Asia

China calls for dialogue after N.Korea missile test

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China pleaded again for dialogue on Monday to ease regional tensions after North Korea launched its latest missile test in defiance of United Nations sanctions. The Chinese foreign ministry urged Pyongyang in a statement to refrain from activities that go against UN Security Council resolutions. “We hope that related parties can remain calm and restrained, ease the tension on the peninsula, and bring the peninsula issue into the right track of peaceful […]

China rebukes G7 over statement on seas

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China has urged the Group of Seven leading economies to “stop making irresponsible remarks” after the G7 summit expressed concern about the situation in the East and South China Seas. China has a dispute with Japan over small uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, while its claim to most of the South China Sea is challenged by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. In their closing communique in Italy […]

Japan golfer Ai Miyazato tearfully announces her retirement

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) – Former world number one golfer Ai Miyazato said on Monday (May 29) that she would retire at the end of this season, saying that she had been struggling to maintain her motivation for years although her life as a pro had been a happy one. The Okinawan-born Miyazato, 31 and a nine-time winner on the LPGA tour, told a Tokyo news conference that she had decided last summer that this season […]

China-funded railway to benefit Kenyan people: official

NAIROBI, Kenya (Reuters) – A China-funded railway connecting the Kenyan capital with a key port brings a wide range of benefits to the country, said Kenya’s railway chief during a recent interview with China Global Television Network. The Mombasa-Nairobi railway will soon be in service. It will help cut the travel time of a 400-kilometer distance from about six hours to four. Atanas K. Maina, Managing Director of Kenya Railways, said the railway will help […]

South Korea’s Defense Ministry sees the North’s missile launch as pressure on Moon administration

SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) – North Korea’s recent string of missile launches is seen as an attempt to apply pressure on South Korea to change policy, the South Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) official said, on Monday (May 29) after Pyongyang fired a short-range ballistic missile. The Scud-class missile fired by North Korea reached an altitude of 120 kilometers (75 miles), the JCS official told a briefing. He said South Korea’s military was analyzing how […]

The latest North Korean missile test worries Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) – Residents of Tokyo expressed their concerns after North Korea fired what appeared to be a short-range ballistic missile on Monday (May 29). The missile was believed to be a Scud-class ballistic missile which appeared to have flown about 450 kilometers (280 miles) and landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone. Many in Tokyo were worried that missiles would impact on not only the coastal area of the Sea of Japan, but also […]

Two women suspected of murdering North Korean leader’s estranged half-brother to appear in court

(Reuters) – Two women suspected of murdering the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are due to appear in a Malaysian court on May 30. Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong and Indonesian Siti Aishah face the death penalty if they are convicted of killing Kim Jong Nam. The two allegedly smeared VX nerve agent, a chemical described by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction, across Kim’s face at Kuala Lumpur […]

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary says North Korea missile landed 300 kilometers from Japanese islands in EEZ

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — North Korea fired what appeared to be a short-range ballistic missile on Monday (May 29) that landed in the sea off its east coast, the latest in a series of missile tests defying world pressure and threats of more sanctions. The missile is believed to be a Scud-class ballistic missile though Japanese officials said they needed to gather more information before confirming that. The missile flew about 400 kilometers (280 miles), […]

N. Korea fires ballistic missile: S. Korea, Japan

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Monday, the South’s military and Japan said, a move that ratcheted up tensions over the North’s quest to develop weapons capable of hitting the United States. The test is the latest launch by Pyongyang this year as the isolated regime steps up efforts to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile that can deliver a nuclear warhead to the continental US. The missile launches, and […]

India confirms first Zika virus cases: WHO

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — The Indian health ministry has confirmed its first cases of the Zika virus, the World Health Organization has said, the latest nation to be affected by the mosquito-borne virus that sparked global concern. Zika — which can cause babies to be born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads — has affected dozens of countries around the world since it was first detected in 2015, although the WHO lifted its international […]

India aids Sri Lanka as monsoon kills 100

  by Amal Jayasinghe Agence France Presse COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — India joined Sri Lanka’s relief operation Saturday as 230,000 people were driven from their homes after an intense monsoon deluge killed at least 103 people. Rainfall on Friday triggered the worst flooding and landslides in 14 years in the southern and western parts of the island, authorities said. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said 103 people were confirmed killed while another 113 were […]

Egypt hits jihadists after attack on Coptic Christians kills 28, victims mostly children

  by Tony Gamal-Gabriel Agence France Presse MINYA, Egypt (AFP) — Egypt launched six air strikes on jihadist camps in Libya Friday after masked gunmen attacked a bus of Coptic Christians south of the Egyptian capital, killing at least 28 people. Assailants in three pick-up trucks attacked the bus as it was heading for the Saint Samuel monastery in Minya province, more than 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Cairo, before fleeing, the interior ministry said. […]