Asia

US labels N. Korea ‘war’ claim absurd, as Pyongyang boosts defenses

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The United States dismissed as “absurd” North Korea’s accusation that President Donald Trump has declared war against the regime, after Pyongyang said it was ready to defend itself by shooting down American bombers. Speaking to reporters outside his New York hotel, Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho responded to Trump tweeting at the weekend that North Korea’s leadership “won’t be around much longer” if it keeps up its threats. Ri, who […]

Mud and misery for refugees as Bangladesh tent city grows

by Claire Cozens Agence France-Presse KUTUPALONG, Bangladesh (AFP) – Two hours’ walk from the nearest road, with no toilets or clean water and little proper shelter— the vast area of scrubland Bangladesh has set aside for more than 400,000 Rohingya refugees is a miserable place to call home. Over the last week, Bangladesh authorities have cleared hundreds of thousands of newly-arrived refugees from roadsides and private land near the border with Myanmar where they had set up camp, […]

Seoul urges US to avoid ‘further escalation’ with N. Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea urged the United States to help dial down tensions with the North on Monday, after Pyongyang accused President Donald Trump of declaring war. “It is very likely that North Korea will conduct further provocations,” South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said in a speech in Washington. “It is imperative that we, Korea and the US together, manage the situation… in order to prevent further escalation of tensions or […]

North Korea says Trump has declared war

by Carole Landry Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — North Korea’s foreign minister on Monday accused United States President Donald Trump of declaring war against his country and said Pyongyang was ready to defend itself by shooting down US bombers. The White House dismissed the claim as “absurd.” Speaking to reporters outside his New York hotel, Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho responded to Trump, who had warned on Twitter at the weekend that […]

Palestinian PM to visit Gaza for reconciliation efforts

by Shatha Yaish Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Israel (AFP) – Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah will travel to Gaza on October 2 as part of a fresh push to end a decade-long split between Fatah and Hamas, which runs the enclave, his government said Monday. The visit follows concessions by Islamist group Hamas after discussions with Egypt, which has urged it to take steps towards reconciliation with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah, based in the occupied West Bank. Fatah […]

Japan’s Abe triggers snap election amid N. Korea crisis

By Richard Carter Agence France Presse Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday called a snap election, seeking a fresh term at the helm of the world’s third-largest economy as tensions with nearby North Korea reach fever-pitch. Abe hopes to capitalize on a weak and fractured opposition to sweep back into power, as polls show him regaining ground after a series of scandals. “I will dissolve the House of Representatives on the 28th” of September, […]

Nearly 50,000 flee amid fears of Bali volcanic eruption

KARANGASEM, India (AFP) — Nearly 50,000 people have evacuated their homes amid fears of an imminent volcanic eruption on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, disaster officials said Monday. Mount Agung, about 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the tourist hub of Kuta, has been rumbling since August, threatening to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years. Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said Monday 48,540 people had fled, although the number was expected to rise […]

Japan’s Abe poised to call snap election amid N.Korea crisis

by Richard Carter Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) – Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was widely expected to call a snap election Monday, hoping to capitalize on rising support as tensions with nearby North Korea reach fever pitch. Voters in the world’s third-largest economy could go to the polls as soon as October 22, more than a year earlier than expected, as Abe seeks to take advantage of a political opposition in disarray. According to a weekend poll […]

North Korea quake not a nuclear test, say China experts

BEIJING, China (AFP) — A shallow 3.5-magnitude earthquake which hit North Korea near the country’s nuclear test site on Saturday was not the result of a fresh nuclear test, China’s seismic service said, after initially reporting a “suspected explosion.” The China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said in a statement late Saturday that study of infrasonic data determined “the incident is not a nuclear explosion, but had the nature of a natural earthquake.” The Chinese Academy […]

North Korea minister launches tirade against Trump at UN

by Carole Landry Agence France Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States — North Korea’s foreign minister assailed United States President Donald Trump at the United Nations on Saturday, deriding him as a “mentally deranged” leader whose threats had increased the chances of military confrontation. Ri Yong-ho told the General Assembly that Trump’s vow to “totally destroy” his country if necessary had made “our rockets’ visit to the entire US mainland all the more inevitable.” Describing Trump […]

Thai junta says police helped Yingluck escape

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand’s deputy junta leader has accused three police officers of helping sneak ex-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra out of the country last month, a vanishing act that stunned the kingdom. Yingluck, whose government was toppled by the military in 2014, has not been seen since August 25, when she failed to turn up for a court verdict in her criminal negligence trial. Thailand’s junta says it was unaware she was planning to […]

Bangladesh says Rohingya influx grinds to a halt

by Sam Jahan in Cox’s Bazar and Shafiqul Alam in Dhaka</strong> Agence France Presse COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh — The flood of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh has come to a virtual halt, Dhaka officials said Saturday, almost a month after violence erupted in Myanmar’s Rakhine State and sent nearly 430,000 people fleeing across the border. Officials gave no reason for the dramatically reduced numbers. But Rohingya Muslim leaders said it could be because villages located near […]