]

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One dead, one wounded in shooting at the University of Utah – local media

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, United States (Reuters) — A man shot and killed a woman in the parking lot of a research facility at the University of Utah on Thursday (December 29) before turning the gun on himself, according to local media. A local television station, citing police, said the man walked up to the woman in the parking lot of the building and shot her multiple times. They said the man then shot himself […]

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Hawaii: Obama’s birthplace and refuge

Honolulu, United States (AFP) — by Jerome CARTILLIER Hawaii was never Barack Obama’s political stomping grounds — that was Chicago. But his childhood in the Aloha State helped fashion his worldview, and instilled in him the need to sometimes look at unfolding events, and himself, with a bit of distance. The only American president born in the Pacific island paradise — nearly 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) from the nation’s capital — Obama is proud of […]

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6.2-magnitude quake felt in Bali

Jakarta, Indonesia (AFP)– A 6.2-magnitude earthquake was felt in the Indonesian resort island of Bali early Friday, an AFP correspondent said, but there was no tsunami alert and no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The quake hit around 300 kilometres (190 miles) east of Bali at a depth of around 72 kilometres just off the island of Sumbawa at 6:30 am (2230 GMT Thursday), the US Geological Survey said. “The earthquake was quite long. […]

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Iraq forces launch new assault on IS in Mosul

by Ammar Karim Agence France-Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) – Iraqi forces advanced Thursday after declaring a new phase in their offensive on eastern Mosul, stepping up efforts to reclaim the Islamic State group’s last major stronghold in the country. Elite forces have reconquered several parts of eastern Mosul since beginning the massive operation to recapture the northern city from the jihadists on October 17, but IS still occupies the city’s west. Security chiefs said several […]

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Taiwan warns ex-agents not to visit China

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — A top Taiwanese intelligence official on Thursday urged the island’s former agents not to travel to China, citing safety risks as relations with Beijing grow increasingly tense. Kuo Chung-hsin, deputy director of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, told reporters in parliament that “the current atmosphere is not suitable” for former and retired intelligence officers to visit China. “China has no statute of limitations on (prosecuting) our intelligence units and will question you […]

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South Korea pension chief admits pushing Samsung deal in Park probe

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s National Pension Service chief admitted to pressuring the state-run fund to back a controversial merger of two Samsung units, prosecutors said Thursday during a widening probe into a corruption scandal engulfing impeached President Park Geun-Hye. Park is accused of colluding with long-time confidant Choi Soon-Sil to strong-arm companies like Samsung into handing over tens of millions of dollars to dubious foundations which Choi controlled. As part of the […]

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Japan ad agency head to quit after employee suicide

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The president of Japan’s biggest advertising agency said he plans to step down, a year after an employee suicide linked to allegations of extreme overwork at the company. The announcement came as Japanese authorities referred Dentsu and one of its executives to prosecutors on suspicion of violating Japan’s labour law by forcing the 24-year-old employee to work illegally long hours. Matsuri Takahashi, a graduate of the prestigious University of Tokyo, committed […]

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Netanyahu slams Kerry speech as biased against Israel

JERUSALEM, Israel (AFP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned a speech by US Secretary of State John Kerry on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Wednesday as biased against Israel and more focused on settlements than Palestinian violence. Speaking from his office following Kerry’s speech in Washington, Netanyahu said the outgoing secretary of state paid only “lip service” to Palestinian violence against Israelis. “What he did was he spent most of his speech blaming Israel for the lack […]

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