International

FBI renews probe on Clinton emails, US polls narrow

  by Jennie Matthew FORT LAUDERDALE, United States | AFP | — The race for the White House narrowed noticeably on Sunday as Hillary Clinton sought to shake off a renewed FBI probe of her emails and Donald Trump blitzed western states nine days ahead of the vote. An ABC News/Washington Post poll put the Democratic presidential candidate just one point ahead of her Republican challenger Donald Trump at 46-45 percent in a four-way race. […]

New Italy quake sows terror, flattens historic church

  by Franck Ioevene and Angus MacKinnon in Rome NORCIA, Italy | AFP | — Italy’s most powerful earthquake in 36 years stuck the country’s mountainous centre Sunday, panicking shell-shocked residents for the third time in two months and flattening a world famous 600-year-old basilica. Remarkably, there were no reports of anyone dying as a result of the 6.6 magnitude quake but more than 3,000 people were left temporarily homeless, the national civil protection agency […]

Egypt floods kill 26 people and injure dozens more

  (Reuters) — Twenty-six people were killed and dozens more injured after two days of heavy flooding hit several Egyptian cities on Friday and Saturday (October 28-29), Egypt’s health ministry said. The rain hit in the early hours of Friday (October 28) morning sweeping away cars and destroying houses. Seven people were killed in the Red Sea city of Ras Ghareb, health officials added. Authorities said two main roads in the city were closed due […]

The ‘female Rasputin’ at centre of S. Korean political scandal

  by Jung Ha-Won SEOUL, South Korea | AFP | — South Korean President Park Geun-Hye is facing calls to resign over allegations she allowed a close personal friend to meddle in state affairs. The woman at the heart of the scandal is an elusive figure with no government post or security clearance but a reportedly Rasputin-like grip on the president’s trust and affections. Here are five key questions about an ongoing and sometimes bizarre […]

Raids, protests pressure S. Korea’s scandal-hit president

  by Park Chan-Kyong SEOUL, South Korea | AFP | — Pressure mounted Saturday on beleaguered South Korean President Park Geun-Hye over a personal and political scandal, as prosecutors raided the homes of senior aides and thousands joined a protest in central Seoul demanding her resignation. With just over a year left to run, Park’s presidency has suddenly unravelled over shocking revelations of how she allowed a close personal friend, with no official position, to […]

Remaining Jungle migrants relocated after two days in limbo

CALAIS, France (AFP) – by Gina DOGGETT and Baptiste BECQUART Most of the migrants left wandering the Calais “Jungle” as it was being demolished were relocated Friday, including dozens of minors over whom France and Britain had traded barbs. After being left to fend for themselves for two days in the deserted burnt-out shantytown, around 100 stragglers boarded buses for shelters around the country. Around 50 minors, mostly Sudanese, were taken to a centre for […]

Rebels in Aleppo attack, Putin cautious on new Russian raids

ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) – by Omar Haj Kadour and Karam al-Masri Syrian rebels launched a major assault Friday aimed at breaking a months-long siege of opposition-held districts of Aleppo, as regime ally Russia held off on renewed air strikes. Rebel groups including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham faction and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front fired waves of rockets into government-held western Aleppo, killing at least 15 civilians, a monitor said. The rebels also targeted government […]

Youtube star gets a Guinness, unveils long version of hit song Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen

  (Reuters) — Japanese Youtube star and singer of the recent hit Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen (PPAP), Pikotaro, performed and unveiled the track’s long version on Friday (October 28) in Tokyo. Pikotaro, whose real name is Kazuhiko Kosaka, is known for a quirky music video featuring him miming the joining of an imaginary apple and pineapple with an imaginary pen. The video uploaded in early September quickly went viral, racking up over 600 million views (as of October […]

Russia denies role in bloody strike on Syria school

by Sammy Ketz BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Russia Thursday denied any involvement in deadly air strikes on a Syrian school and rejected a UN-led investigation showing its ally Damascus had carried out chemical attacks, as Moscow’s relations with the West took another hit. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded an immediate probe into Wednesday’s attack on the school in rebel-held Idlib province that he said “may amount to a war crime”. The tensions mounted a day […]

Trump running mate’s plane skids off NY runway

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence’s campaign plane slid off a runway after landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Thursday evening, the campaign said. No injuries were reported. “We could feel the plane sliding off the runway and then (it) came to a very sharp halt” after landing, CNN producer Elizabeth Landers, who was on the plane, told the channel. “The governor and everyone on board is okay,” she […]

Oregon militants acquitted of conspiracy in wildlife refuge seizure

A federal court jury on Thursday (October 27) acquitted anti-government militant leader Ammon Bundy and six followers of conspiracy charges stemming from their role in the armed takeover of a U.S. wildlife center in Oregon earlier this year. Bundy and others, including his brother and co-defendant Ryan Bundy, cast the 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge as a legitimate and patriotic act of civil disobedience. Prosecutors called it a lawless scheme to seize […]

Pence’s plane skids off runway at New York airport, no injuries

A campaign plane carrying U.S. Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence skidded off the runway after landing at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport on Thursday (Oct. 27). There were no injuries, the campaign said. Live television footage showed Pence standing in the rain near the plane among emergency vehicles, talking to police and other officials. “Governor Pence and everyone on board the plane is fine,” said Marc Lotter, Press Secretary for Donald Trump for President […]