A small plane crashed on Tuesday (October 11) on a street in East Hartford, Connecticut, with the pilot injured and a passenger unaccounted for, police said. “There were two occupants of that aircraft, one of which was transported to the hospital, the second is unaccounted for at this time,” said East Hartford Police sergeant Joshua Litwin. Litwin said the plane had taken off from Hartford-Brainard Airport but he didn’t know why the plane came down. […]
International
Fusion project construction kicks into gear as costs balloon
Construction of an experimental nuclear fusion reactor in southern France is in full swing as the cost estimate has ballooned to nearly four times the original estimate, but the ITER project’s new head says new forecasts are realistic. The seven partners in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) – Europe, United States, China, India, Japan, Russia and South Korea – launched the project 10 years ago with a 5 billion euro ($5.6 billion) cost estimate […]
Trump trails Clinton by 8 points after tape scandal, debate – Reuters/Ipsos poll
By Chris Kahn NEW YORK (Reuters) – Donald Trump has fallen further behind Hillary Clinton and now trails her by 8 points among likely voters, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll, with 1 in 5 Republicans saying his vulgar comments about groping women disqualify him from the presidency. The national tracking poll was launched after Sunday night’s second presidential debate, where Trump was pressed to explain his comments in a 2005 videotape about […]
EU, Colombia deliver aid to Haiti
The international community is stepping up to provide aid for hurricane-ravaged Haiti, with more than 20 tonnes (22 tons) of food and medical supplies arriving in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday (October 11) from Colombia. Haiti is reeling after Hurricane Matthew tore through the country, flattening homes and leaving many locals with little more than just their clothes on their back. As flood waters begin to recede the difficult task ahead is providing those left homeless with […]
Thai police sting nets alleged Golden Triangle drug kingpin
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) – A controversial and colourful former guerilla fighter long accused of playing a key role in the Golden Triangle drugs trade was arrested during a sting operation Tuesday, Thai police said. Laota Seanlee, who is believed to be 79, was allegedly caught trying to sell 20 kilogrammes of crystal meth to undercover officers from his home in a village on Thailand’s border with Myanmar. The rugged hills of northern Thailand form part […]
Olympics: Italians officially abandon Rome bid
ROME, Italy |(AFP) – Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Malago put a definitive end Tuesday to Rome’s bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games after the city’s newly elected mayor refused to support the project. “I wrote to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today to withdraw Rome-2024 from the running,” Malago told a specially convened press conference. Rome’s ill-fated bid to host the Games was effectively killed off last month when the city council voted in […]
S. Korea’s Park urges preparations for mass North defections
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean President Park Geun-Hye on Tuesday told her government to prepare for large-scale defections from North Korea, just days after direct appealing to its citizens to flee their country. A recent spate of high-profile North Korean defections have provided a propaganda windfall for Seoul, which has spun them into a narrative of a Pyongyang leadership in crisis and riven with descent. Notable defections have included the North’s deputy ambassador […]
China raps US interventions in Asia at regional forum
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing rapped Washington Tuesday for its interventions in Asia, as tensions grow between the two powers over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and how to handle increasingly erratic North Korea. Speaking at the 7th annual Xiangshan regional defence forum in Beijing, Chang Wanguan, China’s defence minister, levied thinly veiled criticism at recent US involvement in Asia’s trouble spots. Washington has conducted freedom of navigation operations close to artificial islands […]
Apple, Samsung take battle to US Supreme Court
by Sébastien BLANC WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The epic legal battle pitting Apple against its bitter rival Samsung over the design of the iPhone reaches a new level Tuesday when it heads to the US Supreme Court. The high court is set to hear arguments over financial damages the South Korean smartphone giant owes Apple for allegedly violating design patents by producing copycats of its groundbreaking smartphone. Observers are watching the case closely to […]
Australian state backflips on greyhound racing ban
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s most populous state made an embarrassing backflip Tuesday on its plan to ban greyhound racing after sustained industry and public pressure, admitting it “got it wrong”. New South Wales Premier Mike Baird announced in July that his government would shut down the sport from July 1 next year after a series of scandals including “live baiting” and the slaughter of tens of thousands of dogs. But the controversial decision was […]
Clinton draws record crowd as Trump flounders
by Ivan Couronne COLUMBUS, United States (AFP) — An invigorated Hillary Clinton commanded a record crowd of more than 10,000 supporters Monday, leaving Donald Trump floundering as America’s top elected Republican all but conceded the White House. The former secretary of state looking to make history as America’s first woman commander-in-chief held an evening rally at Ohio State University ahead of the state’s deadline to register to vote Tuesday. The turnout marked a record for […]
At least 1.4 million need aid in Haiti after Matthew: UN
by Amelie BARON / with Marc Burleigh in Jeremie PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP) — Haiti faces a humanitarian crisis that requires a “massive response” from the international community, the United Nations chief said Monday, with at least 1.4 million people needing emergency aid following last week’s battering by Hurricane Matthew. The storm left at least 372 dead in the impoverished Caribbean nation, with the toll likely to rise sharply as rescue workers reach previously inaccessible areas. […]
