Asia

Taiwan lawmakers, fishermen protest at disputed island

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwanese lawmakers and fishermen headed to an island in the disputed South China Sea Wednesday to protest at an international tribunal ruling which undermined Taipei’s claims there. Eight lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) boarded a military plane to the Taiwan-controlled Taiping island in the Spratlys archipelago. Five fishing boats decorated with Taiwanese flags and banners reading “Protect fishing rights, safeguard sovereignty” also set sail […]

Continue Reading →

Taiwan buses recalled after deadly fire disaster

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan authorities ordered some tour buses off the road Wednesday after one caught fire and killed 26 on board as questions swirl over why emergency doors and windows did not open. Local media reported that bodies were found stacked at the escape routes at the back of the bus full of Chinese tourists, which caught fire then crashed through an expressway barrier Tuesday on its way to Taipei’s main airport in […]

Continue Reading →

N. Korea says missile tests simulated nuclear strike on South

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea said Wednesday its latest ballistic missile tests trialled detonation devices for possible nuclear strikes on US targets in South Korea and were personally monitored by supreme leader Kim Jong-Un. Tuesday’s test firing of three missiles in violation of existing UN resolutions was seen as an angry reaction to the planned deployment of a US missile defense system in the South. The launch of the two Scud missiles and […]

Continue Reading →

Malaysia, Singapore team up on bullet-train project

by Satish Cheney KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia and Singapore signed an agreement Tuesday to pursue an ambitious high-speed rail link touted as a first for Southeast Asia that would knit the historically fractious neighbours more closely together. The 350-kilometer (217-mile) bullet-train line from the regional financial hub of Singapore to Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur is expected to slash travel times to 90 minutes from the five or more hours by road today. The […]

Continue Reading →

26 dead in Taiwan tourist bus crash: officials

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — A Taiwan tour bus carrying visitors from mainland China crashed and caught fire Tuesday near the capital Taipei, killing 26 on board. Footage on local media showed the bus had rammed into an expressway fence with flames blazing from the front. It was then engulfed by thick plumes of smoke with the fire leaving burned-out wreckage at the roadside. The tour group of 24 people, eight men and 16 women, was from […]

Continue Reading →

China brushes off boycott calls after South China Sea ruling

BEIJING, China (Reuters) — A senior Chinese official on Tuesday (July 19) brushed off calls for a boycott of the Philippines after an international arbitration court ruled in Manila’s favour in its dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea. China has angrily rejected the verdict by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and the initial case as illegal and farcical. It has repeatedly said it will not change its approach or its […]

Continue Reading →

Beijing vows to continue S. China Sea construction

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing will “never” stop building in the South China Sea prematurely, a top military official has vowed, despite an international ruling that its actions were illegal. The pushback came as China launched war games in waters in the strategically vital region, where diplomatic tensions are high. “We will never stop our construction on the Nansha Islands halfway,” Wu Shengli, the commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, told US counterpart Admiral […]

Continue Reading →

Japan condemns North Korea missile launches

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters on Tuesday (July 19) that North Korea’s latest missile launches were unforgivable and that the country would prepare to deal with any situations which may arise. North Korea fired three ballistic missiles early on Tuesday which flew between 500 and 600 kms (300 and 360 miles) into the sea off its east coast, according to South Korea’s military. “The government will strengthen our cooperation […]

Continue Reading →

N. Korea test-fires three ballistic missiles: S. Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea test-fired three ballistic missiles on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, just over a week after issuing threats to respond to the planned deployment of a US anti-missile system in the South. The missiles, launched early Tuesday from the western city of Hwangju, flew between 500 and 600 kilometers (311-373 miles) toward the Sea of Japan, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JSC) said in a press statement. The range […]

Continue Reading →

Beijing to hold South China Sea war games after ruling

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing will close off access to part of the South China Sea for military drills, officials said Monday, after an international tribunal ruled against its sweeping claims in the waters. An area off the east coast of China’s island province of Hainan will host military exercises from Tuesday to Thursday, China’s maritime administration said on its website, adding that entrance was “prohibited”. The area of sea identified is some distance from the […]

Continue Reading →

Taiwan arrests three foreigners in $2.5m ATM cyberheist

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan has arrested three foreign suspects over a $2.5 million cyberheist which used malware to hack into a major local bank’s ATM network and steal bags of cash, police said Monday. The attack, the first of its kind in Taiwan, targeted the First Commercial Bank’s ATM network last week, using malware to withdraw more than Tw$81 million ($2.5 million) from dozens of machines in three cities. A Latvian suspect, identified as […]

Continue Reading →

Turkey detains 6,000 in purge after failed coup

by Fulya OZERKAN Raziye AKKOC ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish authorities pressed on Sunday with a ruthless crackdown against suspects in the failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with 6,000 people detained as he vowed to stamp out the “virus” of the putschists. Erdogan said Turkey could consider reinstating the death penalty following the putsch bid, despite concerns in the international community. World leaders including US President Barack Obama have strongly condemned Friday’s attempted […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 705 706 707 708 709 … 842