by Karam al-Masri with Maya Gebeily in Beirut Agence France-Presse ALEPPO, Syria (AFP ) – Thousands of traumatised Syrians left the rebel enclave of Aleppo on Monday under a complex evacuation agreement that will see regime forces exert full control over the battered city. Families had spent hours waiting in below-freezing temperatures, sheltering from the rain in bombed-out apartment blocks and waiting desperately for news on a new wave of departures. The operations resumed on […]
International
China says discussing return of undersea drone with U.S. military
BEIJING, China (Reuters) — The Chinese and U.S. militaries are having “unimpeded” talks about the return of U.S. underwater drone taken by a Chinese naval vessel in the South China Sea last week, China’s foreign ministry said on Monday (December 19). The drone, known as an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), was taken on Thursday (December 15) in waters off the coast of the Philippines, the first seizure of its kind in recent memory. U.S. President-elect […]
Severe cold wave hits Midwestern USA
CCTV — A severe cold wave has hit the United States Midwest, including Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, drastically lowering temperatures across the region. Chicago, the capital of Illinois, experienced its lowest temperature of 23 degrees Celsius on Dec 18, which almost matched the city’s record low temperature of 23.3 degrees Celsius, that happened on the same day in 1983. In order to ensure road safety in the region, Illinois sent more than 1,700 snow sweepers […]
US military resumes Osprey flights in Japan after crash
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The US Marines on Monday resumed flights of their controversial Osprey aircraft in Japan, less than a week after a crash off the southern island of Okinawa sparked local protests. Last Tuesday an MV-22 Osprey made what Marines called a “controlled landing” just off the Okinawan coast during a night training flight that left the aircraft in pieces. No one was killed but the accident sparked anger on the island — […]
China chokes under heavy smog with worse ahead
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Hospital visits spiked, roads were closed and flights cancelled Monday as China choked under a vast cloud of toxic smog, with forecasters warning the worse was yet to come. At least 23 cities in the world’s most populous country have issued red alerts for air pollution since Friday, according to the official Xinhua news agency. A host of emergency measures have been implemented to protect the public’s health from the smog, […]
Trump tweets on China ‘more dangerous than funny’: media
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese state media said Monday US President-elect Donald Trump’s diplomatic inexperience could spark a confrontation between the two nations, while one newspaper termed him unfit to lead a superpower. They were commenting on Trump’s response to Beijing’s seizure of a US maritime probe in international waters, a move which raised already heightened tensions between the world’s two largest military powers. A Chinese naval vessel “unlawfully” grabbed the unmanned underwater vehicle in […]
Anti-Trump camp seeks electoral college revolt
by Jerome CARTILLIER Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Even though their chances of success are slim, many Democrats are looking at the Electoral College vote Monday as the last barrier to keep Republican Donald Trump out of the White House. When US voters cast their ballots on November 8, they did not directly elect the next president but rather 538 “electors” charged with translating their wishes into reality. Trump won a clear […]
Impeachment flags off early race for S. Korea presidency
by Hwang Sunghee Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-Hye has set off an early scramble among her potential successors, even before the final decision has been made to remove her from office. While some have openly announced their intention to run, others have been more circumspect — resulting in a “phony campaign” where the declared and undeclared protagonists skirmish without really joining battle. On paper, […]
IS claims suicide attack in Yemen’s Aden city
ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) — The Islamic State (IS) group on Sunday claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that struck a gathering of pro-government forces in Yemen’s temporary capital of Aden that left at least 49 soldiers dead. An online statement made by IS on twitter claimed that “more than 70 apostates were killed in the jihadist attack.” The suicide bomber who carried out the terrorist operation was identified as Abu Hashim Radfani, according to an […]
Protests against President-elect Trump in New York
NEW YORK, United States (Reuters) — The New York Immigration Coalition on Sunday (December 18) organized a rally against President-elect Donald Trump in New York City to mark International Migrants Day. “I’ve come with a message of steadfast solidarity from the brothers and sisters of Community Voices Heard,” said a representative of the organization at the podium. “Why? Because we are immigrants. Why? Because we are an organization built 20 years ago. Women who were […]
Third strong quake in two weeks hits off Solomon Islands
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, the third strong tremor off the Pacific nation in less than two weeks. The quake hit at 4.46pm (0546 GMT) at a depth of 39 kilometres (24 miles) about 83 kilometres west-northwest of Kirakira, the USGS added. On December 10 a 6.9-magnitude quake struck off Kirakira. The previous day a 7.7-magnitude tremor triggered severe shaking […]
7.9-magnitude quake hits PNG, tsunami threat over
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A major 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea on Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, but no immediate casualties were reported and an initial tsunami threat was later deemed to have passed. The earthquake struck 60 km to the east of Taron, New Ireland, at 8.51 pm local time (1051 GMT) at a depth of some 75 km, the USGS said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre initially warned hazardous […]