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CHARIKAR, Afghanistan (AFP) — Rescue workers were searching Thursday for bodies in the debris of collapsed houses after flash floods fuelled by torrential rains killed at least 162 people in Afghanistan. At least 100 people died in the city of Charikar north of Kabul when flooding overnight on Tuesday caused hundreds of buildings to collapse. Abdul Ghayor, a labourer who was working in the capital, said he had rushed back to Charikar to look for […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The WHO said Thursday it was setting up a committee to consider changing the rules on declaring an international health emergency, following criticism of its Covid-19 pandemic response. The World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) over the new coronavirus on January 30 — at which time the respiratory disease had infected fewer than 100 people outside China, and claimed no lives beyond its borders. But […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Defense Department said Thursday that Chinese test launches of ballistic missiles in the South China Sea were threatening peace and security in the region. Confirming reports that Beijing’s forces launched as many as four ballistic missiles during military exercises around the Paracel islands, the Pentagon said the move called into question China’s 2002 commitment to avoiding provocative activities. China’s “actions, including missile tests, further destabilize the situation in […]
by Gianrigo Marletta and Andrew Caballero-Reynolds LAKE CHARLES, United States (AFP) — At least four people were killed by Hurricane Laura in Louisiana and search teams may find more victims but the governor said Thursday that the most powerful storm to make landfall in the US state in living memory did not cause the “catastrophic” damage that had been feared. “We have a lot to be thankful for,” Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said at […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing on Thursday slammed Washington’s “tyrannical logic” over the latest US sanctions targeting Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea, worsening tensions between the two superpowers. In recent years, China has aggressively pursued its territorial claims in the South China Sea, building small shoals and reefs into military bases with airstrips and port facilities. Both the US and Chinese militaries have recently ramped up their actions in the region, raising tensions […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — France’s prime minister on Thursday announced face masks will become compulsory throughout Paris, expressing concern over an “undeniable” trend of expanding coronavirus infection in the country. Jean Castex said 19 more departments have been added to a map with “red” zones of active virus circulation, meaning 21 of France’s 94 departments are classified as such. Official figures released Wednesday showed more than 5,400 confirmed new cases in just 24 hours, […]
by Gianrigo Marletta and Andrew Caballero-Reynolds LAKE CHARLES, United States (AFP) — Hurricane Laura slammed into the southern US state of Louisiana Thursday and the monster category 4 storm prompted warnings of “unsurvivable” ocean surges and evacuation orders for hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast residents. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said “extremely dangerous” Laura would bring winds of 150 miles per hour (240 kilometers per hour) and “destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage” to […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s parliament was shut down on Thursday and a group of lawmakers were in self-quarantine as the country recorded more than 400 new coronavirus infections. The South endured one of the worst early outbreaks of Covid-19 outside mainland China before bringing it broadly under control with extensive tracing and testing, but is now battling several clusters mostly linked to Protestant churches. Thursday’s 441 new cases were mostly in the […]
by Robert CHIARITO KENOSHA, United States (AFP) — A 17-year-old was arrested on murder charges Wednesday after two people were shot dead during demonstrations against police brutality in the US city of Kenosha, as authorities released their first account of the shooting of a black man by an officer that ignited the violence. Outrage continued to spread after Kenosha, Wisconsin police shot Jacob Blake multiple times in the back point-blank in front of his children […]
by Gianrigo Marletta and Andrew Caballero-Reynolds LAKE CHARLES, United States (AFP) — Hurricane Laura was barreling towards the coast of the southern US states of Louisiana and Texas on Wednesday as a monster Category 4 storm, prompting warnings of “unsurvivable” and evacuation orders for hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast residents. The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said Laura was packing winds of 145 miles per hour (230 kilometers per hour) and was expected to make […]
by Elise Blanchard with Emal Haidary in Kabul CHARIKAR, Afghanistan (AFP) — Rescue workers in Afghanistan searched Wednesday for survivors of flash floods that killed more than 100 people and destroyed hundreds of houses near Kabul, officials said. Troops pulled dozens of victims from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Charikar, capital of Parwan province, after torrential overnight rains fuelled fierce floods that swept through the city. Officials and witnesses said many children were among […]
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany on Wednesday criticised naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean as “not helpful” in easing tensions between Greece and Turkey, at odds over gas and maritime borders. “What we have to find is a starting point for us to enter once again into political discussions and negotiations,” German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said after talks with her EU counterparts in Berlin. “The manoeuvres that took place today are certainly not helpful,” […]
