Asia

Japan voters seen boosting Abe in parliament vote

by Hiroshi HIYAMA TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese voters are suspicious of the government’s economic policies and don’t trust controversial plans to change the pacifist constitution — but they are still expected to hand Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s coalition victory in parliamentary elections. Analysts predict the ageing and conservative electorate will back Abe as the only viable choice faced with an opposition widely criticised as ineffectual. “The others are horrible,” said Tokyo resident Akira Hachinohe, […]

Continue Reading →

China extends military wings with new transport plane

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s newest military transport plane entered service Wednesday, the country’s defense ministry said, extending Beijing’s ability to deploy its fighting forces around the world as it pursues a greater global role. The announcement comes with tensions mounting over territorial disputes between Beijing and its neighbours in the East and South China seas. The Y-20 is the country’s largest homegrown transport aircraft, a statement on the defence ministry’s website said. The plane […]

Continue Reading →

Taiwan, todo-paghahanda na sa Super Bagyong ‘Nepartak’

MANILA, Philippines — Naghahanda na ang Taiwan sa super typhoon na ‘Nepartak’ na inaasahang tatama sa kanilang bansa, paglabas nito ng Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). Inatasan na ng lokal na pamahalaan ng Taiwan ang lahat ng kanilang emergency response officials na paghandaan ang super bagyo upang maiwasan ang maraming casualties sakaling maglandfall ito. Nagpalabas na ng kaukulang babala ang Taiwan Central Bureau sa mga residente ng Hualien at Taitung, kasama na ang Orchid Island […]

Continue Reading →

World’s first penguin born through artificial insemination in Japan

(Reuters) — Japan has succeeded in producing the world’s first penguin conceived through artificial insemination after six years of research aimed at developing technology to preserve the endangered species. In the video that Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan shared with Reuters, a caretaker is seen weighing the young southern rockhopper penguin and saying she has gained weight. The chick is healthy, according to the aquarium, and put on the scales every day, growing at a rate that has […]

Continue Reading →

Breaking News: Double car bomb attack kills four near Aden airport: military

ADEN, Yemen (AFP) — At least four people were killed in a double car bomb attack Wednesday targeting a military base adjoining Aden’s international airport, according to a military source who blamed jihadists. The attackers detonated a car bomb at the entrance to the base, allowing a second vehicle to drive inside where it exploded, the source told AFP, with at least four dead among the military. © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

Continue Reading →

China’s military drills in South China Sea part of routine military exercises — Chinese experts

  CHINA’S ongoing military drill in South China Sea does not target any country in the regions’ dispute, said Chinese military experts on Monday. Experts from the China’s National Defense Ministry say that it is just a routine military exercise in accordance with the annual plan so it is neither necessary to link it with the arbitration case, nor target at any claimants in the South China Sea disputes, including the Philippines. The Chinese experts […]

Continue Reading →

17 more charged over Istanbul airport attack

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Seventeen people including 11 Russians have been charged over the Istanbul airport attack, Dogan news agency reported Tuesday, bringing to 30 the total number charged over the suicide assault. The latest suspects , who also include six Turks, were charged with “belonging to an armed terrorist group”. Ankara says the Islamic State group is behind the June 28 gun and bomb attack at Ataturk international airport, which left 45 people dead […]

Continue Reading →

China floods leave more than 100 dead or missing: report

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Flooding in China’s Yangtze river basin has left 112 people dead or missing in recent days, media said Tuesday, with more damage feared from a typhoon expected to land within days. Some 16 million people have been affected by heavy rains that have left vast areas under water near the Yangtze, China’s longest river, the Beijing News cited the civil affairs ministry as saying. Water levels in Taihu Lake, close to […]

Continue Reading →

China must ready for military conflict in South China Sea: state media

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing must prepare for “military confrontation” in the South China Sea, state-run media said Tuesday, as it began naval drills in the area ahead of an international tribunal ruling over the maritime dispute. China asserts sovereignty over almost all of the resource-rich strategic waterway despite rival claims from Southeast Asian neighbors — raising tensions with the United States, which has key defense treaties with many allies in the region. On Tuesday, […]

Continue Reading →

Odd jobs in Istanbul for young Syrians who dreamed big

by Marisol RIFAI ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Receptionist, waiter, hairdresser, pastry-seller: these are the jobs of the ambitious young Syrians who abandoned their dreams in Damascus to start from scratch in Istanbul. In Fatih, a densely-packed neighborhood that serves as a hub for Arabs in Turkey’s biggest city, the traces of home are everywhere. The delicate scent of Aleppo’s famous soap floats out of storefronts, mingling with the enticing aromas of the pistachio and almond […]

Continue Reading →

Japanese victims of Dhaka siege arrive home

TOKO, Japan (AFP) — The bodies of seven Japanese nationals killed in a bloody restaurant attack in Dhaka were returned home early Tuesday on a government plane. The aircraft landed shortly before 6:00 am (2100 GMT Monday) carrying the victims’ remains and bereaved family members, who had been earlier taken to the upmarket cafe in the Bangladeshi capital where militants killed 20 hostages at the weekend. The coffins, draped in white sheets, were lowered to […]

Continue Reading →

Obama celebrates US military, daughter’s 18th birthday on July 4 holiday

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Barack Obama celebrated the country’s military as well as his daughter Malia’s 18th birthday at the White House to mark America’s Independence Day holiday on Monday. “We all know that our freedoms are dependent on an incredible group of men and women in uniform and their families who look out for us every single day,” Obama said. “For those in our military who could not attend, we just […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 710 711 712 713 714 … 843