Myanmar began releasing the first of about 100 political prisoners on Friday (January 22), government officials said, days before democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi’s party is due to form a new government after an election victory in November. The freeing of prisoners by the outgoing administration of President Thein Sein comes after U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Myanmar to free all of its political prisoners during a visit on Monday (18). […]
International
Islamist gunmen kill 17 in Somalia beach restaurant attack
At least 17 people were killed when Islamist gunmen struck a popular beachside restaurant in the Somali capital of Mogadishu late on Thursday (January 21), Somali police said. Al Shabaab, a militant group aligned with al Qaeda, said its members set off two car bombs at the Beach View Cafe on Mogadishu’s popular Lido beach, engaging in a gun battle for hours with government troops trying to flush them out. “The attackers started shooting from […]
Earthquake hits western coast of Mexico
According to the United States Geological Survey, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the western coast of Mexico. There is no recorded damage in the aftermath of said earthquake. (Eagle News Service Described by Jay Paul Carlos, Video Editing by Dexter Magno, Uploaded by MRFaith Bonalos)
South Korean president seeks five-party talks on North’s nuclear program
South Korean President Park Geun-hye called on Friday (January 22) for a meeting of five countries, excluding North Korea, to discuss that country’s nuclear program alongside long-stalled “six-party talks” that include Pyongyang. Park’s comments on Friday come amid a flurry of diplomatic exchanges involving Washington and Beijing as the international community seeks to impose fresh sanctions on North Korea for its fourth nuclear test on January 6. “In the past, six-party talks had usefulness as […]
State of emergency declared in U.S. east coast under snowstorm threats
Washington, D.C. and another five U.S. states along the U.S. East Coast on Thursday declared state of emergency as the region was bracing itself for a historic snowstorm over the weekend. As authorities in Washington, D.C., and the states of Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania declared the state of emergency on Thursday, blizzard watches were also issued by the National Weather Service along the storm’s path, stretching from Arkansas through Tennessee and Kentucky to […]
Fight against ISIS “bearing fruit”, says commander of French aircraft carrier
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle arrived in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi on Thursday (January 21), its 2,000-strong crew taking a break from nearly two months of intensive air strikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. The jihadist group lost control of the western Iraqi city of Ramadi last month, in a sorely needed victory for Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led international coalition. Rear Admiral Rene-Jean Crignola, the commander […]
American special forces arrive in Anbar to assist in war against I.S.
Special American forces arrived at Al Asad Airbase in Anbar on Wednesday (January 20) to aid Iraqi joint forces in the liberation of West Anbar from Islamic State. The arrival of the soldiers triggered mixed reaction from Iraqi politicians. Some were dismissive of the help, while others welcomed the arrival. “We welcome any international effort to liberate our areas and eliminate terrorism and ISIS. There is news of international forces landing at one of the […]
Iraqi minister says “blackmail” behind kidnapping of US citizens
Iraq’s defence minister said on Thursday (January 21) the three Americans who went missing in Baghdad last week had been seized by an “organised gang that carries out abductions for blackmail”. In an exclusive interview with Reuters in Cairo, Khaled al-Obaidi did not elaborate. The three men are employed by a small company that is doing work for General Dynamics Corp, under a larger contract with the U.S. Army, according to a source familiar with […]
Trump slams opponents at rally in Las Vegas
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday (January 21) called out fellow presidential hopefuls, slamming Republican rival Jeb Bush for an attack ad that says the real estate mogul would lose to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in the general election, criticizing Senator Ted Cruz and calling Bernie Sanders “a wacko”. Trump made the comments at a rally in Las Vegas, Nevada. The billionaire businessman called Bush “a lost soul” and a “poor, pathetic, low-energy […]
Mexico, Central American countries OK plan for stranded Cubans
Mexico and Central American countries approved a plan on Wednesday (January 20) for more flights that would allow thousands of Cubans stranded in Costa Rica to continue on to the United States. Regional governments meeting in Guatemala earlier this week deemed as a “success” the first pilot trip last week, when 180 Cubans flew to El Salvador, took a bus to Mexico and received transit visas to go to the U.S. border. Costa Rica’s Deputy […]
East Coast braces for epic snowstorm
Washington D.C., New York and other East Coast cities readied fleets of snow plows, thousands of flights were canceled or delayed and residents stocked up on groceries on Thursday ahead of a winter storm expected to dump up to 30 inches (76 cm) of snow on the region. At least five states had declared emergencies by Thursday afternoon, as the season’s first major Atlantic Coast storm started to move over the Mid-South before barreling on […]
ECB keeps key interest rate unchanged
A nail-biting time it certainly is – and if traders in Frankfurt were hoping for a magic rabbit from the European Central Bank (ECB) – they didn’t get it. But they did get a promise – after interest rates were held again at record low levels. MARIO DRAGHI, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK PRESIDENT: “It will therefore be necessary to review and possibly reconsider our monetary policy stance at our next meeting in early March.” The market crash […]