Saturday, November 26, 2016

Donald Trump calls Fidel Castro 'brutal dictator'

Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro was a "brutal dictator", US President-elect Donald Trump has said, hours after the 90-year-old's death was announced.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images

Image caption Fidel Castro led the Communist revolution in Cuba in 1959

Mr Trump, who takes office in January, said he hoped Cubans could move towards a freer future.
Castro came to power in 1959 and ushered in a Communist revolution. He defied the US for decades, surviving many assassination plots.
Supporters said he returned Cuba to the people. Critics called him a dictator.
His brother Raul, who succeeded him as president, announced his death on state television on Friday night.
Reaction as it happened
A hero and a tyrant - obituary
His life in pictures
A revolutionary at home and abroad
In a statement, Mr Trump said that while Cuba remained "a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long, and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve".
The US cut ties with Cuba in 1961 amid rising Cold War tensions and imposed a strict economic embargo which remains in place more than half a century on.

In a statement, Mr Trump said that while Cuba remained "a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long, and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve".
The US cut ties with Cuba in 1961 amid rising Cold War tensions and imposed a strict economic embargo which remains in place more than half a century on.
Under Barack Obama, the relationship warmed and diplomatic ties were restored in 2015.
Mr Trump roundly criticised Mr Obama's policy on the campaign trail but made no mention of his pledge to reverse it in his statement, saying his administration would do all it could to ensure Cubans could "begin their journey toward prosperity and liberty".
Mr Obama, meanwhile, said history would "record and judge the enormous impact" of Castro. America was extending "a hand of friendship to the Cuban people" at this time, he added.

Friday, November 25, 2016

Iran trains crash in Semnan province killing dozens

At least 35 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a train collision in northern Iran.

Four carriages derailed and two caught fire when a train that had broken down was hit by another train.
The accident happened in freezing temperatures early on Friday, 250km (150 miles) east of the capital Tehran.
The rescue effort is being hampered by the remote location, officials say. President Hassan Rouhani has ordered an inquiry into the cause of the crash.
The crash occurred in Iran's northern province of Semnan, on the main line between Tehran and Mashhad in the north-east.
State Governor Mohammad Reza Khabbaz said a mechanical failure caused by the extreme cold had forced the intercity express train to stop between stations.

Image copyright AP

Image caption Two coaches of an Iranian intercity express train burst into flames after it was hit from behind

The head of the province's Red Crescent Hassan Shokrollahi said: "Because of the difficulty of access, only our helicopter has managed to reach the scene."
More than 70 people have been taken to hospitals and the death toll is expected to

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Obama says he may comment as citizen on Trump's presidency

US president Barack Obama has said he may speak out after leaving office if he feels his successor Donald Trump is threatening core American values.

By convention, former presidents tend to leave the political fray and avoid commenting on their successors.

Speaking at a news conference at the Apec summit in Lima, Peru, Mr Obama said he intended to assist Mr Trump and give him time to outline his vision.

But he said that, as a private citizen, he might speak out on certain issues.

"I want to be respectful of the office and give the president-elect an opportunity to put forward his platform and his arguments without somebody popping off," Mr Obama said.

But, he added, if an issue "goes to core questions about our values and our ideals, and if I think that it's necessary or helpful for me to defend those ideals, then I'll examine it when it comes".

The president described himself as an "American citizen who cares deeply about our country".

Speaking at a news conference to mark the end of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, Mr Obama reiterated that he would extend to Mr Trump's incoming administration the same professional courtesy shown to his team by his predecessor George W Bush.

Mr Bush has refrained since leaving office from commenting on Mr Obama's presidency. "I don't think it does any good," he told CNN in 2013, after Mr Obama was elected for a second time.

"It's a hard job. He's got plenty on his agenda. It's difficult. A former president doesn't need to make it any harder. Other presidents have taken different decisions; that's mine."

Mr Bush's stance falls in line with tradition. US presidents tend to avoid criticising predecessors or successors. Mr Obama was clear that he would not weigh in on Mr Trump's decisions while he is still in office.

But his suggestion that, as a private citizen, he would seek to defend "core values" comes amid mounting concern among civil rights groups and others about Mr Trump's political appointments.

The president-elect's chief strategist, Steve Bannon, was previously the head of Breitbart, a website which has been accused of promoting racism and anti-Semitism. And Mr Trump's national security adviser, General Michael Flynn, has previously likened Islam to a "cancer" spreading through the US.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

New Zealand quake: The geological impact of a 'complex' tremor hot photo

New Zealand quake: The geological impact of a 'complex' tremor

The powerful earthquakes which hit New Zealand were some of the most complex ever recorded, say scientists.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Fire retardant foam engulfs California airport hangar

A sea of flame retardant foam has flooded the streets around an airport hangar in the US state of California.

Firefighters say the foam spread after a fire alarm malfunctioned in a hangar at San Jose airport, causing foam to spew out of the hangar's vents.

The public has been warned to not to touch the foam as it is a skin irritant.

Local media say the foam deluge has stopped, and clean-up crews are being sent to the scene.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Trump election: Juncker warns president may upset US ties with Europe

Donald Trump's election as US president risks upsetting US ties with Europe, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has warned.

We will need to teach the president-elect what Europe is and how it works," Mr Juncker told a student audience in Luxembourg.

Intercontinental relations may be affected "in their foundation and in their structure", he said.
His remarks contrasted with other EU leaders' more muted reactions.

Quoted by Luxembourg newspaper Le Quotidien, Mr Juncker, a former prime minister of the tiny state, continued: "In general the Americans pay no heed to Europe. As for Mr Trump, if I understand properly, he thinks Belgium is a village somewhere on our continent...
"My honest opinion? With Mr Trump, we are going to waste two years while he tours a world he doesn't know."
During the election campaign, Mr Trump caused alarm in EU circles with his sharp criticism of Nato, the cornerstone of Western Europe's defence structure, and calls for better relations with Russia.
His promise to "cancel" the Paris Climate Agreement within 100 days of taking office and protectionist stance on trade have also caused concern, as have his controversial comments about ethnic and religious minorities.
While EU leaders congratulated the Republican on his shock victory over Hillary Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed in her message to him that the US and Germany shared "the values of democracy, freedom, respect for the rule of law and human dignity, regardless of origin, skin colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political belief".

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Thursday, November 10, 2016

Second night of anti-Trump protests in US cities

Protests have been held for a second night in several US cities after the election of Donald Trump as president - but with smaller crowds.

They were mainly young people saying a Trump presidency would create deep divisions along racial and gender lines.

However police in Portland said they were dealing with vandalism and aggressive behaviour.

In response, Mr Trump tweeted that the protests were "very unfair".

Earlier, he met President Barack Obama at the White House and described him as a good man.

However a BBC correspondent says that despite their cordiality, Mr Trump is intent on dismantling much of President Obama's legacy. That includes Obamacare, the act extending medical insurance to more Americans than ever before.

Crowds of protesters gathered in cities across the US on Thursday evening.

Police in Portland, Oregon said the protest there should be considered a riot, with shop windows being broken, some demonstrators carrying bats and others arming themselves with rocks.

There were no reports of violence at the other protests, although demonstrators in Minneapolis briefly blocked an interstate highway in both directions.

In Philadelphia crowds gathered near City Hall holding placards bearing slogans such as "Not Our President", "Trans Against Trump" and "Make America Safe For All".

In Baltimore, police said a peaceful crowd of 600 people marched through the city, blocking traffic. In San Francisco high school students waved rainbow banners and Mexican flags.