KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) – by Mamoon Durrani The Taliban stormed into Tarin Kot Thursday, triggering heavy fighting around government buildings as panicked residents scrambled to flee the capital of southern Uruzgan province, the latest city to be targeted by insurgents. Pitched battles prompted urgent calls from officials for reinforcements and air support, after the militants toppled security posts on the outskirts to breach the city gates. Residents said senior officials were abandoning government buildings and […]
International
Duterte missed ASEAN meetings with US, India because of illness — Malacanang
(Eagle News)– Government officials explained that President Rodrigo Duterte missed two meetings at the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos on Thursday (September 8) because he was ill. “He was not feeling well in the morning so he missed the two sessions. But he was able to attend the East Asia Summit with 18 world leaders and the rest of the day’s remaining schedule until departure for Indonesia early evening today,” Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Jesus […]
Japan bullet train driver puts feet up on the job
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Japanese bullet train driver came under fire Thursday after an online photo emerged of him operating it with his feet up. Central Japan Railway said the 29-year-old acknowledged that he operated the high speed train in that position for 10 seconds on Tuesday. “He told the company that he had tired feet,” a spokesman for the operator said, also telling AFP that there was never any danger to the 320 […]
Duterte skips ASEAN-US and ASEAN-UN meetings
(Eagle News)– President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday (September 8) skipped the ASEAN-United States Summit with US President Barack Obama, and the ASEAN-UN meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki -moon on Wednesday as well. Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. represented the Philippines in Duterte’s place in both important meetings. On Wednesday, Duterte also skipped the ASEAN-UN meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as he had a courtesy call on Laos President Bounnhang Vorachith. […]
Trump says Putin is ‘far more’ of a leader than Obama
by Jerome CARTILLIER NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is “far more” of a leader than Barack Obama, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Wednesday, echoing previous praise for the Kremlin strongman. Putin is “very much of a leader,” Trump said in a televised interview, where he and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton were separately grilled over their national security and military credentials. Trump has made no secret of his admiration for […]
Chinese coast guard involved in most South China Sea clashes – research
* Chinese coast guard involved in two-thirds of incidents – CSIS * Coast guards not covered by expanding communications agreements * China now has largest coast guard fleet in the world (Adds Chinese Foreign Ministry comment) By Greg Torode HONG KONG, Sept 7 (Reuters) – Increasingly assertive action by China’s coast guard ships in the South China Sea risks destabilising the region, according to the authors of new research tracking maritime law enforcement […]
Dozens treated for breathing problems after Syria attack
ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — Dozens of people had to be treated for breathing problems in the Syrian battlefront city of Aleppo after regime helicopters dropped barrel bombs on a rebel-held district, a monitor said. https://youtu.be/5MyP5H8yWJ0
Duterte not sandwiched by Obama, Ban at ASEAN gala dinner
(Eagle News)– President Rodrigo Duterte was not ‘sandwiched’ by United States President Barack Obama and United Nations General Ban Ki-Moon at the ASEAN gala dinner Wednesday night, opposing the earlier announcement from his communications team. Duterte was seated beside Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Obama was seated beside Brunei’s King Hassanal Bolkiah and Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuân Phúc. Ban, on the other hand, was seated before his wife, Yoo […]
Duterte meets UN Chief Ban in Laos
(Eagle News)– President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday (September 7) met United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at the ASEAN summit gala dinner in Vientiane, Laos. A photo of the two leaders shaking hands was distributed by the Palace to members of the media. Duterte has criticized Ban’s remarks for his ongoing campaign on illegal drugs. Duterte also turned down a meeting with the UN Chief due to “scheduling incompatibility”. President Duterte also met […]
Ex-Japan PM Koizumi says Fukushima not ‘under control’
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Former Japanese leader Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday accused current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of lying when he claimed the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant was “under control.” Abe made the assertion in 2013 at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which voted to grant the Japanese capital the right to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. “That was a lie,” Koizumi told reporters when asked about Abe’s remark. “It is not […]
27 dead in Egypt bus, train accidents before holiday
CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — At least 27 people were killed in a bus collision and five died when a train derailed in separate accidents south of Cairo Wednesday during a busy holiday travel time. The bus collided with a truck in the southwestern province of Wedi El-Gedid, the Egyptian health ministry said. The number of passengers on the bus was not immediately clear. Traffic accidents are common in Egypt, where many of the country’s roads […]
Russian fighter in ‘unsafe’ intercept of US spy plane: Pentagon
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to a US spy plane over the Black Sea on Wednesday, the Pentagon said, although Moscow quickly insisted the encounter was within “international rules.” A Russian Su-27 Flanker jet made an unsafe, close-range intercept of a US P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine and intelligence plane conducting “routine operations” in international airspace, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said. A US defense official, speaking earlier on condition […]
