TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP)– Taiwan’s premier pledged Friday to change safety laws after more than 100 people were killed when an earthquake toppled an apartment complex thought to have been weakened by shoddy construction. In the first sitting of Taiwan’s new parliament since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) swept to victory in elections in January, Chang San-cheng said his cabinet’s priority was to improve disaster prevention. Many residents of the 16-storey Wei-kuan complex in the southern city […]
International
WHO launches Global Emergency Response Plan for Zika outbreak
THE World Health Organization has launched a global Strategic Response Framework and Joint Operations Plan to guide the international response to the spread of Zika virus infection and the neonatal malformations and neurological conditions associated with it. The strategy focuses on mobilizing and coordinating partners, experts and resources to help countries enhance surveillance of the Zika virus and disorders that could be linked to it, improve vector control, effectively communicate risks, guidance and protection measures, […]
US expresses concern on China’s installation of missiles in West Philippine Sea
WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America – “Serious concern” is how United States Secretary of State John Kerry described the latest action of China in the disputed territories in West Philippine Sea. China recently installed surface-to-air missiles in the said area. Kerry added that there should be no acts of militarization in the West Philippine Sea. (Eagle News Service Described by Jay Paul Carlos, Video Editing by Dexter Magno, Uploaded by MRFaith Bonalos)
China urges Australia to be impartial on South China Sea disputes
BEIJING, China (CCTV/Reuters) — Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Thursday urged Australia to be impartial on territorial disputes in the South China Sea in his meeting with visiting Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. Australia is not a directly involved country and should abide by its commitment to impartiality on sovereignty and territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Yang said. He urged Australia not to participate in or take any action that may harm […]
Australia and New Zealand urge China to refrain from stoking tensions in the South China Sea
SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) — Australia and New Zealand on Friday (February 19) urged China to refrain from further stoking tensions in the South China Sea after its apparent deployment of surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island. Tensions were escalated after China deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system to one of the disputed islands it controls in the South China Sea, Taiwan and U.S. officials said. “We know that the prosperity of an Australia and New […]
Obama signs North Korea sanctions
US President Barack Obama on Thursday signed off on new sanctions against North Korea to punish the reclusive Asian nation for its provocative recent nuclear test and rocket launch. The White House said Obama had signed measures passed by Congress, tightening sanctions on anyone importing goods or technology related to weapons of mass destruction into North Korea, or anyone who knowingly engaged in human rights abuses. “The administration is deeply concerned about North Korea‘s […]
Merkel says “the will is there” to get EU deal for Britain
BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) — European Union leaders want to reach a deal to help keep Britain in the bloc even if securing an agreement will be difficult for many countries, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday (February 19). “Everyone wished to keep Britain as a member of the European Union, all of Britain’s different requests which were on the agenda were discussed, and it’s true that not everyone around the table found it all […]
Zika outbreak spreads in Panama
PANAMA City (AFP) — The mosquito-borne Zika virus has spread in Panama beyond a remote coastal area it was previously confined to, with a new case detected in the capital, the health ministry said Thursday. Deputy health minister Miguel Mayo announced the spread of the disease, bringing to 65 the number of diagnosed cases of Zika infection in Panama. Sixty-four of the cases were in the Comarco region, along Panama’s Caribbean coastline, which is predominantly […]
EU chief warns ‘lot to do’ for deal to avoid British exit
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — European leaders have a lot of work to do at a summit in Brussels to reach a deal to prevent Britain becoming the first country to crash out of the bloc, EU president Donald Tusk warned Friday. British Prime Minister David Cameron urged his counterparts at the start of a two-day meeting to reach a “credible” reform deal that would allow him to hold a referendum on EU membership in June. […]
Australia warns Beijing over threat of conflict in South China Sea
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia urged China on Friday to refrain from the “militarization of islands” to avoid walking into a conflict, a day after the United States slammed Beijing for deploying missiles in the disputed South China Sea. China said Thursday it had weapons on one of the islands in the strategically important region, which US Secretary of State John Kerry said was evidence of an “increase of militarisation” and a “serious concern”. Prime Minister […]
Volatility dominates talk ahead of South Carolina GOP primary
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, United States (Reuters) — With the Republican race for the party’s 2016 nomination descending deeper into squabbling, South Carolina voters are noticing the increasingly bitter battle now more than ever. The Palmetto State holds its Republican party primary contest on Saturday (February 20), just days after a televised Republican debate on Wednesday when the race erupted into a four-candidate crossfire over which party candidate has the proper experience and is the most […]
Obama to make historic visit to Cuba in March
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Barack Obama will next month become the first US president to visit Cuba in almost a century, championing engagement with the Communist-ruled island and burying one of the last vestiges of the Cold War. The White House hopes the trip will be a “Berlin Wall” moment, crowning a policy they see as being among Obama’s greatest foreign policy achievements. “Next month, I’ll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and […]
