Emperor Akihito says his advancing age and weakening health mean he may no longer be able to carry out his duties, setting the stage for Japan to prepare for an historic abdication. https://youtu.be/q9N9T7gF_6A
Asia
Olympics: Rio to replace flawed Chinese flags
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) – Rio Olympics organisers said they would replace the Games’ official Chinese flags on Monday after the discovery of a design flaw which caused fury in China. A spokesman insisted the design had been approved by Chinese officials but he said their Brazilian manufacturer was now rushing to produce correct flags. The realisation that the four small, golden stars on the Chinese emblem are pointing upwards rather than towards the […]
Pakistan hospital blast kills at least 45
QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) – by Maaz KHAN At least 45 people were killed Monday when a powerful explosion ripped through a Pakistani hospital, officials said, as witnesses described tearful staff rushing towards the smoking blast site to help dozens of wounded. The explosion in the Balochistan provincial capital Quetta came as up to 200 people gathered at the Civil Hospital after the fatal shooting of a senior local lawyer, AFP reporters on the scene said. […]
Japan’s crown prince an unlikely critic of the monarchy
by Natsuko FUKUE TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito may be heir to one of the world’s oldest monarchies, but he is not shy about knocking the institution he represents or his country’s warring past. The 56-year-old has levelled subtle yet unprecedented criticism at the monarchy, blaming the rigid lifestyle imposed on royals for a decade of stress-related illness suffered by his wife, who was once a high-flying diplomat. And, like his popular […]
Death toll from blast in SW Pakistan rises to 40: minister
QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) — At least 40 people were killed and dozens wounded when a bomb ripped through a crowd of mourners Monday at a hospital in southwest Pakistan, officials said, with fears the toll will rise. The blast in the Balochistan provincial capital Quetta came after mourners including journalists and lawyers had gathered at the hospital following the fatal shooting of a senior local lawyer. Video footage showed bodies strewn on the ground, some […]
Japan’s emperor says may be ‘difficult’ to fulfill duties
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese Emperor Akihito said Monday he is concerned his weakening health may make it hard to fulfil his duties, in a speech seen as signalling a possible future abdication. “I am worried that it may become difficult for me to carry out my duties as the symbol of the state with my whole being as I have done until now,” he said in an address to the nation. “There are times when […]
S. Korea MPs defy president with China visit
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A group of South Korean opposition lawmakers defied President Park Geun-Hye and left for China on Monday to discuss the deployment of a US anti-missile system that has opened a damaging rift between Seoul and Beijing. Park had urged the MPs to scrap their trip, arguing that it would boost China’s opposition to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and deepen divisions in South Korea over the issue. […]
Hundreds of Taiwan drivers fined after Pokemon Go launch
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Nearly 350 drivers in Taiwan were slapped with fines for playing on their phones after Pokemon Go launched on the island, which has already resulted in broken legs and museum bans. The gaming app has sparked a global frenzy since its launch last month as users hunt for virtual cartoon characters overlaid on real-world locations using augmented reality technology. A total of 349 fines were issued since the game launched in […]
Japan emperor to address nation after abdication reports
by Kelly OLSEN TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Emperor Akihito is set to make a rare address to the nation on Monday in remarks widely expected to signal that the 82-year old monarch wishes to abdicate — something that hasn’t happened in two centuries. Speculation about the emperor’s future emerged last month with reports he had told confidantes that advancing age was making it harder to perform his ceremonial duties and that he would like […]
Erdogan says if people want death penalty parties will abide
ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — If the Turkish public want the death penalty following last month’s failed coup then political parties will follow their will, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday. “If the nation makes such a decision (in support of death penalty), I believe political parties will abide by this decision,” Erdogan said during a unity rally in Yenikapi square in the touristic Sultanahmet district. “It is the Turkish […]
Japan summons Chinese ambassador over ships
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) – Japan’s foreign ministry on Friday summoned China’s ambassador to protest what it said were intrusions into its territorial waters by Chinese coast guard and fishing vessels. The two countries are locked in a long-running dispute over uninhabited islets in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. Japanese vice foreign minister Shinsuke Sugiyama called in Cheng Yonghua, Beijing’s ambassador to Tokyo, the foreign ministry said in […]
US-based cleric Gulen slams Turkey judicial system over arrest warrant
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen has condemned Turkey’s judicial system after a court issued an arrest warrant that accuses him of ordering last month’s bid to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “It is well-documented that the Turkish court system is without judicial independence, so this warrant is yet another example of President Erdogan’s drive for authoritarianism and away from democracy,” he said in a statement late on Thursday. The arrest warrant, […]
