International

Defense officials confim sailors’ navigational error, warn of more Islamic State attacks

Defense officials on Thursday (January 14) said to brace for more attacks, like the one in Indonesia claimed by Islamic State, as the organization was looking to distract from setbacks on the battlefield. The officials made the comments at a news conference at the U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida, where Defense Secretary Ash Carter also confirmed a navigational error caused sailors to stray into Iranian waters where they were detained. An Indonesian and a […]

NASA set to award space station cargo contracts

A three-way competition to fly cargo to the International Space Station for NASA has ended, and the U.S. space agency announce the winners on Thursday (January 14). “With that today we are announcing the next chapter in the path of public private partnership with American companies. To ensure that NASA maintains the capability to resupply the space station from the United States through 2024,” Ellen Ochoa, NASA Space Center Director said. “First Orbital ATK of […]

Islamic State behind Jakarta attack – police chief

  (Reuters) — Indonesia blamed Islamic State for an attack by suicide bombers and gunmen in the heart of Jakarta on Thursday (January 14) that brought the radical group’s violence to the world’s most populous Muslim country for the first time. Just seven people were killed despite multiple blasts and a gunfight, and five of them were the attackers themselves, but the brazenness of their siege suggested a new brand of militancy in a country […]

Argentina wants debt deal as fiscal deficit balloons

Argentine Finance Minister Alfonso Prat-Gay said the South American country would hold tough debt negotiations with U.S. investment firms suing over unpaid debt, as preliminary talks got underway in New York on Wednesday (January 13). He did say it was imperative to resolve the country’s legal dispute because financing of the country’s fiscal deficit this year may depend on progress on the issue. Solving the more than decade-long debt battle would enable Argentina to return […]

Family of Filipino death row inmate visit Indonesia

The family members of a Filipino inmate facing death penalty on drug convictions in Indonesia visited her in the prison on Thursday (January 14), as she celebrated her 31st birthday this week. Parents of Mary Jane Veloso, Cesar and Celia, as well as Veloso’s children Mark Daniel and Mark Darren were accompanied by staff from the Philippines embassy in Jakarta. The family declined to comment on the visit. Veloso was spared from the firing squad […]

Australian police say operation underway at Sydney Opera House

A police operation was underway at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday (January 14) , police said, with at least one ferry leaving the area cancelled and media reporting that people were being cleared away from the site. A police spokeswoman said an operation was going on but could not provide any details. “Basically, we were doing a bit of steel work in the basement of the Opera House about 20 minutes ago and about […]

Tokyo stocks plunge in morning trade

Japan’s Nikkei share average tumbled 4 percent on Thursday (January 14) morning after Wall Street languished on worries about weak oil prices and a slowdown in the global economy, battering global cyclical stocks such as exporters. The Nikkei 225 stumbled 3.7 percent to 17,063.21 in mid-morning trade after hitting as low as 17,004.12, the lowest since late September of 2015. If the benchmark index falls below 16,901.49, an intraday low marked on September 29, 2015 […]

Trump slams Iran over treatment of U.S. sailors

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday (January 13) told supporters at a rally in Pensacola, Florida, that the reason U.S. sailors were detained and later released by Iran was “money.” Iran freed 10 U.S. sailors on Wednesday, a day after detaining them aboard two U.S. Navy patrol boats in the Gulf, bringing a swift end to an incident that had rattled nerves just before the expected implementation of a landmark nuclear accord. There were […]

Americans die in Honduran bus crash

Three U.S. citizens died after their bus overturned in Honduras Wednesday (January 13). Another 30 were injured, 12 badly, according to agency reports and the Latin American Herald Tribune. The bus was carrying volunteers affiliated with the NGO Global Bridages, the Seattle-based group that seeks to promote community empowerment and sustainability and health programming through international volunteer work. Two of those who died were students at Barnard College in New York. Another was a 45-year […]

Moscow economic forum addresses Russia’s economic woes

An economic forum, known as “Gaidar” opened on Thursday in Moscow to address Russia’s economic woes. With “Russia and the World: Looking into the future” as the theme, the 2016 Gaidar Forum has become one of the most influential platforms since it was opened in 2010. It is an annual event held in mid-January by the Russian Presidency. Addressing the forum, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the Russian government is anticipating the worst, […]

Explosions and gunfight in central Jakarta leave at least three dead

Several explosions went off and gunfire broke out in the centre of the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Thursday (January 14) and police said they suspected a suicide bomber was responsible for at least one the blasts. Media said six bombs went off and a Reuters witness saw three dead people and a gunfight going on. One blast was in a Starbucks cafe and security forces were later seen entering the building. Indonesia has been on […]

Australia knocks back Washington over more help against Islamic State

Australia on Thursday (January 14) said that it had denied a request from the United States for a greater military commitment against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq made in the wake of the November attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its battle against Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria, has been one of the largest contributors to the U.S.-led bombing campaign against the […]