Asia

Trump, Xi agree on ‘maximizing pressure’ on N. Korea: White House

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping committed to “maximizing pressure on North Korea,” the White House said Monday, amid an escalating crisis over Pyongyang’s ballistic and nuclear weapons programs. In a phone call the two men discussed “North Korea’s continued defiance of the international community and its efforts to destabilize Northeast Asia,” the White House said. “The two leaders committed to maximizing pressure on North […]

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US flies bombers over Korean peninsula for drill: Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The US flew four stealth fighter jets and two bombers over the Korean peninsula on Monday in a show of force after North Korea’s latest nuclear and missile tests, South Korea’s defense ministry said. Four F-35B stealth fighters and two B-1B bombers flew over the peninsula to “demonstrate the deterrence capability of the US-South Korea alliance against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,” the ministry said in a statement. They were the first flights since the North conducted its […]

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UN urged to punish Myanmar army over Rohingya ‘atrocities’

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) – Pressure tightened on Myanmar Monday as a rights group urged world leaders to impose sanctions on the country’s military, which is accused of driving out more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims in an orchestrated “ethnic cleansing” campaign. The call from Human Rights Watch came as the UN General Assembly prepared to convene in New York, with the ongoing crisis in Myanmar billed as one of most pressing topics. The mass exodus of Rohingya refugees to […]

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Typhoon Talim brings heavy rain, major disruption in southern Japan

KYOTO, Japan (CCTV) — A powerful typhoon ripped into southern Japan on Sunday, dumping torrential rain, halting train services and affecting tourism. Typhoon Talim made landfall in Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, around 11:30 on Sunday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Because of strong winds, power has been cut off in the Kagoshima, Kumamoto and Miyazaki prefectures, affecting more than 3,000 households. Nearly 800 flights have been canceled in Kyushu and […]

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Two dead, three missing as typhoon rips through Japan

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A powerful typhoon ripped through the Japanese archipelago on Monday, leaving two people dead and three others missing, officials and news reports said. Typhoon Talim made landfall Sunday in Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, packing winds of up to 162 kilometers (105 miles) per hour, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The storm, moving northeast along the country, reached the nation’s northern island of Hokkaido by Monday morning, dumping […]

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US warns N. Korea will be ‘destroyed’ if threats continue

by Brian Knowlton Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump’s administration ramped up the pressure on North Korea on Sunday ahead of a week of high-stakes diplomacy at the United Nations, warning Pyongyang will be “destroyed” if it refuses to end its “reckless” nuclear and ballistic missile drive. With US officials and their allies scrambling to find ways to contain an increasingly belligerent Pyongyang, the US president will address the UN General […]

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Hundreds of flights grounded as typhoon Talim slams Japan

A powerful typhoon that left the Philippines last Wednesday, September 13, ripped into southern Japan on Sunday, dumping torrential rain, grounding hundreds of domestic flights and halting train services. Typhoon Talim, which was named as “Lannie” in the Philippines, made a landfall in Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, packing winds of up to 162 kilometres (105 miles) per hour, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. At least 644 domestic flights have been cancelled […]

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Widespread destruction in central Vietnam after major typhoon

  HA TINH, Vietnam (AFP) — Shaken residents in central Vietnam were piecing their homes and businesses back together Saturday after a powerful typhoon hammered large swathes of coast and killed at least four people. Typhoon Doksuri tore through Vietnam Friday afternoon, reducing structures to piles of debris and knocking out electricity and telecommunications in several provinces, in one of the worst storms to hit the country in years. Residents woke up Saturday to the […]

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UN condemns ‘highly provocative’ N. Korea missile launch

by Carole LANDRY, with Park Chan-Kyong in Seoul Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States – The UN Security Council on Friday strongly condemned North Korea’s “highly provocative” launch of a missile that flew over Japan as US President Donald Trump scheduled talks with leaders of Japan and South Korea to address the crisis. North Korea fired the intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan that landed in the Pacific, responding to new UN sanctions with its furthest-ever missile flight. In […]

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China ‘opposes’ N. Korea missile launch, rejects blame

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — China condemned North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile over Japan on Friday, but said it was “irresponsible” to blame Beijing for regional tensions after Washington urged it to rein in its ally. After the North’s latest test, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called on China to use the oil it supplies to North Korea as leverage to pressure the isolated nation into reconsidering its nuclear program. But Chinese […]

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N. Korea “has Guam in mind” — Japan minister

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s defense minister said Friday he believed North Korea “has Guam in mind” after its most recent missile launch, noting it had sufficient range to hit the United States territory. Pyongyang has threatened the US Pacific territory with “enveloping fire,” sparking dire warnings from US President Donald Trump. Itsunori Onodera told reporters that Friday’s missile, which overflew Japanese territory, flew 3,700 kilometers — “long enough to cover Guam,” which is 3,400 […]

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Typhoon Doksuri pounds Vietnam coast

HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Heavy rain pounds Vietnam’s central coast as Typhoon Doksuri approached, prompting mass evacuations and with officials predicting it could be the most powerful storm in a decade. https://youtu.be/4bUmcQbazQk

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