JAKARTA, Indonesia — At least 12 people died and 18 are missing after torrential rain caused a landslide in an illegal gold mine over the weekend in Indonesia's Sulawesi island, officials said on Monday. The landslide on Sunday morning in Suwawa district, Gorontalo province, killed miners and residents living near the illegal mine, said Heriyanto, head of the local rescue agency. Five survivors had been evacuated, he said, adding that a rescue team was searching for 18 missing people on Monday. Читать дальше...
MANILA, Philippines — Japan and the Philippines signed a key defense pact Monday allowing the deployment of Japanese forces for joint military exercises, including live-fire drills, to the Southeast Asian nation that came under brutal Japanese occupation in World War II but is now building an alliance with Tokyo as they face an increasingly assertive China. The Reciprocal Access Agreement, which similarly allows Filipino forces to enter Japan for joint combat training, was signed by Philippine... Читать дальше...
An alliance of French left-wing parties was on course Sunday to become the biggest parliamentary bloc by beating the far right and President Emmanuel Macron's coalition, according to surprise projected results. No one group won an absolute majority in the poll, plunging France into political limbo with no clear path to forming a new government, two days before a major NATO summit and three weeks before the Paris Olympics. We talk to Frédéric Mérand, professor and chair of the political science department at the University of Montreal. Читать дальше...
SEOUL, South Korea — A workers' union at Samsung Electronics in South Korea is set to stage a three-day strike from Monday and has warned it could take further action against the country's most powerful conglomerate at a later date. The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), whose roughly 28,000 members make up over a fifth of the firm's workforce in South Korea, is demanding the company improve its performance-based bonus system and give workers an extra day of annual leave. It is not immediately... Читать дальше...
Mina, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia on Monday warned of a temperature spike in Mecca as Muslim pilgrims wrapped up the hajj in searing conditions, with more than a dozen heat-related deaths confirmed. One of the world's largest religious gatherings unfolded during the oven-like Saudi summer again this year, and authorities recorded more than 2,700 cases of "heat exhaustion" on Sunday alone, the Saudi health ministry said. On Monday, according to the Saudi weather service, temperatures reached... Читать дальше...
Niamey, Niger — U.S. troops have completed a withdrawal from their base in Niger's capital of Niamey and will fully depart from Agadez in the north before a Sept. 15 deadline set by the country's military rulers, both countries said Sunday. Niger's military leaders scrapped a military cooperation deal with Washington in March, after seizing power in a July 2023 coup. The United States had around 650 soldiers in Niger as part of anti-jihadist missions in several Sahel nations of West Africa, including a major drone base near Agadez. Читать дальше...
Dhaka, Bangladesh — Thousands of Bangladeshi university students threw roadblocks across key highways Sunday, demanding the end of "discriminatory" quotas for coveted government jobs, including reserving posts for children of liberation heroes. Students in almost all major universities took part, demanding a merit-based system for well-paid and massively over-subscribed civil service jobs. "It's a do-or-die situation for us," protest coordinator Nahidul Islam told AFP, during marches at Dhaka University. Читать дальше...
New Orleans, Louisiana — For 30 years, the Essence Festival of Culture has brought together people from all walks of life and from around the world to connect through conversation, shared experiences and, of course, music. The nation’s largest annual celebration of Black culture was set to end Sunday with musical performances by Janet Jackson and a special tribute to Frankie Beverly & Maze, the soul band that closed the event for the festival's first 15 years. Beverly, now 77, has said he is stepping away from performing live... Читать дальше...
BALNEARIO CAMBORIU, Brazil — Javier Milei, making his first visit to Brazil as Argentina's president, attacked socialism for curtailing liberties and creating corruption in a speech Sunday to a conservative rally led by former Brazilian hard-right President Jair Bolsonaro. Reading from a prepared speech at the CPAC Brazil 2024 event, Milei made no mention of Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, even as Bolsonaro supporters chanted insults about the leftist leader and called for him to be put in jail. Читать дальше...
Seoul, South Korea — Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said South Korea's recent military drills near the border between the two nations are an inexcusable and explicit provocation, according to a report from state media KCNA on Monday. Kim Yo Jong also accused South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol of creating tensions on the Korean peninsula to divert public attention away from his poor performance in domestic politics. She cited an online petition calling for Yoon to be impeached... Читать дальше...
Britain’s new Prime Minister officially takes office after his UK Labour Party’s landslide victory in a parliamentary election that ended 14 years of Conservative government. Timothy Hellwig, Professor of Political Science with a focus on politics of European Nations at the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences provides insights into what the historic vote says about how voters are feeling, and if it signals a shift of the trend toward right leaning leadership. And with the U.S. presidential election just months away... Читать дальше...
Manila — The Philippines and Japan will sign a defense agreement on Monday that will allow their military forces to visit each other's soil, the Philippine president's communications office said on Sunday. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will witness the signing of the Philippines-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement shortly after a courtesy call by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, his office said. Kamikawa and Kihara are in Manila to meet their Philippine... Читать дальше...
Tokyo — U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel expressed regret Saturday for the handling of two cases of sexual assaults allegedly committed by American military personnel on Okinawa, which have again stoked resentment of the heavy U.S. troop presence on the strategic island in Japan's far southwest. The issue broke out late last month, triggering an uproar over reports that two American service members had been charged with sexual assaults months earlier. Both cases were first reported in local media in late June. Читать дальше...
