News

Goldman Sachs bankers 'cheated' Malaysia over 1MDB, Mahathir says

Reuters
Nov 14 01:54 PM | Updated Nov 14 03:15 PM

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Wednesday bankers at Goldman Sachs Group Inc "cheated" the country in dealings with state fund 1MDB and that US authorities have promised to help return the fees the Wall Street bank earned from the fund. Read more »

'Angels everywhere': Man battles wildfire to save his corner of Paradise

Agence France-Presse
Nov 14 01:05 PM

Using garden hoses and then buckets of water, 63-year-old Brad Weldon fought the Camp Fire in Paradise to save his house and his 90-year-old blind mom. Read more »

Facebook shuts more accounts aimed at political meddling

Agence France-Presse
Nov 14 12:38 PM

SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook on Tuesday said it shut down more accounts aimed at influencing the US midterm election and that it is exploring a possible link to Russia. Read more »

Deadly 'megafires' the new normal in California

Andrew Hay, Reuters
Nov 14 09:56 AM

Paradise, California had long prepared for wildfires but only in its worst nightmares did it imagine the kind of "megafire" that last week destroyed most of the town and is becoming a common occurrence in the state. Read more »

Mexican presidents accused as defense opens El Chapo trial

Laura Bonilla, Agence France-Presse
Nov 14 07:51 AM

Drug baron Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's defense told his New York trial Tuesday that his cartel bribed Mexican presidents, painting the absent co-defendant as a ruthless criminal who murdered in cold blood. Read more »

Trump lashes Macron as Europe moves on defense without US

Shaun Tandon and Maggy Donaldson, Agence France-Presse
Nov 14 07:28 AM

On the heels of a rocky trip to Paris to mark the World War I centenary, Trump fired off a caustic series of early-morning tweets against Macron and renewed his frequent charge that America's European allies in NATO spend too little on defense. Read more »

NASA wants people on Mars within 25 years

Thomas Watkins, Agence France-Presse
Nov 14 06:46 AM

WASHINGTON - Deadly radiation from the cosmos, potential vision loss, and atrophying bones are just some of the challenges scientists must overcome before any future astronaut can set foot on Mars, experts and top NASA officials said Tuesday. Read more »

At $50 million, pink 'Legacy' diamond shines brightest in Christie's sale

Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters
Nov 14 06:32 AM

GENEVA - The 'Pink Legacy', a diamond weighing just under 19 carats, fetched a record 50.375 million Swiss francs ($50 million) as it outshone all other auction lots at Christie's in Geneva on Tuesday. Read more »

US cop fatally shoots black security guard who detained gunman at bar

Agence France-Presse
Nov 14 05:51 AM

CHICAGO - Illinois state police on Tuesday were investigating a white officer over the fatal shooting of a black security guard who had apprehended a suspected gunman at a bar outside Chicago, officials said. Read more »

Melania Trump calls for firing of national security aide

Agence France-Presse
Nov 14 05:48 AM | Updated Nov 14 07:50 AM

WASHINGTON - US First Lady Melania Trump on Tuesday publicly pushed for the dismissal of deputy national security advisor Mira Ricardel -- a rare criticism of a senior administration official by the president's wife. Read more »

Deadly California wildfire grows as teams sift through ashes for remains

Noel Randewich and Sharon Bernstein, Reuters
Nov 14 05:27 AM

PARADISE, California - Convoys of fire engines rumbled through the smoldering northern California town of Paradise on Tuesday on their way to combat still-active sections of the state's deadliest and most destructive wildfire in history, which grew by 8,000 acres. Read more »

Time is money: 'The Asprey' wristwatch sells for nearly $3.9 million

Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters
Nov 14 05:23 AM

GENEVA - A unique vintage wristwatch went under the hammer for 3.915 million Swiss francs ($3.88 million) in Geneva on Tuesday, auctioneer Sotheby's said, setting a world record price after hectic bidding.  Read more »

Duterte in Singapore for ASEAN Summit

Karl Norman Alonzo, Malacanang Photo
Nov 14 04:01 AM

President Duterte poses for a photo with the leaders from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries during the opening ceremony of the 33rd ASEAN and Related Summits at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore on Tuesday. Duterte will be attending the ASEAN Summit until November 15 before traveling to Papua New Guinea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit on November 17-18. Read more »

Ilang bansa sa Asya, nanawagan ng proteksiyon para sa mga seafarer

ABS-CBN News
Nov 13 11:51 PM | Updated Nov 13 11:52 PM

MAYNILA - Nagtipon-tipon ang higit 10 bansa sa Asya dito sa Maynila para sa regional meeting ng Seafarers Rights International Martes. Read more »

CNN sues White House over revoked credentials of correspondent

Reuters
Nov 13 10:51 PM | Updated Nov 14 12:17 AM

WASHINGTON (UPDATED) - CNN filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the Trump administration over the revocation of press credentials for White House correspondent Jim Acosta, whose questions and reporting have been a frequent target of criticism by President Donald Trump. Read more »

U.S. begins process of returning Balangiga bells to PH

ABS-CBN News
Nov 13 10:45 PM

After more than a century, the Balangiga Church bells, which were taken by the US Army during the Philippine-American war, are home-bound. Read more »

Pope to visit Morocco in March: Vatican

Agence France-Presse
Nov 13 09:23 PM

VATICAN CITY- Pope Francis will visit Morocco on March 30 and 31, 2019 on a trip that will take him to Rabat and Casablanca, the Vatican said Tuesday. Read more »

'Oppressing to the point of killing': Malaysia's Mahathir slams Suu Kyi over Rohingya crisis

Reuters
Nov 13 07:16 PM

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi was trying to "defend the indefensible" over alleged atrocities committed by the country's military against minority Rohingya Muslims. Read more »

'Oppressing to the point of killing': Malaysia's Mahathir slams Suu Kyi over Rohingya crisis

Reuters
Nov 13 06:40 PM

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi was trying to "defend the indefensible" over alleged atrocities committed by the country's military against minority Rohingya Muslims. Read more »

California’s deadliest fire

Josh Edelson, AFP
Nov 13 04:14 PM

Alameda County Sheriff Coroner officers search for human remains after the Camp fire tore through the region in Paradise, California on Monday.  Read more »

Myanmar's neighbors to call for 'accountability' in Rakhine crisis - ASEAN draft statement

Reuters
Nov 13 03:46 PM

Southeast Asian nations will call for those responsible for atrocities in Myanmar's Rakhine state to be held "fully accountable", according to a statement prepared for a regional summit, reflecting a stronger line being taken within the group. Read more »

Chinese Premier Li says talks on S. China Sea code should end in three years

Lee Chyen Yee, Reuters
Nov 13 12:47 PM

SINGAPORE - China's Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday that Beijing hoped a consultation with Southeast Asian nations on a code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea would be completed in three years, and that such an deal would bolster free trade. Read more »

China scours social media, erases thousands of accounts

Reuters
Nov 13 12:35 PM

China's top cyber authority has scrubbed 9,800 social media accounts of independent news providers deemed to have posted sensational, vulgar or politically harmful content on the Internet, it said late on Monday. Read more »

Shrinking Sea of Galilee has some hoping for a miracle

Clothilde Mraffko, Agence France-Presse
Nov 13 12:29 PM

The Sea of Galilee, where Christians believe Jesus walked on water, has been shrinking for years, mainly due to overuse, and environmentalists are raising the alarm. Read more »

Northern California wildfire kills 42 to rank as deadliest in state history

Sharon Bernstein and Noel Randewich, Reuters
Nov 13 12:21 PM

Search teams have recovered the remains of at least 42 people killed by a devastating wildfire that largely incinerated the town of Paradise in northern California, making it the deadliest single wildland blaze in state history, authorities said on Monday. Read more »