TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan will carry out a tabletop exercise next week to simulate its response in the event of a military clash between China and Taiwan, Japanese media said. The Self-Defence Forces will conduct drills from Monday through Friday with the US military participating as an observer, a Japanese government source told Kyodo News. The exercises, which do not involve actual troop deployments, assume that the US and Japan are responding to a military […]
Asia
Japan criticizes the Pyeongchang Olympics’ website for mentioning disputed islands
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday (January 20) objected to mention on the Pyeongchang Olympics website of islands disputed by his country and South Korea, saying it was “unacceptable” and went against the spirit of the international competition. He added that Japan had conveyed its views on the matter to the South Korean government and called on them to make an appropriate response. Ties between Japan and South Korea, host […]
China says it can resolve trade disputes with new US government
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China and the United States can resolve any trade disputes through talks, the government said on Thursday (January 19), as a Chinese newspaper warned U.S. business could be targets for retaliation in any trade war ushered in by President-elect Donald Trump. Trump, who is sworn into office on Friday (January 20), has criticised China’s trade practices and threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese imports. Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross, Trump’s choice […]
Obama warns Trump, tells supporters ‘we’ll be okay’
by Andrew BEATTY Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Barack Obama vowed to speak up if Donald Trump threatens core US values and reassured Americans “we’ll be okay” Wednesday, in a political swansong after eight years as president. During his final press conference and public appearance before Trump’s inauguration on Friday, the 55-year-old said he was stepping back but would return to the political breach in extremis. “I want to do some writing, […]
S. Korea court rejects arrest warrant for Samsung heir
by Park Chan-Kyong Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A Seoul court on Thursday refused to issue an arrest warrant for Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong, who had been wanted over his alleged role in a corruption scandal engulfing President Park Geun-Hye. Prosecutors’ demand for his arrest on charges of bribery, embezzlement and perjury this week sent shock waves through the Samsung group, the world’s biggest smartphone maker with revenues equivalent to a fifth […]
MH370 family member calls for Malaysian PM to consider extending search
(Reuters) — The Malaysian husband of a cabin crew member aboard missing flight MH370 said on Wednesday (January 18) that he hoped to meet Prime Minister Najib Razak to discuss the possibility of extending the search for the missing aircraft. The suspension of the search for the plane that vanished in 2014 with 239 people on board was announced on Tuesday (January 17) by Malaysian, Australian and Chinese authorities in a joint statement. Calvin […]
Samsung chief arrives at court for hearing on arrest warrant
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — Samsung Group leader Jay Y. Lee arrived at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday (January 18), where a judge will decide whether he should be arrested over his alleged role in a corruption scandal that has rocked South Korea. The 48-year-old Lee, wearing a dark overcoat and purple necktie, did not answer questions from reporters, who tried to stall him at one point, as he entered the court building. […]
China tells local meteorological bureaus to stop smog alerts
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China is suspending local meteorological bureaus from issuing smog alerts, media reported Wednesday, raising suspicions the government is attempting to suppress information about the country’s air pollution as public anger over the issue grows. China’s Meteorological Administration notified local bureaus Tuesday to “immediately stop issuing smog alerts”, according to a photo of a notice posted on China’s Twitter-like social media platform Weibo. Instead, the local departments can issue alerts for “fog” […]
Mystery remains as MH370 search called off
by Glenda Kwek SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — The massive underwater search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was called off Tuesday, leaving unsolved one of the most enduring mysteries of the aviation age. Nearly three years after the airliner vanished, distraught relatives refused to accept the idea that the 239 passengers and crew might now never be found after the failure of one of the most expensive undersea operations ever. “Despite every effort using […]
Kyrgyzstan blames pilot error for Turkish cargo plane hitting village
by Vyacheslav Oseledko with Tolkun Namatbayeva in Bishkek Agence France Presse DACHA SUU , Kygyzstan (AFP) — A cargo plane attempting to land in thick fog crashed Monday into a village near Kyrgyzstan’s main airport and killed at least 37 people, with authorities blaming “pilot error”. A massive section of the aircraft’s tail billowed smoke as rescuers searched for victims among the wreckage in the village of Dacha-Suu, home to the majority of the victims. […]
Turkish police catch Istanbul nightclub attacker in city
by Fulya OZERKAN / Stuart WILLIAMS Agence France Presse ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish police on Monday captured the suspected jihadist who slaughtered 39 people on New Year’s night at an Istanbul nightclub, detaining him in a raid on a residential area of the city after a long manhunt. The alleged assailant was found along with his four-year-old son in an apartment in the Esenyurt district of Istanbul after a massive police operation, state-run TRT […]
Turkish cargo jet crash kills 37 in Kyrgyzstan
(Reuters) — A Turkish cargo jet crashed near Kyrgyzstan’s Manas airport on Monday (January 16), killing at least 37 people, most of them residents of a village struck by the Boeing 747 as it tried to land in dense fog, Kyrgyz officials said. According to the airport administration, the plane was supposed to make a stopover at Manas, near the capital city Bishkek, on its way from Hong Kong to Istanbul. It crashed when […]
