Asia

Japan holds drill in Nagasaki amid tension with North Korea

NAGASAKI, Japan (Reuters) — Japan held a drill on Wednesday (November 22) in an imagined situation in which a warhead fired from an unspecified country strikes Nagasaki. The drill involved Japan’s self defense force personnel, assisted by local firefighters, paramedics, and police officers, creating a perimeter around the fake warhead by first checking for radioactivity with geiger counters. They then demonstrated the decontamination of the area by spraying water. They also assisted in the evacuation […]

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Air China suspends flights to North Korea

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Air China has suspended flights to North Korea, further limiting the secretive state’s links with the outside world, in what the government said was a business decision with no political motives. The suspension comes shortly after US President Donald Trump visited Beijing and pressed his counterpart Xi Jinping to do more to rein in North Korea’s nuclear program. China sent a special envoy, Song Tao, to the North last week but […]

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Xi’an-Chengdu high-speed railway on first trial run

CCTV — The Xi’an-Chengdu high-speed railway (HSR), traveling through the Qinling Mountains with a projected speed of 250 kilometers per hour, started its maiden trial run in full length on Wednesday. The first bullet train departed from Xi’an north station on Wednesday morning, embarking on its first round trip between Xi’an, provincial capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi, and Chengdu, provincial capital of southwest China’s Sichuan. Prior to this full-length test, a series of tests on […]

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China urges talks after US brands N.Korea a terror sponsor

    By Andrew Beatty / Julien Girault with Dave Clark in Washington Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China called Tuesday for extra efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis through talks after US President Donald Trump re-branded Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism. Beijing has repeatedly pushed for negotiations to end the standoff. Some analysts warned that the terror designation could further inflame tensions. “We still hope all relevant parties […]

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South Korea says U.S. designation of North Korea as terrorist sponsor to contribute to denuclearization

SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — South Korea’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday (November 21) the United States’ decision to put North Korea back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism is expected to contribute to the peaceful denuclearization of the North. The announcement will not change the joint stance of South Korea and the U.S. in trying to bring North Korea to the dialogue table, the ministry’s spokesman said during a regular news briefing. “The […]

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Chinese human rights lawyer jailed for two years

BEIJING, China (AFP) — A Chinese court sentenced prominent human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong to two years in prison for “inciting subversion” on Tuesday, the latest jailing in an intensifying crackdown on rights defenders and activists. Jiang, 46, had taken on many high-profile cases, including those of Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetan protesters and victims of the 2008 contaminated milk powder scandal, before being disbarred in 2009. Jiang sat in court, flanked by two police officers, as a […]

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‘Advanced’ cyber attack targets Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi authorities said Monday they had detected an “advanced” cyber attack targeting the kingdom, in a fresh attempt by hackers to disrupt government computers. The government’s National Cyber Security Centre said the attack involved the use of “Powershell” malware, but it did not comment on the source of the attack or which government bodies were targeted. “The NCSC has detected a new Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) that is targeting Saudi […]

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Leaders of Russia, Iran, Turkey meet to relaunch Syria peace process

by Maria PANINA Agence France Presse SOCHI, Russia (AFP) — The presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran will meet on Wednesday for the first in a series of summits aimed at re-booting the peace process in Syria, now regime forces have an upper hand over rebels and the Islamic State group. Russian leader Vladimir Putin will host Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani in the Black Sea resort of Sochi ahead of parallel […]

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Chinese envoy ends N.Korea trip

BEIJING, China (AFP) — A Chinese special envoy on Monday ended a four-day trip to North Korea during which the two sides discussed regional concerns but made no direct statements about the nuclear crisis. Officially, Song Tao was sent by President Xi Jinping to report on the outcome of the Chinese Communist Party’s recent congress. Analysts had expected that Song would press North Korean officials on the nuclear standoff, but did not expect any breakthroughs. […]

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Trump declares North Korea state sponsor of terror

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) –President Donald Trump on Monday declared North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, returning Kim Jong-Un’s nuclear-armed pariah regime to a short blacklist of targeted US foes. “Should have happened a long time ago. Should have happened years ago,” Trump declared, announcing the designation at the start of a White House cabinet meeting. North Korea is already under a wide array of United States and United Nations sanctions, and the terror designation […]

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Lebanon may form new government after PM Saad Hariri returns

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CCTV) — Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri is confirmed to return to Lebanon for Independence Day celebrations on Nov. 22 and officially resign from his post. According to local news reports in Lebanon, Hariri is likely to travel to Egypt and Kuwait before returning to Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, where he is expected to visit the Lebanese presidential palace to tender his resignation and formally resign. Analysts believe that due to the […]

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