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BEIJING, China (AFP) – A Chinese activist who was imprisoned after speaking out about women’s rights and Hong Kong’s democracy movement has been released after serving three years in jail, her lawyer said Thursday. Su Changlan, a 47-year-old primary school teacher, was first detained in southern Guangdong province on October 26, 2014, after making comments on social media in support of democracy protests in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong. “Su Changlan has returned home […]
by Sally Mairs and Sippachai Kunnuwong Agence France-Presse BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — A sea of black-clad mourners massed across Bangkok’s historic heart Thursday as funeral rituals began for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a revered monarch whose passing after a seven-decade reign left Thailand bereft of its only unifying figure. As dawn broke an estimated 200,000 Thais had gathered around the Grand Palace to bid an emotional farewell to a monarch known as “father of the nation,” […]
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) – A Pakistani court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif in two cases of corruption spiralling from the Panama Papers leak, his lawyers said. Sharif is currently in London with his wife Kalsum as she undergoes cancer treatment, and has not returned to Pakistan since he was indicted in the corruption allegations earlier this month, despite reports he would do so. “The accountability court issued bailable warrants […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) – Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen said Thursday that the end of China’s landmark party congress signals an “opportunity for change,” as she called for dialogue with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Tsai was speaking publicly for the first time since Xi was handed a second term during the 19th Communist Party meeting that concluded this week, which cemented the Chinese president’s grip on power. Ties between Taiwan and China have become increasingly frosty […]
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) – With the funeral of late king Bhumibol Adulyadej underway, his untested and unpredictable heir has taken center stage. King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 65, is leading the day-long ceremony on Thursday that culminates in the cremation of his father, who reigned for 70 years. Less than a year after taking the throne, the new sovereign (Rama X of the Chakri dynasty) has begun reshaping an enormously wealthy institution that sits at the head […]
COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AFP) – The lines on their foreheads tell more than the forced smiles on the faces of the Rohingya refugees photographed by AFP for a special series. All are among nearly one million of the stateless Muslim group now crowded into camps in Bangladesh after fleeing a military crackdown in neighboring Myanmar. More than 600,000 have arrived in the past two months alone. Many are emaciated. Some carry the trauma of attacks […]
by Ben Dooley Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — President Xi Jinping was formally reappointed head of the Communist Party Wednesday, commanding a new ruling council whose role will likely be eclipsed after he established himself as China’s most powerful leader in decades. In a highly choreographed event, Xi led the new members of the elite Politburo Standing Committee in front of television cameras at Beijing’s massive Great Hall of the People after their […]
by Abdul Hadi Habtor Agence France Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged a “moderate, open” Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, breaking with ultra-conservative clerics in favor of an image catering to foreign investors and Saudi youth. The Saudi strongman, 32, did not mince words in declaring a new reality for the kingdom, hours after announcing the launch of an independent $500 billion megacity — with “separate regulation” — along […]
by Ben Dooley Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China is set to unveil its new ruling council Wednesday after President Xi Jinping stamped his authority on the country by engraving his name on the Communist Party’s constitution. In a highly choreographed event, the members of the elite Politburo Standing Committee will appear in public at the palatial Great Hall of the People after they are selected by 204 party officials in conclave. Xi, 64, is certain to emerge […]
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — South Korea’s military said on Tuesday (October 24) that South Korea, the United States and Japan started a two-day missile tracking drill in preparation for any missile or nuclear threats from North Korea. Deputy spokesman for South Korea’s defense ministry, Lee Jin-woo, said that the exercises will be held in waters off the coasts of South Korea and Japan during a regular news briefing. The drills have been taking place […]
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) — US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was to arrive in Islamabad Tuesday as Washington turns up the heat on Pakistan for allegedly providing “safe havens” for Taliban militants. Tillerson’s visit, his first to Pakistan since becoming secretary of state, comes weeks after US President Donald Trump angrily accused the nuclear-armed country of harboring “agents of chaos” who can attack NATO-led forces in neighboring Afghanistan. It follows on the heels of an unannounced stop […]
SINGAPORE (AFP) — Singapore, one of the most expensive places in the world to buy a vehicle, has announced it will freeze the number of private cars on its roads from next year but vowed to expand public transport. The growth cap for all passenger cars and motorcycles will be cut from 0.25 percent a year to zero with effect from February, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said. The affluent city-state of 5.6 million people […]
