by Olivia Hampton WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)– Justice Antonin Scalia, a towering conservative voice on the US Supreme Court, has died at the age of 79, triggering a political showdown over his succession in the run-up to the presidential election. President Barack Obama ordered flags to fly at half-staff across the United States until the long-serving justice, first appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1986, is laid to rest. Scalia’s death after three decades on the […]
International
Taiwan quake death toll reaches 116 as search for missing bodies end
THE search has come to an end as rescuers have found the body of the last missing resident from the earthquake that struck southern Taiwan on Saturday, Feb. 6. The death toll of the quake reached 116. At 15:57 Saturday, the body of the last missing resident was found in the ruins, ending the rescue work that has gone on for seven-and-a-half days. The 6.7-magnitude quake hit Kaohsiung city at a depth of 15 km […]
5.8 magnitude quake shakes New Zealand’s Christchurch
A 5.8 magnitude quake shook near New Zealand’s city of Christchurch on Sunday (February 14), according to the US Geological Survey. The USGS website said the quake was located 17 kilometers east northeast of Christchurch. New Zealand’s earthquake monitoring service, however, put the quake’s magnitude at 5.7 It hit just eight days short of the anniversary of the February 22, 2011 earthquake in the same region, which resulted in nearly 200 deaths and caused […]
Zika virus persisted in man’s semen for 2 months: report
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A man in Britain who was infected with Zika while traveling to the Cook Islands showed evidence of the mosquito-borne virus in his semen for two months, health officials said Friday. The finding raises new questions for health authorities as they scramble to learn more about Zika — linked to a surge in birth defects in Brazil — and the risk of transmission through sex. The case involved a 68-year-old man […]
18 arrests in international human trafficking operation
FRENCH and Romanian authorities, supported by Europol, have dismantled an organised crime network involved in trafficking minors. During the joint operation, 4 houses in France and 10 houses in Romania were simultaneously searched by investigators. Eighteen individuals were arrested and authorities seized almost EUR 25 000, gold, jewellery, luxury watches and TV sets. The network has been the subject of a large-scale international investigation by the French Gendarmerie and the Romanian Police since last year. […]
More than 100 dead in collapsed Taiwan building: rescue agency
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Rescuers have found the bodies of more than 100 people killed after an appartment block in Taiwan collapsed during an earthquake one week ago, emergency services said on Saturday. Only three residents of the Wei-kuan complex in the southern city of Tainan remained unaccounted for as emergency services drew close to completing their search, after rescuing hundreds of people from the ruins. The death toll now stands at 114 with 550 injured, […]
North Korea halts search for Japanese abductees
(Reuters) — North Korea has declared void an agreement to reopen an investigation into the fate of abducted Japanese citizens after Japan imposed sanctions in the wake of Pyongyang’s rocket launch, North Korea’s state media said on Friday (February 12). “As of February 12, 2016, the comprehensive investigation into Japanese citizens which had been underway by inter-governmental agreement in Stockholm will be totally stopped, and the special investigation committee will be dissolved,” North Korea’s […]
Millions die from air pollution, mainly in China, India
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)–Air pollution kills more than 5.5 million people around the world each year, with over half of those deaths occurring in fast-growing China and India, researchers said Friday. And the number of premature deaths will continue to climb in the years ahead unless more aggressive measures against pollution are adopted, scientists warned the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in the US capital. “Air pollution is the fourth highest risk […]
Breaking news: Powerful 6.5 earthquake strikes Indonesia: USGS
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia late Friday, but no tsunami warning was immediately issued, US seismologists said. The earthquake hit at 5:02 pm local time (1002 GMT Friday), the US Geological Survey said, and was centred three kilometres (two miles) east-southeast of Andekanter in the Sumba region at a depth of 30 kilometres. The Indonesian disaster mitigation agency said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. “Currently […]
Fighting terrorism is still main job of DHS, says official
CCTV — U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Thursday that the United States continues to step up its efforts to stop terrorism at airports, ports and on social media. He made the remarks at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. where he answered questions following his State of Homeland Security address and emphasized that active shooter training is one of the best ways to protect U.S. citizens against self-radicalized terrorists, who […]
South Korea says the North is responsible for any consequences from Kaesong shutdown
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — South Korea said on Friday (February 12) that North Korea would be held responsible for any consequences after the North kicked out South Korean workers and froze the assets of companies at the jointly run Kaesong Industrial Complex. Seoul suspended operations at the complex this week, after Pyongyang’s rocket launch last weekend. South Korean Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo told a news conference that North Korea’s action to freeze the […]
Taiwan quake death toll rises to 94
TAIWAN, China (CCTV) — The death toll from the 6.7-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Taiwan last Saturday had climbed to 94 as of 11:30 on Friday, according to local authorities. There are still 30 people missing, officials said. On Friday morning, drizzle came to the city, adding difficulties to the rescue which has run for 150 hours. Although the search is still going on, rescuers are pessimistic about those who remain missing. (China Central Television)
