Foreign
Mexico declares state of emergency in 33 Oaxaca municipalities
February 19, 2018, 2:41 pm
MEXICO CITY -- A state of emergency has been declared in 33 municipalities of Mexico’s southern Oaxaca state following a massive earthquake that rocked the region, Mexican Civil Protection Service said. The measure will allow the municipalities, affected by the recent earthquake, to receive… Read More
'Black Panther' dominates North American box office in opening weekend
February 19, 2018, 2:17 pm
LOS ANGELES -- Disney and Marvel Studios' "Black Panther" dominated North American box office in its opening weekend with an estimated USD192 million setting a new record for a February opening in North America. The superhero film scored the fifth highest opening of all time in North America. It… Read More
Researchers develop advanced water purification technology
February 15, 2018, 12:35 pm
CANBERRA -- Australian researchers have developed a new method of purifying water which they say could save millions of lives. Scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have designed their own type of graphene, a form of carbon consisting of a single… Read More
(Update) Florida high school shooting kills 17
February 15, 2018, 12:19 pm
WASHINGTON -- A mass shooting in a Florida high school killed 17 people on Wednesday, local police said. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told the press that 12 were killed in the school building, two were killed outside the building, one on a road nearby and two died in hospital from wounds.… Read More
S. African President Zuma resigns
February 15, 2018, 10:21 am
JOHANNESBURG -- South African President Jacob Zuma resigned on Wednesday. "The ANC (African National Congress) should never be divided in my name. I have therefore come to the decision to resign," Zuma said in an evening address to the nation. Zuma announced that, although he doesn't agree with… Read More
20 injured in Florida school shooting, suspect caught
February 15, 2018, 9:46 am
WASHINGTON -- At least 20 people were wounded in a school shooting on Wednesday in the US state of Florida, according to local media. The shooting took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, just north of Miami. According to aerial footage, students were seen running from the… Read More
2018 Stenin photo tilt winners to get 3-M rubles
February 13, 2018, 10:24 am
MOSCOW, Russia – The prize money for the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest, conducted by Rossiya Segodnya under the patronage of the Russian Federation’s Commission for UNESCO, has been increased to 3 million rubles, or 100,000, 75,000 and 50,000 rubles for first, second and… Read More
Russian passenger jet crashes with 71 aboard dead
February 12, 2018, 1:46 pm
MOSCOW -- A Russian airliner carrying 71 people crashed on Sunday shortly after taking off from the country's second-busiest airport in Moscow, killing all the people on board. The Antonov-148 of Saratov Airlines with 65 passengers and a crew of six was en route from Domodedovo Airport in Moscow… Read More
Taiwan earthquake death toll rises to 12
February 10, 2018, 1:04 pm
TAIPEI -- Two more bodies were found in the ruins of a building in Taiwan's Hualien County Friday afternoon, taking the death toll of the recent magnitude-6.5 earthquake in the area to 12. The bodies were identified as a Canadian couple, according to Taiwan's emergency operation center. A family… Read More
UN official warns against complacency in fight vs. IS
February 9, 2018, 12:34 pm
UNITED NATIONS -- A senior UN official on Thursday warned against complacency in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group despite its recent military setbacks in Iraq, Syria and the southern Philippines. The fight against the IS is entering a new phase after the terrorist group's… Read More
4 killed in Taiwan quake
February 7, 2018, 1:59 pm
TAIPEI -- Four people were killed and 225 were injured as of 10:40 a.m. Wednesday after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan. A total of 236 people have been rescued but there are still 148 people missing with 143 trapped in Yun Men Tusi Ti building, according to the local disaster relief… Read More
ASEAN united on KSCIP initiative
February 7, 2018, 1:49 pm
SINGAPORE -- All 10 ASEAN countries have agreed with the King Salman Center for International Peace (KSCIP) initiative, said Malaysian Defense Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein. "I will bring it up to Saudi Arabia," he told Malaysian media on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow 2018… Read More
5.2 magnitude quake jolts Myanmar
February 6, 2018, 5:14 pm
YANGON -- An earthquake of 5.2 magnitude jolted Myanmar's Bago region, the Meteorology and Hydrology Department said. The earthquake struck at 11:25 p.m. local time (16:55:35 GMT) with a depth of 10 kilometers, Xinhua News Agency reported. The epicenter was 32 kilometers southwest of Phyu city in… Read More
Israel starts deportation of African migrants
February 5, 2018, 2:42 pm
TEL AVIV -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the country’s authorities have started the procedure of deportation of thousands of African immigrants. "Today, we have started the procedure of deportation of illegal immigrants from Israel, similar to what advanced… Read More
Son of Cuba's late leader Castro commits suicide battling depression
February 2, 2018, 12:52 pm
HAVANA -- Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, the eldest son of late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, took his own life Thursday morning after being treated for depression for months, an official release said. According to a statement on the government site Cubadebate, Castro Diaz-Balart, 68,… Read More
Myanmar to crack down on unlicensed firearms
January 31, 2018, 1:53 pm
YANGON -- Myanmar's northwestern Chin state government has vowed to crack down on carrying illegal firearms due to excessive hunting across the state, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Wednesday. The Chin state government called for wildlife conservation in the state while… Read More
Facebook bans all ads for bitcoin, other cryptocurrencies
January 31, 2018, 11:33 am
SAN FRANCISCO -- Facebook said on Tuesday that no "deceptive promotional practices such as cryptocurrency" will be allowed in any ads on its website. The new Facebook policy released on Tuesday virtually bans all ads that promote cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, across the Facebook community.… Read More
US lifts refugee ban from 11 'high-risk' countries
January 30, 2018, 2:28 pm
WASHINGTON -- The United States on Monday lifted a ban on admissions to refugees from 11 countries that it identified present a high security risk, while announcing new vetting measures. The changes came after a 90-day review by the White House of refugee admissions from the North Korea, Egypt,… Read More
NoKor cancels joint cultural event with SoKor before Winter Olympics
January 30, 2018, 1:49 pm
SEOUL -- North Korea cancelled the joint cultural event with South Korea set to be held days before the 2018 Winter Olympics, according to Seoul's unification ministry on Tuesday. North Korea sent a notice at about 10:10 p.m. local time on Monday (1310 GMT) via the restored inter-Korean hotline of… Read More
Buddhist leader: Focus on human rights key to solving global issues
January 29, 2018, 6:45 pm
TOKYO/Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ -- On January 26, 2018, Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda, President of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), issued his annual peace proposal, titled "Toward an Era of Human Rights: Building a People's Movement." Ikeda welcomes the July 2017 adoption of the Treaty on the… Read More
