South America

Two firefighters killed, two injured after an apartment building on fire collapsed in Kansas City – media

Two firefighters were killed another two firefighters have been injured while battling an apartment building fire in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday (October 12) night, NBC reported. The fire reportedly broke out just after 7:30 p.m. on Independence Avenue and within 20 minutes, firefighters had to order the evacuation of the building. “When we arrived on the scene we had two individuals in the structure that we had to clear out of the structure from […]

Cyber security is high on agenda at U.S.-Chinese talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Thursday (September 24) for a state visit and talks with President Barack Obama that are expected to be clouded by differences over alleged Chinese cyber spying, Beijing’s economic policies and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Cyber security remains a hot issue in the U.S. – Chinese relations as Washington is considering sanctions against Chinese companies and individuals it accuses of stealing U.S. trade secrets. Responding […]

Powerful quake shakes buildings in Chile

(Reuters) – A magnitude 8.3 earthquake hit off the coast of Chile on Wednesday (September 16), shaking buildings in the capital city of Santiago and generating a tsunami warning for Chile and Peru. Chile’s government urged residents to evacuate the coastline. The mayor of Illapel, which is near the epicenter, said on a radio broadcast that one person had been killed by a collapsing wall, and 15 others were reported injured. Some homes were damaged […]

Powerful 8.3 magnitude quake hits Chile; tsunami alert issued for several countries

(Eagle News) — A very strong 8.3 magnitude quake hit Chile’s coast on Wednesday night, Sept. 16 (Thursday morning, Sept. 17, Manila time), according to the U.S. Geological Survey which measured the quake’s depth at 25 kilometers. The quake’s epicenter was about 46 kilometers west of Illapel, Chile, USGS said. Evacuations were immediately ordered after the quake struck at 10:54 p.m Wednesday in Chile (6:54 a.m. Thursday Manila time) as Chile’s national emergency agency issued […]

Peru announces investigation into alleged arms trafficking in army

(Reuters) — Prosecutors and police in Peru have launched an investigation into the alleged trafficking of arms by the country’s military, after detecting fraudulent documents and missing grenades at the institution, officials said on Tuesday (September 15). Defence Minister Jakke Valakivi Minister said the alleged theft of grenades was detected after a preliminary review conducted a few days ago at some army warehouses. Speaking to media in the Lima, Valakivi said that some soldiers were […]

Egypt pledges cooperation with Mexico after its military kills tourists mistaken for terrorists

(Reuters) — Family members in the Mexican city of Guadalajara were notified on Monday (September 14) of their relatives’ injuries and deaths after an Egyptian Army aircraft hunting for militants in the desert mistakenly bombed a convoy of mostly Mexican tourists, reportedly killing 12 in total. Survivors said their group was bombed from a plane and helicopters. As members of the tourist convoy tried to flee, additional forces on the ground fired on them, Egyptian […]

Venezuela opposition leader Lopez jailed for 13 years

(Reuters) — Venezuela’s best-known jailed opposition figure, Leopoldo Lopez, was jailed for 13 years on Thursday (September 10) on charges of inciting 2014 anti-government protests that spiralled into violence killing more than 40 people. After a marathon session at the heavily guarded Palace of Justice, judge Susana Barreiros ruled 44-year-old Lopez, a U.S.-educated hardline opponent of socialist President Nicolas Maduro arrested in February last year, had masterminded the violence. He was ordered to return to […]

Wall Street down after release of Fed minutes

AUGUST 21 (Reuters) U.S. stocks fell in choppy trading on Wednesday (August 19) as minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting highlighted concern over the state of the global economy, driving markets to question the likelihood that the Fed will raise rates next month. The minutes showed policymakers continued to express broad concerns about lagging inflation and the weak world economy even as the U.S. job market improved further. Market expectations for a Fed hike […]

5.3-magnitude quake hits Off the coast of Ecuador — USGS

  1.079°N 85.196°W depth=10.0 km (6.2 mi) BEIJING, Aug. 7 (PNA/Xinhua) — An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale jolted off the coast of Ecuador at 1218 GMT on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The epicenter, with a depth of 10.0 km, was initially determined to be at 1.0785 degrees north latitude and 85.196 degrees west longitude. Time 2015-08-07 12:18:49 (UTC) 2015-08-07 20:18:49 (UTC+08:00) in Manila timezone Times in other timezones Nearby Cities 534km […]

Helicopter accident kills 16 police officers in Colombia

  (Reuters)– Sixteen policemen died on Tuesday (August 04) and two were injured when a helicopter likely crashed into the side of mountain in a wooded region of northwestern Colombia, Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said. Apartado Clinic Director General Nicolas Suarez said the two injured police officers were being treated in his hospital. “We received a call from the clinic alerting us that they were coming with people injured in the helicopter accident. Up […]

Funeral for Mexican journalist killed in Mexico City after his life had been threatened

  (Reuters) — Slain Mexican news photographer, Ruben Espinosa, was laid to rest in Mexico City on Monday (August 03) days after he was shot dead in his apartment, the latest in a string of murders that has prompted protests from fellow journalists. Espinosa, who a month ago claimed in interviews that he felt threatened by the governor of eastern Veracruz state, was the lone male among five victims that police discovered bound, beaten and […]

Eleven Colombian military personnel killed in plane crash

(Reuters) — Eleven Colombian military personnel were killed on Friday (July 31) when their transport plane suffered motor failure and crashed in the northern province of Cesar, killing all on board, according to a statement from the Air Force. The burned hulk of the plane was found near the town of Codazzi, about 600 kilometres (372 miles) northeast of Bogota near the border with Venezuela. My deepest sympathy and solidarity with this news which saddens […]