International

Britain hails queen at 90, a constant in years of turmoil

by Justin Tallis with Katherine Haddon in London WINDSOR, United Kingdom  (AFP) — Britain celebrated the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday with tributes to a popular monarch who has steered it through the decline of empire and a wave of scandals to the Internet age. Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to the queen as “a rock of strength for our nation” and her son and heir Prince Charles marked the occasion by […]

At least eight dead in Houston-area floods, more rain falls

HOUSTON, TEXAS, United States (Reuters) — At least eight people have died and some 1,150 homes have been damaged in flooding triggered by torrential downpours in the Houston area this week as more rain fell in the region on Wednesday (April 20) adding to vast pools of standing water. All of those who died were found in or near vehicles that had been in flooded areas, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences and a […]

Ecuador’s Correa raises death toll to 525

Hours after a 6.2 magnitude quake shook Ecuador, President Rafael Correa said on Wednesday (April 20) that the death toll was 525 from Saturday’s even bigger quake. The latest big tremor, which followed several hundred aftershocks from Saturday’s 7.8 quake, hit not far from Saturday’s quake– 25 km (15 miles) off the island of Muisne on the northwest coast at a depth of 15 km (9 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. Correa said that, […]

Three dead, dozens injured in blast at chemical plant in Mexico

A massive explosion rocked a major petrochemical facility of Mexican national oil company Pemex in the Gulf state of Veracruz on Wednesday (April 20), killing at least three people, injuring dozens more, and pumping a cloud of noxious chemicals into the sky. Luis Felipe Puente, head of federal emergency services, told Reuters that three people had died in the blast. The governor of Veracruz state, Javier Duarte, later said 105 were hospitalised, including 58 Pemex […]

Venezuela to ration electricity in power crisis

CARACAS,Venezuela (AFP) — Recession-wracked Venezuela is to ration electricity in 10 of its most populous and industrialized states, including metropolitan Caracas, the socialist government said Wednesday. It is the latest drastic measure to alleviate a severe electricity crisis which President Nicolas Maduro and his government blame on the El Nino weather phenomenon that causes drought. Critics say it’s the result of years of economic mismanagement. Luis Motta Dominguez, minister for electric power, made the announcement […]

Coffins pile up in Ecuador stadium-turned-morgue

by Santiago Piedra Silva Pedernales, Ecuador (AFP) — A hodgepodge of donated coffins in various shapes, sizes and colors is piled in a corner of the football stadium in the Ecuadoran resort town of Pedernales. The stadium has taken on an eerie new identity as a morgue in the aftermath of the country’s devastating earthquake, which killed more than 500 people. Medical examiners in white uniforms criss-cross the makeshift facility, working to identify decomposing bodies pulled […]

South American floods kill 12, force mass evacuations

BUENOS Aires, Argentina (AFP) — Severe storms and flooding across South America’s “southern cone” have killed at least 12 people and forced thousands to evacuate, with more bad weather on the way. Argentina, Chile and Uruguay have all been hit by the deluge, which has inundated towns, taken out bridges, blocked roads and cut off water supplies in recent days. In Uruguay, the bad weather culminated Friday in a tornado that killed five people in the […]

New quake rattles jittery Ecuador

by Santiago PIEDRA SILVA A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador on Wednesday, sowing new panic four days after a powerful quake killed more than 500 people and injured more than 5,000. The latest quake caused no damage or casualties, but shook the ground forcefully in the middle of the night, sending terrified residents running into the street in the devastated resort town of Pedernales. Some families opted to spend the rest of […]

Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes northeastern Japan

TOKYO: An earthquake measuring 6.1 magnitude struck off northeastern Japan on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There was no immediate tsunami warning, or reports of damage or casualties. A series of strong quakes struck the south of Japan late last week killing nearly 50 people. On Wednesday, survivors struggled with shortages of food and water. The USGS said Wednesday’s quake was centred 104 km (about 60 miles) east southeast of Sendai, Honshu, near where […]

BREAKING NEWS: Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes off Ecuador coast: USGS

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A 6.1-magnitude earthquake has struck near the coast of Ecuador, just days after the South American country was devastated by a deadly 7.8-magnitude quake, US experts said Wednesday. The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 8:33 GMT at a depth of 15.7 kilometers (9.8 miles), was located 25 kilometers west of Muisne and 73 kilometers west-southwest of Propicia, the US Geological Survey said. No tsunami warning has been issued. The […]

Magnitude 6.2 quake strikes off coast of Ecuador

(Reuters) A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador on Wednesday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, just days after a major quake hit the country. The quake was centered 70 km (44 miles) west-southwest of Esmeraldas at a shallow depth of 10 km.  

Bangladesh identifies 20 suspects in the attack on its central bank

QUEZON City, Philippines – With the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Criminal Investigation Department of the Bangladesh police was able to identify 12 Filipinos and 8 Sri Lankans as suspects for the theft of the $100 million from the Bangladesh Central Bank. Said suspects are those that were paid to facilitate the theft and not the actual hackers. (Eagle News Service Described by Jay Paul Carlos, Video Editing by Dexter Magno, Uploaded […]