Asia

US student suffered ‘extensive’ brain damage in N. Korea

  by Nova Safo Agence France Presse CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — Doctors treating Otto Warmbier, the United States student released by North Korea in a coma this week, said Thursday the 22-year-old had suffered severe brain damage, as his father lashed out at the reclusive regime. Warmbier experienced extensive tissue loss in all regions of the brain, doctors said, but he showed no signs of physical trauma and medical tests offered no conclusive evidence […]

Russian army says may have killed IS chief: media

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The Russian army on Friday said it had struck a meeting of Islamic State leaders in Syria on May 28 and was trying to verify whether the group’s leader had been killed, news agencies said on Friday. In a statement, the army said the attack took place near the IS stronghold of Raqa “which was also attended by IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,” the media reported, adding that the military was […]

China kindergarten blast was caused by bomb; suspect dead

by Matthew Knight Agence France Presse FENGXIAN, China (AFP) — The blast that killed eight people and injured dozens outside a kindergarten in eastern China was caused by a makeshift bomb and the assailant died in the explosion, authorities said Friday. The public security ministry said in a statement that the suspect was a 22-year-old man with health problems who rented a room near the kindergarten in Fengxian, where Thursday’s blast occurred. Police found material […]

At least seven dead, several injured in China kindergarten blast

BEIIJING, China (AFP) — An explosion rocked a kindergarten in eastern China on Thursday, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens, authorities said, as state media published images showing bloodied and unconscious victims. The blast occurred near the kindergarten and victims were taken to hospital, according to the Fengxian county government in Jiangsu province. Xinhua news agency, citing the emergency office of Xuzhou city, said the explosion happened at the gate just as children […]

North Korea says American detainee Warmbier released on humanitarian grounds

Reuters — North Korea said on Thursday (June 15) it had released American citizen Otto Warmbier “on humanitarian grounds” after he had been held prisoner for 17 months. Warmbier, 22, a University of Virginia student from suburban Cincinnati, was medically evacuated to the United States on Wednesday (June 14). His family said he arrived in a state of coma. The North’s KCNA news agency said in a one-sentence dispatch that Warmbier’s release followed a court […]

Qatar Airways says service ‘unaffected’ by Gulf ban

DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar Airways said on Wednesday that it was largely unaffected by the decision of several Arab countries to ban the Doha-based carrier from using their airspace. “Qatar Airways’ global operations continue to run smoothly, with the vast majority of our network unaffected by the current circumstances,” said chief executive Akbar Al-Baker. The Qatari carrier released a statement saying it had operated some 1,200 flights in the past week, 90 percent of […]

“Staggering” civilian deaths from U.S.-led air strikes in Raqqa, U.N. says

GENEVA, Switzerland (Reuters) — Intensified coalition air strikes supporting an assault by U.S.-backed forces on Islamic State’s stronghold of Raqqa in Syria are causing a “staggering loss of civilian life”, United Nations war crimes investigators said on Wednesday (June 14). The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish and Arab militias supported by a U.S.-led coalition, began to attack Raqqa a week ago to take it from the jihadists. The SDF, supported by heavy […]

Energy market seen as vulnerable to prolonged Gulf crisis

by Omar Hasan Agence France Presse KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AFP) — While the Gulf’s bitter diplomatic crisis is unlikely to affect energy prices in the short term, a prolonged rift that disrupts Qatar’s gas supplies could send prices soaring, analysts say. With rising United States shale oil output driving a global supply glut, the decision by Saudi Arabia and its allies earlier this month to sever diplomatic ties with Qatar provided only a fleeting boost […]

Driven to distraction: Pyongyang’s ‘traffic ladies’

by Sebastien Berger Agence France Presse PYONGYANG, North Korea (AFP) — Snapping their heads from side to side, marching into the roads in close-fitting blue uniforms and black heels, the “traffic ladies” who marshal vehicles at the intersections of Pyongyang are an emblematic image of the North Korean capital. Officially known as traffic security officers but universally referred to as traffic ladies, they are chosen for their looks in a society that remains traditionalist in many […]

With video: Heavy rain, landslides kill at least 134 in Bangladesh

https://youtu.be/mJKXhF7fvoo   CHITAGONG, Bangladesh (AFP) — Heavy monsoon rains and landslides have killed at least 134 people in southeast Bangladesh, burying many in their homes as they slept, authorities said Tuesday. Three young children from the same family were among those killed in the disaster, which comes just weeks after a cyclone battered the region and destroyed camps housing thousands of Rohingya refugees. Police warned the death toll would likely rise as emergency workers reached […]

Package explodes at South Korean university, one hurt: fire official

SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) – A package exploded at South Korea’s Yonsei University in central Seoul on Tuesday (June 13) injuring a staff member who opened it in his office, a fire official said. Yonhap news agency said the blast sent small bolt nails flying from the package. It said the engineering faculty member was not seriously injured, suffering burns to his arm, and was being treated at the university hospital. The injured staffer was […]

Gulf crisis threatens Qatar Airways transit business: experts

by Ali Khalil Agence France Presse DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Qatar Airways has made Doha a global hub in just a few years, but barring it from Gulf states’ airspace threatens its position as a major transcontinental carrier, experts say. Along with its Gulf peers — Dubai’s Emirates Airlines and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad — Qatar’s national carrier has captured a sizable portion of transit travel, capitalising on the Gulf’s central geographic location. But […]