International

US, UN weigh in on Duterte’s Hitler remarks, call them “troubling”

  (Reuters) — The U.S. State Department on Friday (September 30) called “troubling” Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s comments likening himself to Adolf Hitler and saying he would be happy to exterminate 3 million drug users. “America’s … partnership with the Philippines is … based on a mutual foundation of shared values and that includes our shared belief in human rights and human dignity,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. “President Duterte’s comments are a significant departure from […]

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3,800 civilians dead in year of Russian strikes in Syria: monitor

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — More than 3,800 civilians have been killed in one year of Russian air strikes in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad, a monitoring group said Friday as international outcry mounted. Assad’s regime and its key backer Russia are under growing pressure from world governments to halt a new offensive pounding rebel-held areas of the battleground city of Aleppo. More than 9,300 people have been killed in the Russian raids since September […]

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Obama arrives in Israel for funeral of Nobel laureate Peres

TEL AVIV, Israel (AFP) — US President Barack Obama arrived in Israel on Friday for the funeral of the last of its founding fathers, Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres. Obama is among leaders from across the world arriving for Peres’s funeral at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl national cemetery, which begins at 9:00 am (0600 GMT). © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

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12 bodies found in western Mexican river

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AFP) — Authorities have recovered 12 bodies in a western Mexican river near a lake popular among US tourists, as suspicion about the deaths turned toward two drug gangs on Thursday. Three bodies were found in the Lerma river on Thursday afternoon, after nine others were recovered in the first three days of the week, said Eduardo Almaguer, the top prosecutor in Jalisco state. “Twelve bodies have been found in the Lerma river […]

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US paper facing threats for endorsing Clinton

by Jocelyne ZABLIT LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A conservative Arizona newspaper is facing death threats and losing subscriptions after it broke with tradition by endorsing Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump for US president, a senior editor told AFP Thursday. The Phoenix-based Arizona Republic, the state’s largest newspaper, announced in an editorial on Tuesday that it is backing a Democrat for the first time since it was founded in 1890 on the grounds that […]

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Princess Charlotte says first word in public on Canadian tour

Britain’s Princess Charlotte, 1, spoke for the first time in public on Thursday (September 29) during her family’s Canadian tour, uttering the word “pop” while she and her brother played with balloons. Britain’s Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, are on week-long trip to Canada. It was the first time the couple have brought their children Charlotte and George, 3, on an official visit to the country. The family was in Victoria, […]

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Haitian and Dominican Republican FMs to boost strained ties

The foreign ministers of Haiti and the Dominican Republic met in Santo Domingo on Thursday (September 29) to strengthen bilateral relations between the two neighbours which were strained after migrant deportations from the Dominican Republic a year ago. Last year, reportedly thousands of Haitians were sent back across the border after Dominican officials began implementing a controversial immigration programme against undocumented migrants, many of whom were from Haiti. Many of those who were deported or […]

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US orders families of govt personnel to leave DR Congo

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday ordered families of government personnel stationed in the Democratic Republic of Congo to leave amid fears about escalating violence, the State Department said. “The potential for civil unrest is high in parts of Kinshasa and other major cities,” it said, referring to the country’s capital in a statement. “As a result of the deteriorating security situation, family members of US government personnel have been ordered […]

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Colombia’s FARC apologises for deadly 2002 massacre

Commanders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) offered an official apology on Thursday (September 29) for the 2002 Bojaya massacre where guerrillas killed 79 civilians. Visiting the church which was destroyed in the attack, just days after a peace agreement was signed with the Colombian government, FARC commander Ivan Marquez asked the local community for reconciliation. “We ask for you to forgive us and that you give us the hope of a spiritual […]

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One dead, 114 hurt as New Jersey train crash causes major damage

by Thomas URBAIN HOBOKEN, United States (AFP) — A speeding commuter train that plowed into a New Jersey station during morning rush hour Thursday, killing one person and injuring 114, has caused major destruction at the transport hub and gateway to Manhattan. The train entered the Hoboken station “at a high rate of speed” and “crashed through the barriers, bringing it into the interior wall” of the terminal, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said. A […]

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US-Philippines military alliance ‘ironclad’: Pentagon chief

SAN DIEGO, United States (AFP) — US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Thursday that America’s alliance with the Philippines was “ironclad,” despite that country’s president vowing a day earlier to end joint military exercises. “As it has been for decades, our alliance with the Philippines is ironclad,” Carter said, addressing troops aboard the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, docked in San Diego. On Wednesday, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said he would soon end joint military […]

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Saudi warns of ‘disastrous consequences’ over US 9/11 law

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia on Thursday warned of “disastrous consequences” from a United States law allowing 9/11 victims to sue the kingdom, in a major spike in tension between the longstanding allies. The warning came after the US Congress voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override President Barack Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) on relations between states. JASTA allows attack survivors and relatives of terrorism victims to […]

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