Asia

Indonesian earthquake death toll reaches 555

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A string of deadly earthquakes that rocked Indonesia’s Lombok island this summer killed 555 people and injured nearly 1,500, the disaster agency said Friday, with hundreds of thousands left homeless. The picturesque island next to holiday hotspot Bali was hit by two deadly quakes on July 29 and August 5. On Sunday it was shaken by a string of fresh tremors and aftershocks, with the strongest measuring 6.9 magnitude. Indonesia’s disaster […]

S. Korean ex-president Park’s sentence extended

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A South Korean appeal court on Friday extended ex-president Park Geun-hye’s prison sentence for corruption and abuse of power by one year. The decision by the Seoul High Court means the former head of state, who was ousted after a sprawling corruption scandal triggered mass protests, faces 25 years in jail. Park was convicted in April of receiving or demanding more than $20 million from conglomerates, sharing secret state documents, […]

Transport disruption as typhoon batters Japan

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A strong typhoon Friday churned over parts of western Japan already hit by deadly flooding last month, but while transport links were disrupted there were few immediate reports of injury or damage. Typhoon Cimaron made landfall late Thursday and passed over the Japanese archipelago overnight, bringing winds of nearly 200 kilometres per hour (134 mph) and dumping up to 600 millimetres of rain in 48 hours, according to the Japan Meteorological […]

Russia will block US bid for UN blacklist of Russian ships over N.Korea

    by Carole Landry  Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS , United States (AFP) — Russia will oppose a US request to the UN Security Council to blacklist two Russian shipping firms and six Russian-flagged vessels over their dealings with sanctions-hit North Korea, the Russian ambassador said Thursday. The United States presented a request to a UN sanctions committee on Wednesday — its third bid in two months to seek UN action and turn up the pressure […]

China investigates top Buddhist leader for sexual assault

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — The former head of China’s government-run Buddhist association is under criminal investigation for alleged sexual assault, the country’s top religious authority said Thursday. Xuecheng, a Communist Party member and abbot of Beijing’s Longquan Monastery, is one of the most prominent figures to face accusations in China’s growing #MeToo movement. He stepped down earlier this month after a report by fellow monks accused him of sexual and financial improprieties. In the […]

Strong typhoon barrels towards flood-hit western Japan

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A strong typhoon hurtled towards western Japan on Thursday, with forecasters warning of heavy rains and landslides, including in areas hit by deadly flooding last month. Typhoon Cimaron, with maximum gusts of 216 kilometres (133 miles) per hour, was around 280 kilometres southeast of the Goto islands at 2300 GMT Wednesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The typhoon is expected to make landfall late Thursday and head north through Friday morning, […]

Bolton: US to act ‘very strongly’ if Syria uses chemical weapons in Idlib

JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser warned Wednesday that the United States will respond “very strongly” if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad uses chemical weapons in an offensive to retake Idlib province. Speaking at a press conference during a visit to Jerusalem, John Bolton also said that the Trump administration was not seeking to oust Iran’s leadership with its reimposition of sanctions on Tehran. “Regime change in Iran is not American […]

Iran unveils first domestic fighter jet

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran unveiled its first domestic fighter jet on Tuesday, with President Hassan Rouhani insisting that Tehran’s military strength was only designed to deter enemies and create “lasting peace”. Images on state television showed Rouhani sitting in the cockpit of the new “Kowsar” fourth-generation fighter at the National Defence Industry exhibition in Tehran. State media said it had “advanced avionics” and multi-purpose radar, and that it was “100-percent indigenously made” for the […]

One million pack India flood relief camps

by Bhuvan BAGGA Agence France Presse CHENGANNUR, India (AFP) — More than one million people have swarmed relief camps in India’s Kerala state to escape devastating monsoon floods that have killed about 420 people, officials said Tuesday as a huge international aid offers poured in. People are flocking to camps as the scale of the desolation is revealed by receding waters and the military rescues more people each day. The state government said 1,028,000 people […]

Aid agencies rush to help survivors of deadly Lombok quakes

  SUGIAN, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian aid agencies and government officials rushed Tuesday to help survivors after another series of powerful quakes rattled Lombok island, killing at least 10 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. The picturesque island next to holiday hotspot Bali was hit by two deadly quakes on July 29 and August 5. On Sunday it was shaken again by a string of fresh tremors and aftershocks, with the strongest measuring 6.9 […]

Multiple quakes rock Indonesia’s Lombok island, 10 dead

by Aman Alief Agence France Presse MATARAM, Indonesia (AFP) — A series of powerful earthquakes have rocked the Indonesian holiday island of Lombok, killing at least 10 people and setting off fresh waves of panic after nearly 500 died there following a huge tremor two weeks ago. The quakes hit throughout Sunday, with the first measuring 6.3 shortly before midday which triggered landslides and sent people fleeing for cover as parts of the island suffered […]

Bodies found as floods recede in India’s Kerala

KOCHI, India (AFP) – Receding floodwaters left Indian troops and rescuers the grim task Monday of hunting for bodies left by the worst monsoon in a century in Kerala state as the death toll rose above 400. With nearly three quarters of a million people packed into relief camps in the southern state, known for its tourist beaches and hill resorts, authorities also fear outbreaks of disease. After a week of fierce downpours, rainfall eased […]