International

Philippines’ Aquino vows to ‘neutralize’ Abu Sayyaf kidnappers

MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — Philippine President Benigno Aquino vowed Wednesday to launch a military assault aimed at “neutralizing” Abu Sayyaf militants who beheaded a Canadian hostage and are holding more than 20 other foreigners. “Casualties are to be expected. But what has to be of utmost importance is neutralizing the criminal activities of the ASG,” Aquino said in a statement, referring to the Abu Sayyaf by a commonly used acronym. © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

Chinese rights activist Harry Wu dies at 79

WASHINGTON,United States (AFP) — Longtime Chinese human rights champion and former political prisoner Harry Wu, who advocated on behalf of those in brutal forced labor camps, has died at age 79, according to his research foundation. Wu died Tuesday morning while vacationing in Honduras with friends, the Laogai Research Foundation said in a statement. He founded the organization in 1992 to analyze and raise awareness about China’s “laogai” or forced labor detention centers, which began […]

Breaking News: Brexit would lead to loss of income for Britons: OECD

LONDON,United Kingdom (AFP) — Britons would be less well off if they voted to leave the European Union than if they stayed, the head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on Wednesday. “Brexit is like a tax. It is the equivalent to roughly missing out on about one month’s income within four years,” secretary general Angel Gurria told BBC radio ahead of the publication of an OECD report into Brexit. © […]

Updated: Papua New Guinea to shut Australia asylum-seeker camp: PM

SYDNEY,Australia (AFP) — Papua New Guinea on Wednesday said a controversial asylum-seeker camp on Manus island will close, throwing Australia’s border protection policy into disarray. It follows a Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday that detaining people at the Australian-funded facility was unconstitutional and illegal. “Respecting this ruling, Papua New Guinea will immediately ask the Australian government to make alternative arrangements for the asylum-seekers currently held at the Regional Processing Centre,” Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said in […]

South Korea says another North Korean nuclear test appears imminent

  South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on Wednesday (April 27) that a North Korean nuclear test appeared imminent as the North’s ruling Workers’ Party plans to hold a congress from May 6, the first such conference in 36 years. North Korea’s drive to develop nuclear capabilities has intensified since January, when it conducted its fourth nuclear test and followed that with a string of tests of missiles that could deliver such a weapon. Old rival […]

Experts leave Mexico ‘sad’ after not finding missing students

by Laurent THOMET MEXICO CITY,Mexico (AFP) — The foreign experts came to Mexico in March 2015 with the daunting task of helping investigators solve the mysterious disappearance of 43 students. A year later, the five experts from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights are going home without an answer for the desperate parents of the young men missing since September 2014. But they leave behind a blistering account of the government’s investigation — a report […]

US looks into Google edge on Android: report

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — The US is looking into whether free Android mobile software is giving an unfair advantage to other Google offerings such as its search engine, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staffers have met with companies in recent months about concerns that Alphabet-owned Google is abusing the dominant position of Android software for powering smartphones or tablets, according to the Journal. Concerns at issue are similar […]

Date by date, the US election year ahead

Billionaire Republican Donald Trump on Tuesday scored a clean sweep in the latest presidential primaries held in five key states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton won four out of five contests, with her rival Bernie Sanders taking only Rhode Island, according to network projections. Here are the key upcoming political dates, from the final primaries to the national party conventions in July, the presidential debates and the […]

N. Korea sets party congress date amid nuclear test fears

by Giles HEWITT Seoul,South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Wednesday formally set May 6 for the opening of a landmark ruling party congress — the first in nearly four decades and an event many fear will be preceded by a fifth nuclear test. Anticipation over the congress, last held in 1980, has been mounting since the North signalled its intentions to hold the gathering way back in October. Kim Jong-Un is expected to use […]

INC conducts clean up drive in Eastern Canada

The Iglesia ni Cristo members in Eastern Canada are giving back to the community by conducting a clean up drive. The “Clean Toronto Together” activity is an annual city-wide initiative of keeping Toronto clean and green. The city holds the event every April. Camille Enriquez and Monica de Jesus reports.

Winners of 2016 US presidential contests, by state

WASHINGTON,United States (AFP) — Here is a list of the US states and territories won by each of the five remaining Republican and Democratic presidential candidates in the 2016 White House nominating contests held since February 1: DEMOCRATIC PARTY Forty-three contests have been held to date, including in Pennsylvania and the four other primaries on Tuesday. A total of 2,383 delegates are needed to secure the party’s presidential nomination, including the so-called “super-delegates,” who have […]