Other News

Venezuela devalues bolivar, raises fuel price amid crisis

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday (February 17) devalued the currency and raised heavily subsidized fuel prices in an effort to stem a widening economic crisis, though critics of the socialist leader quickly dismissed the moves as insufficient. The measures are meant to help shore up the OPEC nation’s finances as plummeting oil prices and a collapsing state-led economic model have left the country with a severe recession, triple-digit inflation and […]

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500 rebels cross Turkish border towards Syrian town of Azaz: Observatory

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — At least 500 rebels on Wednesday crossed the Turkish border heading for the Syrian town of Azaz in northern Aleppo province, a monitor said, where opposition forces have suffered setbacks at the hands of Kurdish forces. “At least 500 rebels have crossed the Bab al-Salam border crossing on their way to the town of Azaz, from which they want to help the insurgents in the face of gains made by Kurdish […]

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President Aquino meets with Walt Disney, other business executives in Los Angeles

(LOS ANGELES, California) As part of the agenda of his working visit to the city, President Benigno S. Aquino III on Tuesday met with top executives of three leading global corporations based in Los Angeles. Following his participation in the Special US-ASEAN Summit at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, President Aquino and the Philippine delegation traveled to Los Angeles for a two-day working visit. President Aquino began his working visit with a series of business meetings […]

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Tusk warns ‘no guarantee’ of Brexit deal as Merkel backs Cameron

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — European Council head Donald Tusk warned Wednesday there was “no guarantee” EU leaders would clinch a deal to keep Britain in the bloc at a crucial summit, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel backed London’s demands for reform. Only hours before the make-or-break summit in Brussels, which he will chair, Tusk said: “After my consultations in the last hours I have to state frankly — there is still no guarantee that we will […]

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Blast hits Turkish cultural center in Sweden

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Reuters) — An explosion severely damaged part of a building that housed a Turkish cultural association in a Stockholm suburb late on Wednesday (February 17) but no one was injured, police said. Police said all the windows of the center were blown out and that technicians were on site to investigate the cause. The center was located in the basement of a building in Fittja, in southwest Stockholm. A police spokesman said no […]

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US, ASEAN leaders issue Sunnylands declaration at the end of Summit

(LOS ANGELES, California) — The leaders of the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) concluded their Special US-ASEAN Summit by issuing a joint statement titled the Sunnylands Declaration. President Benigno S. Aquino III attended the first standalone summit between US President Barack Obama and Southeast Asian leaders held at the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage. The summit was divided into two sessions focusing on promoting an innovative, entrepreneurial ASEAN Economic Community; […]

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Panic and horror strike again in Turkey’s jittery capital

  ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — It started with a rumble that sounded like thunder or an earthquake, sending startled residents rushing to their balconies, who watched in horror as plumes of smoke rose over central Ankara. It wasn’t long before their worst fears were confirmed: Turkey’s capital, still reeling from twin blasts that killed over 100 last year, had been hit again. Sirens blaring, ambulances and police cars raced to the scene of the explosion […]

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Car bomb kills at least 28 in Ankara

ANKARA, Turkey (CCTV/Reuters) — A car bomb attack killed at least 28 people in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Wednesday night. The explosion, which targeted an army convoy, also injured at least 61 people, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said at a press conference after the attack. A local resident named Noury was only 300 meters away from the explosion site when the bomb went off, having driven past just 20 seconds earlier. […]

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Iran starts talks on oil output levels

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s oil minister started talks Wednesday with his Iraqi, Venezuelan and Qatari counterparts as investors watched whether Tehran would follow Saudi Arabia and Russia’s pact to freeze output. Iran returned to the global oil market just weeks ago after sanctions on its energy and banking sector were lifted upon implementation of a landmark deal on its nuclear programme with world powers. The Islamic republic has long said it must pump more oil […]

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Archaeologists find oldest known Jerusalem settlement

(AFP) —  Israeli authorities announced Wednesday they had uncovered findings proving for the first time the existence of an established human settlement in Jerusalem as far back as 7,000 years ago. A dig in the annexed east Jerusalem neighbourhood Shuafat revealed two homes with parts of walls and floors intact, as well as “pottery vessels, flint tools, and a basalt bowl” characteristic of the Chalcolithic era, the Israel Antiquities Authority said. The discoveries came to […]

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Japan launches satellite to study black holes

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan successfully launched a jointly developed space observation satellite on Wednesday tasked with studying mysterious black holes, the country’s space agency said. The ASTRO-H satellite, developed in collaboration between the agency, NASA and other groups, is set to orbit at an altitude of about 580 kilometres (360 miles) and observe X-rays emanating mainly from black holes and galaxy clusters. The satellite was carried out by the country’s mainstay H-IIA rocket, which […]

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Beijing deploys missiles on disputed island: Taiwan

  by Ben Dooley BEIJING, China (AFP) — China has deployed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island in the South China Sea, Taiwan said Wednesday, as Beijing insisted it had a right to build “self-defence” systems in the strategic region. Taiwan’s defence ministry confirmed the facility’s existence after Fox News reported missile launchers had arrived on Woody Island, part of the Paracels chain, in the past week. The report came as President Barack Obama called for […]

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