Obama tells ASEAN S. China Sea ruling eases tension, builds stability
VIENTIANE (PNA/Kyodo) – US President Barack Obama told his Southeast Asian counterparts on Thursday that last July’s arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s claims to most of the South China Sea has “helped ease tension” and “built stability” in the region. Obama spoke of the ruling, according to Thai government spokesman Werachon Sukhondhapatipak, at a summit […]
Arbitration court to rule on South China Sea case on July 12
BRUSSELS (PNA/Kyodo) – The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said Wednesday it will hand down its ruling on conflicting claims in the South China Sea on July 12. The United Nations-backed tribunal will decide on the case brought in January 2015 by the Philippines, which asserts that China’s claims to most of the […]
UNICEF warns of growing abuse risk for refugee, migrant children arriving in Europe
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Yoka Brandt and Novak Djokovic, the number one ranked tennis player in the world, hold a signed agreement announcing Novak Djokovic as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador at UNICEF House. On 26 August 2015, UNICEF announced Novak Djokovics appointment as a Goodwill Ambassador. Djokovic, the number one ranked tennis player in the […]
China, US to jointly fight cyber crime
BEIJING (PNA/Xinhua) – China and the United States on Tuesday held a second dialogue on cybercrime. Guo Shengkun, State Councilor and Minister of Public Security, lauded the progress made since the first dialogue in Washington last year. Cybersecurity cooperation is in the interests of China, the United States and other countries, Guo said, advocating the […]
WHO releases new updated guideline on sexual transmission of Zika virus
The World Health Organization has released an interim guidance update underscoring the mounting evidence that sexual transmission of the Zika virus is not only possible, but more common than previously assumed. The WHO notes that, as of May 19, 12 studies or reports have been published on the sexual transmission of the Zika virus. Though […]
Paris tourism hit by attacks, protests
Already suffering from the impact of last year’s jihadist attacks, tourism in Paris faces a fresh challenge from the recent wave of violent strikes and protests, tourism bosses warned on Monday. Hotel bookings by Japanese visitors were down 56 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2015, while […]
WHO: Europe faces low to moderate Zika risk this summer
The Zika virus could spread to Europe during late spring and summer, but the risk level is low to moderate according to a new risk assessment published by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe. The risk varies across the WHO European Region but is higher in countries where Aedes mosquitoes are present. […]
S. Korea, Japan guarded over Trump’s foreign policy plans
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | – South Korea and Japan offered muted reactions Monday to Donald Trump’s suggestion that, as president, he would withdraw troops from both countries and allow them to develop their own nuclear arsenal. There are nearly 30,000 US troops permanently stationed in South Korea and 47,000 in Japan, with little appetite for nuclear weapons […]
S. Korea, Japan guarded over Trump’s foreign policy plans
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | Monday 3/28/2016 – South Korea and Japan offered muted reactions Monday to Donald Trump’s suggestion that, as president, he would withdraw troops from both countries and allow them to develop their own nuclear arsenal. There are nearly 30,000 US troops permanently stationed in South Korea and 47,000 in Japan, with little appetite for nuclear […]
Bangladesh central bank ‘complicit’ in heist: minister
By Sam Jahan Dhaka, Bangladesh | AFP | – The Bangladesh finance minister has accused central bank officials of being complicit in an audacious $81 million theft from an overseas account, in an interview with a leading Bengali newspaper published Friday. Hackers stole the money from the Bangladesh Bank’s account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on […]
Colombia reports more than 47,700 Zika cases
Colombia has seen more than 47,700 cases of Zika, including thousands of pregnant women infected with the mosquito-borne virus, the country’s National Health Institute reported Saturday. A total of 8,890 pregnant women have come down with the disease, which has been tentatively linked to a serious birth defect known as microcephaly affecting babies born to […]
N. Korea threatens nuclear strikes over South-US military drills
By Hwang Sung-Hee Seoul, South Korea | AFP | Monday 3/7/2016 – North Korea threatened pre-emptive and “indiscriminate” nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States on Monday, as the two allies kicked off their annual, large-scale military exercises. The drills always raise tensions on the divided Korean peninsula and the situation is particularly volatile this year, given the […]
‘We don’t want your dirty money’, pope tells patrons
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | – Pope Francis Wednesday issued a stinging rebuke to rich patrons who offer the Church dirty money gained through exploitation, telling them to take back their cheques and burn them. “I think of some benefactors of the Church that say ‘take this offer for the Church’, and it […]
China to secure ‘de facto’ control of S. China Sea: US admiral
By Thomas Watkins Washington, United States | AFP | – China is on its way to securing “de facto” control of the South China Sea, a top US admiral warned Thursday, amid growing unease over Beijing’s continued military build up in the contested waterway. By building air bases and hardened bunkers on tiny islands, some of which are reclaimed […]
John Paul II had ‘intense’ friendship with married woman: BBC
By James Pheby London, United Kingdom | AFP | – Pope John Paul II had a close relationship with a married woman which lasted over 30 years according to letters which feature in a documentary being shown by the BBC on Monday. The documentary does not claim he broke his vow of celibacy with Polish-born philosopher and writer Anna-Teresa […]
Pope unleashes ‘super confessors’ to tackle special sins
By Ella Ide Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | − Dubbed ‘super confessors’, for one year only they can absolve sins usually only pardoned by the pope himself. And on Wednesday over 1,000 of these “missionaries of mercy”, handpicked by Pope Francis, were sent forth to win back the hearts of those who have left the Catholic Church […]
Pope warns gossiping priests, nuns to ‘bite your tongue’
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP – Pope Francis told gossip-loving priests and nuns to bite their tongues on Monday, and warned those breaking their vow of obedience to fall into line sharpish. “If you get an urge to say something against a brother or a sister, to drop a gossip bomb, bite your tongue! Hard!” the pontiff […]
Growing numbers of children in migrant sea crossings: UN
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Tuesday 2/2/2016 – Children now make up more than one third of the migrants and refugees making the perilous sea journey from Turkey to Greece, marking a sharp increase in recent months, the UN said Tuesday. “Children currently account for 36 percent of those risking the treacherous sea crossing between Greece and Turkey,” the UN […]
WHO declares global health emergency over Zika situation
(AFP) – The World Health Organization on Monday declared that a surge in serious birth defects in South America was “strongly suspected” of being caused by the Zika virus and constituted an international health emergency. “We need to take action,” WHO chief Margaret Chan told reporters in Geneva. The UN health body said that a […]
£150-ticket street party for Queen Elizabeth’s 90th
(London-AFP) – Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her 90th birthday with a street party for 10,000 people outside Buckingham Palace, her grandson said Friday — although tickets will not come cheap at £150 ($215, 200 euros). Peter Phillips, the queen’s eldest grandchild and son of Princess Anne, is organising the Patron’s Lunch, which he said […]