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SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed a “high degree of trust” in Hong Kong’s unpopular leader Carrie Lam as the two met in Shanghai, state media said, days after the Communist Party agreed to change the way it picks or removes the city’s top official. Xi also called for “effective efforts” to be made in improving people’s lives and having a dialogue with all sectors of society, according to the official Xinhua […]
by Su Xinqi and Jerome Taylor HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A man went on a knife rampage in Hong Kong late Sunday leaving at least five people wounded, including a local pro-democracy politician who had his ear bitten off, capping another chaotic day of political unrest in the city. Flashmob rallies erupted inside multiple shopping centers across the international finance hub over the afternoon, sparking frequent clashes with riot police. The violence was less […]
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Protesters in Iraq’s capital and the country’s south shut down streets and government offices in a new wave of civil disobedience Sunday, escalating their month-long movement demanding a wholesale change of the political system. Demonstrations broke out on October 1 in outrage over rampant corruption and unemployment in Iraq. They were met with a violent crackdown that left dozens dead. Since resuming late last month, the protests have swelled again with […]
by Aishwarya Kumar NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel urged greater efforts to clean up New Delhi’s toxic air as she pledged one billion euros to help Indian cities switch to green transport. Merkel became a rare foreign leader to speak out on India’s smog crisis after being exposed to the capital’s air on Friday, when authorities said the pollution had reached “emergency” levels. Schools were ordered closed until Tuesday and all […]
by Su Xinqi and Catherine Lai HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Thousands of protesters hit the streets of Hong Kong on Saturday, defying police with an unsanctioned march as the democracy movement shows no signs of abating after nearly five months. Crowds of black-clad protesters, many wearing face masks despite a recent ban, filled Causeway Bay, a popular shopping district, as tensions built with riot police who had flooded the area. The march came […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean rescuers located three bodies believed to be among seven who went missing after their chopper crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from islets disputed with Japan, officials said Saturday. The helicopter had just picked an injured fisherman up from Dokdo, which is known as Takeshima in Japan, when it went down on Thursday night. One body was found inside the chopper located at a depth […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia rejected a compensation offer of “less than $2 billion” from Goldman Sachs for the role of its subsidiaries in the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal, an aide to the country’s prime minister said Saturday. Huge sums were stolen from Malaysian state fund 1MDB in a fraud allegedly involving former prime minister Najib Razak and his cronies, and spent on everything from high-end real estate to a luxury super-yacht. Goldman’s role has […]
by Douglas Gillison with Jing Xuan Teng in Beijing WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Senior Chinese and US officials again sent positive signals on Friday about their efforts to formalize the partial trade bargain announced last month, with President Donald Trump saying he may meet with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in the state of Iowa. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Friday spoke by telephone with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese conglomerate Fosun has snapped up the Thomas Cook brand for £11 million ($14.2 million), weeks after the renowned British travel group went bust and left hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers stranded abroad. Thomas Cook’s demise in September sparked 22,000 job losses worldwide and triggered Britain’s biggest repatriation since World War II, with the government paying to fly home 140,000 tourists. The 178-year-old British institution declared bankruptcy in September after an […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Major state telecom operators are rolling out 5G wireless advances in China as the country races to close a technology gap with the United States amid a bruising trade war. The new-generation telecommunication networks move data at blazing speeds, promising economic and technological advantages to countries where they are deployed. US regulators earlier this week proposed rules to block telecom carriers from buying from Chinese tech companies Huawei […]
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam said Saturday that it “strongly condemns” human trafficking, after British police confirmed 39 people found dead in a truck last week are believed to be Vietnamese. Most of the victims are thought to come from central Vietnam, where easy-to-find brokers help to arrange trips to Europe — often via Russia — for migrants hoping to earn money overseas. The extreme risks of the journeys were laid bare after eight […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China warned Friday it would not tolerate any challenge to Hong Kong’s governing system, as it laid out plans to boost patriotism in the city and change how its leader is chosen or removed after months of pro-democracy protests. The unrest in the semi-autonomous city was an important topic at a major, four-day meeting of the Communist Party chaired by President Xi Jinping this week in Beijing, said Shen Chunyao, […]
