SEOUL, May 11, 2024 (AFP) – North Korean hackers stole sensitive data, including individuals’ financial records, from a South Korean court computer network over two years, Seoul police said Saturday. The nuclear-armed North is known to operate an army of thousands of hackers operating both inside the largely isolated country and apparently overseas, and has been blamed for several major cyberattacks in the past. South Korean national police said the hackers pilfered 1,014 gigabytes of […]
Asia
China hospital attack leaves two dead, 21 wounded
BEIJING, May 7, 2024 (AFP) – Two people were dead and 21 wounded after a man went on a stabbing spree at a hospital in southwest China on Tuesday, local officials said. “A knife attack occurred at the Chengnan Hospital in Zhenxiong County, which resulted in two deaths and 21 injuries,” a statement on the county’s official WeChat account said. The suspect — a man from a nearby village — is under investigation, authorities said. […]
Philippines won’t use water cannon on Chinese ships: Marcos
MANILA, May 6, 2024 (AFP) – President Ferdinand Marcos said Monday the Philippines would not respond in kind to China’s deployment of water cannon against its vessels, ruling out the use of “offensive” equipment as Manila asserts its sovereignty in the disputed South China Sea. Beijing has dispatched hundreds of coast guard and other vessels to press its claims over most of the waterway despite an international tribunal ruling that its assertion has no legal […]
Japan urges 400 to evacuate northern city over forest fire
TOKYO, May 5, 2024 (AFP) – More than 400 residents in northern Japan were urged to evacuate on Sunday over fears a forest fire that has been blazing for two days could spread to residential areas. Helicopters poured water for hours on the mountains around Nanyo city in Yamagata prefecture to douse the flames, but the operation was called off after dark with the fire still burning. “We’re urging over 400 residents in the […]
Seoul spy agency warns N. Korea plotting attacks on embassies
SEOUL, May 3, 2024 (AFP) – South Korea’s spy agency said Friday that Pyongyang was plotting “terrorist” attacks targeting Seoul’s officials and citizens overseas, with the foreign ministry raising the alert level for diplomatic missions in five countries. The National Intelligence Service said it had recently “detected numerous signs that North Korea is preparing for terrorist attacks against our embassy staff or citizens in various countries, (such as) China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East”. […]
Abandoned homes in Japan surge to almost 4 million
The number of abandoned homes in Japan has soared to almost four million over the last 20 years, government data showed, as a shrinking population guts rural communities. About 3.85 million homes were vacant nationwide in 2023, around 80 percent more than in 2003, according to a government survey released Tuesday. The internal affairs ministry’s review, conducted every five years, showed that the number of abandoned homes increased by about 360,000 from 2018. With the […]
US accuses Russia of using ‘chemical weapon’ in Ukraine
WASHINGTON, May 2, 2024 (AFP) – The US State Department accused Russia Wednesday of having used a chemical weapon against Ukrainian forces in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, while also announcing fresh sanctions against Moscow. In addition to the chemical agent chloropicrin, Russia also used “riot control agents (tear gas) as a method of warfare in Ukraine, also in violation of the CWC,” the department said in a factsheet. “The use of such chemicals […]
At least 24 people killed in south China road collapse
By Matthew WALSH BEIJING, May 1, 2024 (AFP) – At least 24 people died after part of a highway collapsed due to heavy rains in southern China’s Guangdong province on Wednesday, state media said. Guangdong, a densely populated industrial powerhouse, has been lashed by rainstorms in recent weeks, causing severe flooding and landslides in some areas. The downpours have been much heavier than would normally be expected for the time of year and have been […]
Six dead in Vietnam timber plant blast: reports
Six people were killed and seven injured in an explosion at a timber factory in southern Vietnam on Wednesday, local reports said. The incident occurred around 8:00 am at the Binh Minh Wood Production Company in Dong Nai province, with Vietnamese media reporting it was caused by a malfunctioning boiler. “Arriving the site, I saw a horrifying scene: debris scattered everywhere and several bodies lying in the yard,” according to a witness quoted by […]
Mass fish die-off in Vietnam as heatwave roasts Southeast Asia
DONG NAI, Vietnam, May 1, 2024 (AFP) – Hundreds of thousands of fish have died in a reservoir in southern Vietnam’s Dong Nai province, with locals and media reports suggesting a brutal heatwave and the lake’s management are to blame. Like much of Southeast Asia — where schools have recently been forced to close early and electricity usage has surged — southern and central Vietnam have been scorched by devastating heat. “All the fish in […]
Hong Kong lashed with nearly 10,000 lightning strikes overnight
Hong Kong was lashed by nearly 10,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, according to data from the city’s weather observatory. The Chinese city is accustomed to high humidity levels during April leading up to monsoon season, with residents prepared for sudden downpours during their workday commutes. Beginning 9:00 pm Tuesday evening, Hong Kong skies put on a flashy display, with the observatory recording 5,914 lightning bolts in a single hour as […]
Pet dogs and strays suffer in Asia heatwave
By Sailendra Sil with Rose Troup Buchanan in Bangkok Soaring temperatures across Kolkata have brought life in much of the Indian megacity to a standstill, but veterinarian Partha Das cannot recall a time when he was more busy. His clinic has been swamped by distressed members of the public carrying in beloved pets suffering nosebleeds, severe skin rashes and lapses into unconsciousness in a relentless heatwave suffocating much of South and Southeastern Asia over the […]