QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) — At least 14 people were killed in western Pakistan Friday when a passenger van hit a truck loaded with smuggled fuel, police said, in the latest fatal accident on the country’s notoriously dangerous roads. The early morning collision took place in Qila Saifullah district, about 200 kilometres (124 miles) northeast of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. The van caught fire after hitting the truck, Abdul Jabbar, a police official at […]
Asia
Tropical Indonesia’s tiny glaciers to melt away in a decade: study
by Dessy Sagita and Peter Brieger Agence France-Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s little-known glaciers are melting so fast they could disappear in a decade, a new study says, underscoring the imminent threat posed by climate change to ice sheets in tropical countries. As the COP 25 summit wraps up in Madrid, nations are struggling to finalise rules for the 2015 landmark Paris climate accord, which aims to limit global temperature rises. Thousands of kilometres […]
Eight killed in blaze at Bangladesh plastics factory
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) — Eight people were killed and at least 24 critically injured when a devastating fire swept through an illegal plastics factory outside the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, police said Thursday. The fire started on Wednesday afternoon and quickly ripped through the ground floor of the Prime Patent Plastic factory at Keraniganj, just southwest of Dhaka, they said. “One person burnt to death on the spot and 33 workers were critically burnt. Seven of […]
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi denies ‘genocidal intent’ in Rohingya case
by Danny KEMP and Jan HENNOP Agence France Presse THE HAGUE Netherlands (AFP) — Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday denied “genocidal intent” as she defended Myanmar’s military operation against Rohingya Muslims in the UN’s top court. Addressing judges in The Hague, Myanmar’s civilian leader admitted that the army may have used “disproportionate force” but said that did not prove it was trying to wipe out the minority group. The African […]
Hong Kongers mark half a year of protest with mammoth rally
by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Democracy protesters took part in the largest mass rally through Hong Kong’s streets in months on Sunday in a forceful display of support for the movement, with a leading activist warning the city’s pro-Beijing leaders they had a “last chance” to end the political crisis. Organizers estimated some 800,000 people snaked for hours through the financial hub’s main island as the protests marked six […]
Indian Prime Minister expresses condolences to families of victims of deadly fire in Delhi
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed on Sunday condolences to the families of victims of the deadly fire that hit a factory in Delhi. The fire erupted in the factory in the Anaj Mandi area of Delhi in the morning. According to the Hindustan Times newspaper, the death toll has risen to 43 people, while over 50 people were hospitalized. “The fire in Delhi’s Anaj Mandi on Rani Jhansi Road is extremely […]
At least 43 killed in Delhi factory fire
NEW Delhi, India (AFP) — At least 43 people have died in a factory fire in India’s capital New Delhi, with the toll expected to rise, police told AFP. The blaze broke out in the early hours in the city’s old quarter, whose narrow and congested lanes are lined with many small manufacturing and storage units. “We… have since rescued at least 50 people,” Sunil Choudhary, New Delhi’s deputy chief fire officer, told AFP. […]
Huawei moves to overturn ‘unlawful’ US subsidy ban
by Sarah LAI SHENZHEN, China (AFP) — Chinese telecoms giant Huawei said on Thursday it has petitioned a US court to overturn a ban that prevents carriers in rural America from buying the firm’s equipment by tapping an $8.5-billion federal fund. Huawei’s petition said the ban — imposed last month against the company and its Chinese rival ZTE on national security grounds — failed to substantiate claims that Huawei was a threat and was a […]
N.Korea warns Trump it will use ‘corresponding’ force if attacked
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Wednesday warned that if the United States used military force against Pyongyang it would take “prompt corresponding actions at any level”, in response to comments by US President Donald Trump. Denuclearization negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington have been deadlocked since a summit in Hanoi broke up in February, and the renewed threats come as a deadline set by Pyongyang for fresh concessions approaches. Trump on Tuesday indicated […]
Japanese doctor who won PHL Ramon Magsaysay Awards in 2003 among six killed in Afghanistan attack
A Japanese doctor who dedicated almost 40 years of his life helping poor people in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, and who won the Philippines’ Ramon Magsaysay Awards in 2003, was among six people killed Wednesday in an attack in the east of the country, officials said. The armed assault in Jalalabad city, the capital of Nangarhar province, was the second deadly incident involving aid workers in recent days and prompted appalled reaction in Afghanistan and […]
US House passes Uighur bill urging sanctions on Chinese officials
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed legislation Tuesday that would apply sanctions against senior Chinese officials, triggering a furious response from Beijing. The legislation adds to tensions between the two superpowers just as they are locked in negotiations to finalize a “phase one” deal to resolve their protracted trade war. Washington had already angered Beijing when President Donald Trump signed legislation supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, prompting China […]
Indian warship drives away Chinese vessel: reports
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s Navy chief said Tuesday that an unauthorized Chinese vessel had entered its waters in the strategic Indian Ocean Region in September, with media reports suggesting New Delhi deployed a warship to repel the vessel. India is wary of Chinese clout in the Indian Ocean Region — one of the busiest maritime routes in the world — which it considers to be in its sphere of influence. The Chinese research […]
