International

Russia announces Aleppo truce as EU warns of ‘war crimes’

by Karam al-Masri with Maya Gebeily in Beirut ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — Russia has announced an eight-hour “humanitarian” ceasefire in Aleppo later this week, as the EU warned that the Syrian regime’s Moscow-backed assault on the city could amount to a war crime. The United Nations and European Union welcomed the announcement, but said Thursday’s planned pause in fighting needed to be longer to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, dozens of civilians including […]

Melania Trump shrugs off husband’s way with women

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Despite a flurry of sexual assault accusations against Donald Trump and recordings of him boasting that he uses his fame to grope and kiss women, Melania Trump on Monday shrugged off her husband’s “boy talk” in an interview with CNN. Just as her billionaire husband has, the Slovenian-born ex-model slammed the media for unfair treatment of the Republican White House nominee who has recently lost ground in the polls to […]

Clinton widens lead in latest poll as Trump cries foul

by Michael Mathes NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Hillary Clinton has widened her lead over Donald Trump nationally and in key swing states three weeks before Election Day, a poll showed Monday, as the Republican presidential nominee struggled to find a way back into the race. Trump, whose campaign has been reeling in the face of lewd comments about women and accusations of sexual assault, has doubled down on claims of “large scale voter […]

Inmates beheaded in Brazil prison riots: police

by Claire DE OLIVEIRA NETO RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Rioting inmates beheaded rivals and burned others alive in an explosion of violence in two Brazilian jails that left at least 18 people dead on Monday, the authorities said. Prisoners also took women visitors hostage, officials said, blaming the violence on a rift between the country’s two largest gangs. It was the latest eruption of gruesome violence to hit Brazil’s underfunded and overcrowded prisons. […]

UN announces 72-hour ceasefire in Yemen starting Thursday

UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — A 72-hour ceasefire in Yemen will go into effect starting Thursday, the United Nations announced on Monday. A cessation of hostilities that first went into effect in April “will re-enter into force at 23:59 Yemen time (2059 GMT) on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal,” the UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said in a statement. The announcement comes after […]

Iraqi forces ‘ahead of schedule’ in Mosul: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Iraqi security forces were “ahead of schedule” after the first day of an offensive for the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, a Pentagon official said Monday. A US-led coalition has for months been helping train Iraqi forces for the fight for Mosul — the last IS stronghold in Iraq — and the military offensive finally got underway early Monday. “Early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so […]

6.4 magnitude earthquake hits northwest China: USGS

BEIJING, China (AFP) —  A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck China’s northwestern province of Qinghai on Monday, the US Geological Survey reported, in an area frequently plagued with seismic activity. The quake was 32 kilometres (20 miles) deep, USGS said, with its epicentre in a sparsely-populated area of Yushu prefecture. There was a “low likelihood of casualties and damage”, it said. Yushu was the scene of a 6.9-magnitude earthquake in April 2010 that left nearly 2,700 people dead […]

Vietnam floods kill 25 as new typhoon approaches

  HANOI, Vietnam | AFP | — Severe flooding in central Vietnam has killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes, officials said Monday, as the country braced for further destruction with a typhoon barrelling closer. Images from flood-hit provinces showed houses almost completely submerged and people paddling down waterlogged streets following heavy rain that started last week. Four people are still missing after the deluge, which destroyed or damaged more than 240,000 […]

6.9-magnitude quake hits off PNG: USGS

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea on Monday, officials said, but no Pacific-wide tsunami warning was issued. The tremor was estimated at a depth of 35 kilometres (22 miles) in the New Britain region of the country, some 418 kilometres northeast of the capital Port Moresby, the United States Geological Survey said. © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

25 inmates killed in Brazil prison clash

  by Natalia Ramos SAO PAULO, Brazil | AFP | — At least 25 inmates died Sunday in clashes between two rival factions in a prison in far northern Brazil, the latest episode of violence shaking the country’s underfunded and overcrowded prison system. Seven of the dead were beheaded and six burned to death in fighting at a prison in Boa Vista, the capital of Roraima state, the news site G1 reported, citing local police. […]

Japan bans Galaxy Note 7 on airplanes over fire risk

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan has barred all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones from airplanes, mirroring moves by US regulators and a string of carriers that banned the recalled devices over fire risk concerns. The weekend announcement from Japan’s transport ministry follows an earlier warning that asked airlines to urge passengers not to turn on or charge the smartphones on aircraft. But aviation authorities went a step further on Saturday, ordering airlines to ban the […]