Asia

Merkel says situation in Aleppo is a ‘disgrace’ for West

ESSEN, Germany (AFP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday it was a “disgrace” that the international community had been unable to alleviate the suffering in Syria’s besieged city of Aleppo. “Aleppo is a disgrace,” she said in a speech to her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, slamming Russian and Iranian support for the bombardment by Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “It is a disgrace that we have been unable to establish humanitarian corridors, but we […]

Updated: At least 25 dead in Indonesian earthquake: official

by Chaideer Mahyuddin Agence France Presse BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AFP) — At least 25 people died and dozens were feared trapped in rubble after a strong earthquake struck off Aceh province on Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Wednesday, officials said. The shallow 6.5-magnitude quake struck Pidie Jaya district at dawn, as some in the predominantly Muslim region prepared for morning prayers. Mosques and shops were flattened in the small town of Meureudu, where the force of the […]

21,000 Rohingya flee to Bangladesh from Myanmar: IOM

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) – by Shafiqul ALAM More than 20,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks, humanitarian officials said on Tuesday, following a bloody crackdown by the army in neighbouring Myanmar. Bangladesh has stepped up patrols on the border to try to stem the tide of refugees since an eruption of unrest in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine in early October. But Sanjukta Sahany, head of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) office […]

S. Korea Park says she will accept impeachment, hedges resignation

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s scandal-hit President Park Geun-Hye said Tuesday she would accept the result of a looming and possibly lengthy impeachment process, but defied pressure to resign immediately. An opposition-sponsored impeachment motion is almost certain to be adopted by the national assembly on Friday, with some 30 rebel MPs from Park’s Saenuri party saying they will vote in favour. The motion would then require the approval of the Constitutional Court, whose deliberations […]

Mass grief as India political star Jayalalithaa dies

by Claire COZENS CHENNAI, India (AFP) — Tens of thousands of mourners filed past the coffin of the Indian politician Jayalalithaa Jayaram on Tuesday in an emotional farewell to the former movie star who enjoyed almost god-like status in the state of Tamil Nadu. The 68-year-old Jayalalithaa, described by her party as the Iron Lady of India, died late Monday after suffering a massive cardiac arrest at the weekend following a long period of ill […]

Chinese media offer stern warning to ‘rookie’ Trump

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Donald Trump is a “diplomatic rookie” who must learn not to cross Beijing on issues like trade and Taiwan, Chinese state media said Tuesday, warning America could pay dearly for his inexperience. A protocol-shattering call with Taiwan’s president followed by a Twitter tirade against Beijing’s policies by the president-elect could risk upending the delicate balance between the world’s two largest economies, Chinese editorials in major media outlets said. “Provoking friction and […]

Abe to make first Pearl Harbor visit by Japan leader

by Natsuko FUKUE TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to become the first Japanese leader to visit Pearl Harbor, announcing Monday a trip to the site of his country’s surprise attack that launched World War II in the Pacific. News of the journey comes just two days ahead of the 75th anniversary of the deadly December 7, 1941 assault on the US naval base in Hawaii. The war ended in August 1945 […]

Japanese navy veteran recalls Pearl Harbor 75 years on

by Shingo ITO OSAKA, Japan (AFP) — Navy aircraft mechanic Kuniyoshi Takimoto watched as Japanese planes roared off the aircraft carrier Hiryu to attack Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The shock assault 75 years ago Wednesday in Hawaii sparked patriotic celebration in Japan but left Takimoto feeling uneasy. “I wondered if such a poor country would be all right fighting such a big one,” the former real-estate agent, now 95 and one of the […]

India’s filmstar politician dies after prolonged illness

CHENNAI, India (AFP) — Jayalalithaa Jayaram, the chief minister of south India’s Tamil Nadu state and one of the country’s most popular political leaders, has died after a prolonged illness, hospital authorities announced late Monday night. “It is with indescribable grief, we announce the sad demise of our esteemed honorable chief minister of Tamil Nadu … at 11:30pm (local time) today (December 5),” Chennai’s Apollo Hospital said in a statement released to the media. Doctors […]

N. Korea artillery drill targets South, Seoul unveils sanctions

by Hwang Sunghee SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un conducted a large-scale artillery drill simulating an attack on the South Korean capital and other targets, as Seoul and Tokyo on Friday unveiled fresh unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program. The military exercise, involving multiple batteries of frontline heavy artillery units, targeted five border islands, as well as “reactionary ruling organs” in Seoul and other cities, the North’s official […]

18 killed in central China bus accident

CHINA (Reuters) –Eighteen people got killed early on Friday when a mini-bus carrying 20 veered off road into a lake in central China’s Hubei Province, according to local authorities. All the deceased were reportedly in their sixties and seventies. The two survivors including the mini-bus driver are receiving hospital treatment. Their injuries are not life-threatening. The driver surnamed Li is already put under police custody. Ma Yichun, a local work safety and supervision official from […]

S. Korea opposition to file impeachment motion

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s three opposition parties said they would file an impeachment motion Friday against beleaguered President Park Geun-Hye, and push for a national assembly vote next week. Accused of colluding with a close friend who faces embezzlement charges, Park said last week she would be willing to step down in the face of weekly mass protests that have seen millions take to the streets of Seoul and other cities. The […]