Month: August 2017

A deep earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck off Luzon island in the northern Philippines and was felt in metropolitan Manila.   Office workers in the capital left their buildings, but no damage was apparent after the quake struck about midday Friday. And there was no tsunami.   The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said …

Read more “Earthquake Shakes Northern Philippines; No Damage”

While a leaked U.S. intelligence report suggests North Korea now can build warheads small and light enough to fit inside its intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear weapons experts doubt that Pyongyang can develop an operational ICBM with a reliable warhead capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. Reports about the intelligence community’s consensus on North Korea’s weapons …

Read more “Doubts About Reliability Plague N. Korea’s Small Nuclear Warheads”

What does President Donald Trump’s 2008 sale of a Florida mansion to a Russian billionaire have to do with collusion during the 2016 election? On the surface, not a whole lot. “You know the closest I came to Russia, I bought a house a number of years ago in Palm Beach … for $40 million, …

Read more “US Special Counsel Mueller Probes Trump Finances”

U.S. President Donald Trump once again asserted on August 10 that Iran is not “living up to the spirit” of its 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, and added that it was a “horrible agreement.” …

U.S. President Donald Trump on August 10 shrugged off Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to cut hundreds of U.S. diplomatic employees from Russia and instead thanked Putin for helping him cut U.S. payroll costs. …

A court in Moscow will hear a lawsuit on August 17 filed by relatives of Raoul Wallenberg against Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) to provide uncensored documentation that could help determine the fate of the former Swedish diplomat and war hero, a lawyer for the family says. …

A historical film about the last Russian czar’s affair with a ballerina has been cleared for release, the Culture Ministry said Thursday, despite passionate calls for its ban. “Matilda,” which describes Nicholas II’s relationship with Matilda Kshesinskaya has drawn virulent criticism from some Orthodox believers and hard-line nationalists, who see it as blasphemy against the …

Read more “Controversial Film About Russian Czar Cleared for Release”

The chairman of Kenya’s election commission said Thursday its voting system was attacked one week before Tuesday’s presidential election but was not compromised. “Hacking was attempted but did not succeed,” Commission Chairman Wafula Chebukati told reporters at a news conference in the capital of Nairobi. Chebukati did not provide details. Kenyans, meanwhile, continue to anxiously …

Read more “Kenyan Officials Say Attempted Hack of Election System Failed”

A 91-year old woman in Thailand has earned a college degree after spending more than 10 years studying for it and has received her diploma from the country’s king.   Public television broadcaster ThaiPBS says Kimlan Jinakul was granted the Bachelor of Arts degree in human and family development Wednesday at the government-run Sukhothai Thammathirat …

Read more “91-year-old Thai Women Earns Bachelor’s Degree”

A Russian court has sentenced a journalist from a respected business daily to 3 1/2 years in prison after convicting him on extremism charges in a case denounced by rights activists and scores of fellow journalists. …

The state prosecutor in the politically charged bribery trial of Kyrgyz opposition party leader Omurbek Tekebaev has recommended a 10-year prison sentence if he is convicted. …

Iran has executed a 21-year-old man who was arrested at age 15, Amnesty International and an Iranian news agency reported. …

The exchange of threats and harsh rhetoric between North Korea and Donald Trump has rattled many investors. Stock prices fell in Asia, Europe and the United States, while demand rose for safe-haven investments like gold. Key stock indexes in Hong Kong, Germany, and France were down by one percent or more. U.S. stocks were down …

Read more “Harsh Rhetoric Between North Korea and Trump Worries Investors”

Five transgender members of the U.S. military, including Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, sued President Donald Trump on Wednesday, challenging his ban on transgender people serving in the armed forces. Trump said on Twitter on July 26 that the U.S. government “will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity” in the …

Read more “Transgender Military Personnel Sue Trump Over Service Ban”

Abu Ghazi stood smoking a cigarette outside what used to be his home in Mosul’s Old City, where only the sound of the footsteps of a few soldiers on patrol and twisted pieces of metal and fabric flapping in the wind disturb the eerie silence. “They should just bulldoze the whole thing and start over,” …

Read more “Islamic State Still a Threat as Mosul Residents Return to City in Ruins”