Asia

Japan wants foreign tourists to avoid ‘public flatulence’

TOKYO , Japan (AFP) — A Japanese tourism board has called on foreign tourists to refrain from public “belching or flatulence” in an etiquette guide which was hastily rewritten, reportedly after complaints from a Chinese resident. The Hokkaido Tourism Organization, which represents Japan’s northern-most island, published a downloadable brochure on its website, with polite instructions on everything from public bathing to using a Japanese toilet. Helpfully, it even dedicated an entire section to protocol for […]

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Indonesia to host talks on maritime security after kidnappings

JAKARTA , Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia hopes next week to secure an agreement with Malaysia and the Philippines on conducting joint military patrols on the high seas where Islamic militants have been on a kidnapping spree, an official said Thursday. The plight of hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf militant group could also be on the agenda when the foreign ministers and military commanders of the three neighbours meet next Thursday in Jakarta for talks. […]

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Turkey arrests 12 in bid to identify female bomber: report

ANKARA , Turkey (AFP) — Turkish police on Thursday arrested 12 suspects as they stepped up efforts to identify a female bomber who blew herself up in the city of Bursa, wounding 13 people, state media said. The arrests took place in Bursa, Istanbul, the southeastern city of Sanliurfa and Afyon in central Turkey, Anatolia news agency said. Wednesday’s bombing, the latest attack to strike Turkey, took place near Bursa’s 14th century Grand Mosque, a […]

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JAL, ANA flying high on healthy travel demand

TOKYO , Japan (AFP) — All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) announced robust annual profits on Thursday, thanks to healthy demand on China and other international routes as well as falling fuel costs. Japan’s top carriers benefitted from a record number of foreigners visiting Japan with mainland Chinese being among the most conspicuous as they flock to Japan for shopping and entertainment, International terror attacks in Paris and Brussels, however, slowed demand on […]

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S. Korea says North failed with second mid-range missile test

  by Jung Ha-Won SEOUL , South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Thursday tried and failed in what appeared to be its second attempt in two weeks to test a powerful, new medium-range ballistic missile, South Korea’s defence ministry said. A ministry official said the North had fired what was believed to be a Musudan missile at around 6:40 am (2140 GMT Wednesday) from Wonsan on the east coast, but it plunged back to […]

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Breaking News : Apparent N. Korea mid-range missile launch failed again: South

SEOUL , South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Thursday tried and appeared to have failed a second attempt to launch a powerful, new medium-range ballistic missile, South Korea’s defense ministry said. A ministry official said the North had launched what was believed to be a Musudan missile at around 6:40 am (2140 GMT Wednesday) from Wonsan on the east coast. “It fell within seconds after the launch so is believed to have failed,” the […]

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Yemen suicide bomber targets Aden police chief

ADEN , Yemen (AFP) — A suicide bomber targeted the police chief of Yemen’s second city Aden on Thursday in the latest attack against senior officials in the base of the Saudi-backed government, a security official said. The bombing came after loyalist forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition seized the key southeastern port city of Mukalla and the nearby airport and oil facilities from Al-Qaeda, ending a year-long occupation by the jihadists. General Shallal […]

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NY seeks to shield Ecuadorans from deportation after earthquake

NEW York, United States (AFP) — The United States should grant a special protected status to undocumented Ecuadoran immigrants so they don’t have to fear deportation as their country recovers from a huge earthquake, New York’s mayor said Wednesday. The April 16 quake killed around 650 people and flattened coastal cities, causing billions in damage to an oil-dependent country already hit hard by low crude prices. New York is home to some 140,000 Ecuadoran immigrants, […]

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N. Korea video appeal by family of ‘kidnapped’ daughter

SEOUL,South Korea (AFP) — North Korea has released a video appeal by the parents of one of 12 waitresses that Pyongyang insists were kidnapped by South Korean agents from the restaurant where they were working in China. In the footage, uploaded Wednesday to the North’s propaganda website Uriminzokkiri, the parents wept and demanded the South return their daughter, So Gyong-A. So and 11 other waitresses from the same restaurant arrived in South Korea earlier this […]

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Yen soars as BoJ holds off fresh stimulus, delays inflation target

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The yen soared against the dollar Thursday after the Bank of Japan surprised markets by holding off fresh stimulus while it pushed back its timeline for hitting a 2.0 percent inflation target. The dollar plunged to 109.15 yen just after the announcement from above 111 yen. Markets had widely expected new measures to counter a downturn in the world’s number three-economy. Speculation had picked up pace after Japan published another set […]

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Philippines’ Aquino vows to ‘neutralize’ Abu Sayyaf kidnappers

MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — Philippine President Benigno Aquino vowed Wednesday to launch a military assault aimed at “neutralizing” Abu Sayyaf militants who beheaded a Canadian hostage and are holding more than 20 other foreigners. “Casualties are to be expected. But what has to be of utmost importance is neutralizing the criminal activities of the ASG,” Aquino said in a statement, referring to the Abu Sayyaf by a commonly used acronym. © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

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South Korea says another North Korean nuclear test appears imminent

  South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on Wednesday (April 27) that a North Korean nuclear test appeared imminent as the North’s ruling Workers’ Party plans to hold a congress from May 6, the first such conference in 36 years. North Korea’s drive to develop nuclear capabilities has intensified since January, when it conducted its fourth nuclear test and followed that with a string of tests of missiles that could deliver such a weapon. Old rival […]

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