ADEN, Yemen | AFP | Sunday 1/29/2017 – 18:03 UTC+8 | 462 words A US raid in Yemen killed 30 suspected Al-Qaeda militants and 10 civilians on Sunday, an official said, in what would be America’s first military action in the country under President Donald Trump. Seven women and three children were among those killed in the dawn raid on Yakla district, in the central province of Baida, said the provincial official, who did not […]
Asia
Kuwait prince among those executed in Kuwait, along with Filipina OFW
Kuwait’ State News Agency, KUNA, has confirmed the execution of a Prince in the ruling Al-Sabah family, the first execution incident of a member of the royal family in the Gulf state. The prince was hanged along with Filipina OFW Jakatia Pawa and five other prisoners who have been hanged in the mass execution in Kuwait at 3:19 in the afternoon (Philippine Time) on Wednesday, January 25. The prince was identified as Sheikh Faisal […]
Japan criticizes South Korean province governor over visit to disputed islands
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — Japan on Wednesday (January 25) lodged a protest with South Korea after a South Korean official visited a group of islets claimed by both countries, putting more strain on ties already damaged by the legacy of Japan’s 1910-1945 rule of Korea. The islands that lie equidistant between the two countries are called Takeshima in Japanese and Dokdo in Korean. They are controlled by South Korea and also claimed by Japan, a […]
China says it will not back down on S China Sea: govt
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China warned Washington Tuesday that it would not back down over its claims in the disputed South China Sea, following vows by the Trump administration to defend US and international interests there. Comments by White House spokesman Sean Spicer about China’s artificial islands in the Sea, some capable of military use, have upped the ante in the dispute. “China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters,” […]
Hong Kong police detonate WWII bomb
HONG KONG, China (Reuters) — An unexploded World War II bomb was detonated in a Hong Kong construction site in the early hours of Tuesday (January 24) morning, according to local media. The bomb, weighing around 227kg (500 lbs) was unearthed at a construction site close to the University of Hong Kong staff dormitories on Monday (January 23) morning. The bomb disposal unit said the airdrop bomb contained about 120kg of explosives. “The model (of […]
Japan PM says Trump believes in free trade
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament on Monday (January 23) he is confident the new U.S. President Donald Trump believed in free trade, and would be convinced of the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact, and the contributions of Japanese firms to the U.S. economy. “I believe President Trump understands the importance of free and fair trade, so I’d like to pursue his understanding on the strategic and […]
Shootout at Texas mall leaves one dead, seven wounded
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) — At least one person was killed and seven others wounded during a botched robbery at a jewelry store at a San Antonio mall, police said on Sunday (January 22). The shooting unfolded as two people who staged an armed robbery at a Kay Jewelers outlet at the Rolling Oaks Mall were fleeing, said Police Chief William McManus. Two bystanders tried to intervene. One was shot and killed by one of […]
Nearly 70 killed in fresh Yemen fighting
ADEN, Yemen (AFP) — Clashes in Yemen killed at least 66 people in 24 hours, medics and security sources said Sunday, as pro-government forces pushed to oust rebels from a key stretch of coastline. Air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition and fighting near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait killed at least 52 fighters among Shiite Huthi rebels and allied troops loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, the sources said. Fourteen members of the pro-government forces were […]
Toll from Pakistan market bombing rises to 24: officials
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) — The death toll from a bomb blast at a market in a mainly Shiite area of Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt has risen to 24, officials said Sunday. The explosion, which occurred on Saturday in Parachinar, capital of the Kurram tribal district, initially killed 20 people and was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. It was the first major militant attack in the country in 2017. “The number of dead people from the blast […]
India train derailment deaths rise to 32
(Reuters) — At least 32 people were killed and dozens more injured on Saturday (January 21) night when nine coaches of a passenger train derailed in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh, in the latest disaster to hit the vast and accident-prone state railways, officials said. The express train from Jagdalpur to Bhubaneswar derailed near Kuneri station, around 30 km (18 miles) outside the town of Raigarh. District collector of Raigarh district in India’s […]
3 Indonesian fishermen missing off Philippines: govt
Three Indonesian fishermen have gone missing in waters off the southern Philippines, Manila said Saturday, an area that has seen repeated kidnappings for ransom by Islamist militants. Authorities said the three Indonesians went missing on Wednesday in waters bordering the Philippines and Malaysia but the circumstances of their disappearance were still unknown. “They are missing but we don’t have confirmation yet on who took them and where they were taken,” regional military commander Major General […]
Islamic State destroys famous monument in Syria’s Palmyra – antiquities chief
PALMYRA, Syria (Reuters) — Islamic State militants have destroyed one of the most famous monuments in the ancient city of Palmyra, the Tetrapylon, and the facade of its Roman Theater, Syrian antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim told Reuters on Friday (January 20). The Syrian government lost control of Palmyra to Islamic State in December, the second time the jihadist group had overrun the UNESCO world heritage site in the six-year-long Syrian conflict. The Tetrapylon, marking a […]
