Asia

North Korea defiant after new sanctions, rejects talks

by Dave Clark  and Ayee Macaraig Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) —  North Korea vowed Monday that tough new United Nations sanctions would not stop it from developing its nuclear arsenal, as it rejected talks and angrily warned the United States of retaliation. The message of defiance was the first major response to the US-drafted sanctions, which the UN Security Council unanimously approved over the weekend and which could cost North Korea $1 […]

Hong Kong cleans up greasy beaches after palm oil spill

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A clean-up operation was under way in Hong Kong Monday after a massive palm oil spillage from a ship collision in mainland Chinese waters clogged some of its most popular beaches. The coast was coated with rancid-smelling sticky white clumps of the oil as it washed in Sunday, with 11 beaches still closed to swimmers Monday in the height of a summer heatwave. There are still lumps of the solidified oil […]

N. Korea condemns UN sanctions, says no nuclear negotiations: KCNA

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Monday condemned the latest round of United Nations sanctions imposed against it over its weapons programs, saying it would not negotiate over its nuclear arms while it was threatened by the United States. The sanctions passed at the weekend were a “violent violation of our sovereignty,” Pyongyang said in a statement carried by its official Korea Central News Agency. “We will not put our self-defensive nuclear deterrent […]

China, Russia to maintain close communications on Korean Peninsula issue

MANILA, Philippines (CCTV) — China and Russia vowed on Sunday to maintain close communications with each other on the Korean Peninsula issue, saying the two countries hold highly consistent attitudes toward it. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said he and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov held an extensive and profound exchange of views over the current situation in the Korean Peninsula, especially the new resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council. Wang and Lavrov […]

North Korea dismisses South’s talks offer: Yonhap

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea dismissed offers of talks from the South during a rare exchange between the two rivals’ foreign ministers, Seoul’s Yonhap news agency reported Monday after the UN imposed a new round of sanctions on nuclear-armed Pyongyang. News of the brief encounter on the sidelines of a regional forum in Manila came as the South’s President Moon Jae-In urged a “peaceful resolution” to the tensions in a telephone conversation with […]

Tillerson: World united to disarm North Korea

MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Monday that a United Nations Security Council vote to impose sanctions on North Korea showed that world powers were united behind a push for a denuclearized Korean peninsula. Speaking at a security forum in Manila, Washington’s top diplomat said Kim Jong-Un’s regime must halt ballistic missile tests if it wanted to talk to the US about resolving the standoff. “It’s quite clear in terms […]

Landslide disrupts traffic in southwest China

SICHUAN, China (CCTV) — A massive landslide in southwest China blocked traffic on National Highway 213 for three hours on Sunday. No death or injury has been reported, according to the emergency office of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. The landslide, occurring at 15:45, caused about 20,000 cubic meters of mud to fall onto the highway, cutting off traffic on the highway’s Maoxian County section. An emergency team, including […]

S. Korean FM open to meeting N. Korean counterpart

  by Jerome Taylor Agence France Presse Manila, Philippines (AFP) — South Korea’s foreign minister said Saturday she was open to rare discussions with her North Korean counterpart at a security forum in the Philippines in a bid to rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program. The diplomatic olive branch came as the isolated regime faces increasing global pressure following its second intercontinental ballistic missile test on July 28, with the United Nations Security Council set […]

N. Korea says door remains ‘open’ for US tourists

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea’s doors are still open to United States tourists, Pyongyang said Friday, despite Washington banning its citizens from travelling there following the death of a US student who had been jailed in the country. The US prohibition, which comes into effect September 1, was introduced after officials said the “serious risk” of arrest by Pyongyang authorities during tourist travel presented an “imminent danger to the physical safety” of its […]

Fire engulfs Dubai residential skyscraper, amateur video shows

DUBAI, UAE (Reuters) — A massive blaze was engulfing one of the world’s tallest residential buildings in Dubai early Friday (August 4), residents said, but authorities said the tower had been evacuated and no injuries were reported. Flames shot up the sides of the Torch tower in the upscale Marina district in the second blaze at the building since 2015, with burning debris flying down the sides of the building. Residents and eyewitnesses have been posting […]

Torrential rain and strong winds hit southwest China municipality

https://youtu.be/e1szlPL8a0s CHONGQING MUNICIPALITY, southwest China (CCTV) — Torrential rain and strong winds hit various parts of southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality on Wednesday. The downpour and strong winds disrupted traffic and flooded roadside shops in urban areas of Chongqing. Some vehicles were left trapped in the flood. The local police force implemented traffic control measures at some of the worst-hit road sections to stop drivers from driving dangerously in the flooded areas.

Malaysia seizes rare animal parts worth almost $1 mn

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia has seized elephant tusks and pangolin scales from Africa worth almost a million dollars, an official said Wednesday, highlighting the country’s role as a hub for smuggling rare animal parts. The contraband was found in two separate raids in the cargo terminal of Kuala Lumpur’s main international airport on Sunday, customs officials said. In the first raid, authorities found 23 ivory tusks, weighing 75.7 kilograms (167 pounds) with an […]