by André VIOLLAZ JUBA, South Sudan (AFP) — The UN Security Council pressed South Sudan’s neighbors Sunday to help end renewed fighting in the capital, asking for additional peacekeepers. In a unanimous declaration, the council’s 15 member countries also demanded that President Salva Kiir and his Vice President Riek Machar “do their utmost to control their respective forces, urgently end the fighting and prevent the spread of violence.” It called for the two rivals to […]
International
Bahamas issues travel warning for US, citing racial tension
NASSAU, Bahamas (AFP) — The government of the Bahamas has urged its citizens to be careful when traveling to the United States, citing tensions over the recent deaths of black men at the hands of police. Most people in the Caribbean nation are black. The foreign ministry said young Bahamian men in particular should exercise caution in their dealings with police in US cities. “Do not be confrontational and cooperate,” the ministry said in a […]
California ill-prepared for the Big One, experts say
by Jocelyne ZABLIT LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Beyond the sunshine, the palm trees and Hollywood, if there is one certainty in California, it’s that a massive earthquake will strike at some point. But when the Big One hits, a recent report says, the western state is ill-prepared and local officials as well as major businesses need to face that reality to “prevent the inevitable disaster from becoming a catastrophe.” Drafted by a group […]
Dallas top cop becomes face of tragedy
by Thomas URBAIN DALLAS, United States (AFP) — As America reeled from a week of violence pitting police officers against civilians, Dallas Police Chief David Brown came to personify the nation’s trauma. After a black army veteran killed five white officers at a peaceful march in the Texas city, the 55-year-old police chief, who is African-American, delivered a simple but poignant message: “We are heartbroken,” he said. “This must stop. This divisiveness between our police […]
Obama says attacking police hurts reform
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — US President Barack Obama cautioned those protesting police killings of black Americans against blanket criticism Sunday, saying the majority of officers in the force do a good job. “Whenever those of us who are concerned about fairness in the criminal justice system attack police officers, you are doing a disservice to the cause,” Obama said, as protests against police brutality continued around the country. America has been rocked by the deaths […]
6.0-magnitude quake hits off Tonga: USGS
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the Pacific nation of Tonga late Sunday, US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued. The US Geological Survey said the quake was shallow, striking 140 kilometres (87 miles) northeast from the town of Hihifo. A second 5.5 quake struck shortly afterwards in the sea 110 kilometres away from Hihifo, USGS reported. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not immediately issue any warnings. Tonga sits […]
Dallas attack spotlights America’s intolerant fringe: experts
by Leila MACOR MIAMI, United States (AFP) — The Dallas ambush by a black gunman targeting white police is the latest spasm of fury that reflects what experts see as a rising tide of extremism and intolerance on the fringes of American society. Fueling the country’s polarization are racial tension, anger with establishment politicians and economic inequality, says the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors racist and hate groups in the United States. Micah Johnson, […]
Bin Laden’s son threatens revenge for father’s assassination – monitor
(Reuters) The son of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has threatened revenge against the United States for assassinating his father, according to an audio message posted online. Hamza bin Laden promised to continue the global militant group’s fight against the United States and its allies in the 21-minute speech entitled “We Are All Osama,” according to the SITE Intelligence Group. “We will continue striking you and targeting you in your country and […]
N. Korea to take ‘physical action’ over US anti-missile system
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Monday threatened to take “physical action” to counter a sophisticated US anti-missile system planned to be deployed in the South. The warning follows an announcement by Seoul and Washington Friday to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea to counter growing threats from the North. The two allies have not yet revealed exactly when and where in the South the system would […]
UK’s Osborne to urge U.S. investors to stick with Britain outside EU
(Reuters) British finance minister George Osborne will meet some of Wall Street’s biggest investors in New York on Monday to urge them to stick with Britain despite last month’s vote to leave the European Union, his office said. The vote for Brexit has pushed the pound to 31-year lows against the dollar and many investors have warned that Britain – until this month the world’s fifth-largest economy – faces years of uncertainty over everything […]
Thousands flee heavy fighting in South Sudan capital
JUBA, South Sudan (AFP) — Thousands fled heavy fighting in South Sudan’s capital Juba on Sunday as government soldiers and former rebels traded fire in a return to hostilities that has claimed scores of lives, threatening a shaky peace deal. The battles are the first between the army and ex-rebels in Juba since rebel leader Riek Machar returned to take up the post of vice president in a unity government in April, under an accord […]
Japan’s Abe claims victory in parliamentary vote
by Shingo ITO TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe claimed victory Sunday for his ruling coalition in parliamentary elections, which came despite lukewarm public support for his economic policies and wariness over amending the country’s pacifist constitution. Abe, in power since late 2012, has yet to achieve a strong recovery in the world’s third-largest economy through unconventional measures centered on massive easy money and other steps — so-called Abenomics. Voters have also […]