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TAIPEI, Oct 12, 2023 (AFP) – Taiwan’s defence minister said Thursday China has stepped up “military intimidation” this year by flying an increased number of warplanes around the island as well as accelerating the deployment of ballistic missiles. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory to be seized one day — by force if necessary — and has ramped up pressure on the island in recent years, staging at least two rounds of […]
BANGKOK, Oct 12, 2023 (AFP) – The first flight of Thai evacuees fleeing the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas landed in Bangkok on Thursday, with several recounting harrowing escapes as they were reunited with tearful family members. Worried families gathered at the airport hours before the arrival of a flight carrying 41 Thais, including 15 evacuees, who were flown out with assistance from their country’s diplomats. Around 30,000 Thais work in Israel, […]
SINGAPORE, Oct 12, 2023 (AFP) – An Australian passenger on a Perth-bound flight was arrested in Singapore on Thursday for criminal intimidation, police said, after the plane was escorted back to the city-state by fighter jets due to a bomb threat. Flight TR16, operated by budget carrier Scoot, departed Singapore at 4:11 pm (0811 GMT). But about one hour into the flight, “a precautionary decision was made to turn the aircraft back to Singapore due […]
NEW DELHI, Oct 11, 2023 (AFP) – At least four people have been killed and an unknown number injured after an express train derailed in India’s Bihar state, local media reported Thursday. The train from Anand Vihar Terminal railway station in Delhi came off the rails late Wednesday as it raced to the Kamakhya Junction in Assam, the Times of India newspaper reported. “Four casualties have been confirmed and rescue operation is underway. Twenty-one coaches […]
KABUL, Oct 11, 2023 (AFP) – A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck western Afghanistan on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, hitting an area where more than 2,000 people were killed after a similar tremor on the weekend. The quake occurred at a shallow depth at around 05:10 am local time (00:40 GMT), with its epicentre about 29 kilometres north of the city of Herat, the USGS said.
By Mohsen KARIMI HERAT, Afghanistan, Oct 8, 2023 (AFP) – The death toll from a series of earthquakes in western Afghanistan rose sharply on Sunday to more than 2,000, the Taliban government said, as bodies continued to be pulled from demolished villages and buried in mass graves. More than 1,300 homes were toppled when Saturday’s magnitude 6.3 quake — followed by eight strong aftershocks — jolted hard-to-reach areas 30 kilometres (19 miles) northwest of the […]
BANGKOK, Oct 9, 2023 (AFP) – Twelve Thais have been killed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants, the kingdom’s government said Monday, as it prepared a plan to evacuate its citizens. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke said the Thai embassy in Israel learned of the deaths from the victims’ employers. She said a further eight Thais had been wounded and 11 taken captive since the war erupted when Hamas launched a large-scale attack […]
TOKYO, Oct 9, 2023 (AFP) – Japan issued a tsunami advisory for some coastal regions early Monday following a series of shallow earthquakes in the Izu islands in the Pacific Ocean but there were no immediate reports of damage from the minor waves generated, seismologists said. Tsunami waves of 60 centimetres (24 inches) hit Hachijojima island, 280 kilometres (170 miles) south of Tokyo, while ones of 40cm and 20 cm were recorded in western Kochi […]
HONG KONG, China, Oct 9, 2023 (AFP) – Asian finance hub Hong Kong halted trading at its stock exchange on Monday and closed schools, after Typhoon Koinu generated torrential rainfall overnight. Koinu — which caused one death in Taiwan last week — had weakened into a severe tropical storm by Monday, said the Hong Kong Observatory, as it moved toward the coastal areas of China’s Guangdong province. The storm caused non-stop rain overnight, leading the […]
HONG KONG, Oct 8, 2023 (AFP) – Hong Kong issued its third-highest storm warning signal on Sunday, prompting the closure of some transport services and schools, as Typhoon Koinu skirted the financial hub, bringing rains and powerful gusts. Koinu comes just a month after the financial hub was lashed by Typhoon Saola, which triggered Hong Kong’s highest “T10” storm alert. A week after that, the city experienced its highest rainfall in nearly 140 years, flooding […]
HERAT, Afghanistan, Oct 7, 2023 (AFP) – A magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit western Afghanistan on Saturday causing one death and dozens of injuries, officials said, predicting the toll could rise amid reports of landslides and building collapses. The United States Geological Survey said the epicentre was 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of the region’s largest city of Herat, and was followed by five aftershocks with magnitudes of 5.5, 4.7, 6.3, 5.9 and 4.6. Crowds of […]
