International

China urges U.S. to play constructive role in dealing with South China Sea

  CHINA urged the United States to play a constructive role in dealing with sensitive issues, referring to the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday. China has been firmly committed to safeguarding peace in the South China Sea, Wang said at a joint press conference with visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Beijing. “The South China Sea has been China’s territory since ancient times. China has the right […]

South Korea suspects North Korea may have attempted cyber attacks

South Korea said on Wednesday (January 27) it suspected North Korea of attempting cyber attacks against targets in the South, following a nuclear test by the North this month that defied United Nations sanctions. South Korea has been on heightened military and cyber alert since the January 6 test, which Pyongyang called a successful hydrogen bomb test, although U.S. officials and experts doubt that it managed such a technological advance. “At this point, we suspect […]

Authorities to review anti-corruption unit after match-fixing scandal

Tennis officials on Wednesday (January 27) launched an independent review into their anti-corruption practices after allegations the sport’s watchdog, the Tennis Integrity unit (TIU), had been ineffective in stamping out corruption in the game. The announcement at the Australian Open came in the wake of media reports on the first day of the tournament that 16 players, who have been ranked in the top 50 had been repeatedly flagged to the TIU over suspicions they […]

Asian stocks struggle as headwinds grow

Japan’s Nikkei average went up 240.29 to 16949.19, while the broader Topix rose 23.08 points to 1383.31. South Korean shares bounded up early on Wednesday, helped by an overnight bounce on Wall Street and in crude oil prices while retail investors scrambled for bargains but gains were capped by weak China stocks and the pending outcome of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) was up 0.7 percent at 1,1884.61 […]

Humanitarian issues most important part of peace talks – Syrian opposition

The Saudi-backed Syrian opposition said on Tuesday (January 26) that they would only take part in the Geneva peace talks this week if certain humanitarian issues in the war-torn country were addressed. The group said they would decide on Wednesday (January 27) whether they would take part in the talks, saying it welcomed an invitation to the negotiations but was seeking clarifications from the United Nations. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC), which groups arm political […]

Mexico says ‘no justification’ for delaying pregnancies over Zika

There is currently “no justification” for asking Mexican women to postpone getting pregnant because of an outbreak of the mosquito-born virus Zika, a senior Mexican Health Ministry official said during an interview with Reuters on Tuesday (January 26). Zika, which has spread across the Americas, has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil, leading health authorities in Colombia and El Salvador to advise women against getting pregnant for anywhere up to […]

Islamic State ‘enjoyed Turkish money for oil’ – Israeli minister

Israel’s defence minister Moshe Yaalon said on Tuesday (January 26) that Islamic State militants had been funded with ‘Turkish money’, an assertion that could hinder attempts to mend fences between the two countries after years of estrangement. Yaalon said that the Turkish government wasn’t pulling their weight in the fight against “terrorism”. “Now it’s up to Turkey, the Turkish government, the Turkish leadership, to decide whether they want to be part of any kind of […]

Zika virus spreading at alarming rate in Brazil’s northeast

Brazilian officials have stepped up efforts to battle the rapid spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus linked to the alarming surge infants born with serious brain damages. Roughly 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly have been reported in Brazil since October, compared with the 150 cases reported in all of 2014. In Brazil’s northeastern state of Pernambuco alone, 1,000 babies were born with smaller-than-usual brains according to health officials. One of them was Gleyse Kelly’s 3-month-old […]

Japan’s Imperial couple arrives in Manila for five-day state visit

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan arrived in Manila Tuesday for a five-day state visit to the country, marking the 60th anniversary of Philippine-Japanese diplomatic relations. The plane carrying Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress landed at 2:40 p.m. at the AGES Aviation Center, Balagbag Ramp in Pasay City, where they were accorded arrival honors. On hand to welcome the Japanese imperial couple upon their arrival was President Benigno S. Aquino III, accompanied by […]

Snow storm Jonas hits east coast USA

Our correspondent from New York, Percival Cunanan reports about some fatalities in weather-related incidents. The storm brought heavy snow on Friday and Saturday;  some areas have seen more than one meter of snow. “Historical”, “epic”, “phenomenal” and “monster storm” —  these are the words that you will hear all over the East Coast describing snow storm Jonas that was greatly hitting mid – Atlantic region all the way to new England. (Percival Cunanan, EBC NY […]

IS plans large scale attacks in Europe

The group Islamic State announced that it has the capability to launch a global attack and will commit another large-scale attack in Europe to follow-up on the Paris massacre. The European Union Police Agency or Europol reveals that IS has a new style of attack and they are monitoring the activities of said group. (Eagle News Service Described by Jay Paul Carlos, Video Editing by Dexter Magno, Uploaded by MRFaith Bonalos)

Bushfires burn Wilderness World Heritage Area in Australian state of Tasmania

REUTERS — Bushfires were burning out of control in parts of Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area (WHA) on Monday (January 25). Fire crews have been brought in from interstate to help extinguish the blazes, many in remote areas of the island state. The fires are threatening areas in South West National Park, the Central Highlands and Cradle Mountain and authorities have said that heavy rainfall is needed to extinguish dozens of blazes in the WHA […]