NEW Delhi, India (AFP) — A huge landslide hit a camp for construction workers in a remote part of northeast India on Friday, killing at least 16, police said. Heavy rains triggered the disaster in the Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh, which lies on the Tibetan border and is claimed in part by China. The workers, who were building a hotel, were asleep when the landslide hit their camp in Tawang district, more than 10,000 […]
Asia
Fire hits chemical storage company in China
A facility storing chemicals and fuel caught fire and was rocked by explosions in the Chinese city of Jingjiang on Friday, the government and reports said, but no casualties were reported. The blast recalled huge explosions caused by improper storage of chemicals in the northern city of Tianjin last August, when at least 165 people were killed and fears were raised of toxic contamination. The Jingjiang government said on its verified microblog that the fire, […]
Japan succeeds in test flight of first stealth fighter jet
TOKYO,Japan (AFP) — Japan’s first stealth fighter jet successfully took to the skies on Friday as the country joins a select group of world military powers wielding the radar-dodging technology. Technological super power Japan, despite strict constitutional constraints on the use of military force imposed after World War II, has one of the world’s most advanced defence forces and the development of the stealth fighter comes as it faces new security challenges in the form […]
Dust devil lifts boy into the air in China
Dust devils tore through a school event in China, lifting one boy into the air and dropping him on the ground.
Tokyo cat cafe shut down for animal neglect
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Tokyo “cat cafe” has been raided by health inspectors and ordered to close its doors due to animal neglect after complaints about nasty smells coming from the premises. The “Neko no Te” (cat’s paw) cafe — one of many in Tokyo where guests can stroke the fluffy felines while sipping on a cappuccino — was visited by authorities after the cooped-up kitties bred rapidly and began showing signs of illness, […]
One killed, 8 injured as South Korea train derails
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A South Korean passenger train that took a curved section of track at three times the recommended speed derailed Friday, killing an engineer and injuring eight people, police and rail officials said. According to the national rail operator, KORAIL, the locomotive and four of the train’s seven carriages jumped the tracks near Yulchon station, some 330 kilometres (200 miles) south of Seoul. The train was carrying 27 people, including two […]
China defends right to carry out ‘normal’ missile tests
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China said on Thursday it was “normal” to carry out ballistic missile launches, after a US media report accused Beijing of having test-fired an intercontinental weapon last week. US media site Washington Free Beacon, citing unidentified Pentagon officials, reported that China had carried out a test of its DF-41 long-range missile on April 12. The report linked the tests to tensions between Washington and Beijing over the South China Sea, noting […]
Heavy rain adds to woes of quake-rattled residents in Japan
Heavy showers fell on earthquake-battered southern Japan, adding to the woes of residents already rattled by continuing aftershocks.
Magnitude 6.0 aftershock strikes near Ecuador coast: USGS
QUITO, Ecuador (AFP) — A magnitude 6.0 aftershock struck near the coast of Ecuador Thursday, as the country struggled to recover from a devastating quake that killed almost 600 people, US experts said. The tremor hit at 10:03 pm (0303 GMT Friday) some 20 miles (33 kilometers) north-northwest of Bahia de Caraquez and 36 miles north-northwest of Tosagua, the US Geological Survey said. AFP reporters in the region felt some shaking but there were no […]
Chemical warehouse in eastern China explodes: reports
SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — A warehouse storing chemicals and fuel exploded and caught fire in the eastern Chinese city of Jingjiang on Friday, media reports said, with possible casualties unknown. The accident was at the premises of a company called Jiangsu Deqiao Storage, which is authorized to keep hazardous chemicals, reports said. © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse
Oil prices rise, set for third weekly gain
SINGAPORE,Singapore (AFP) — Oil prices climbed in Asia on Friday, heading for their third weekly gain after OPEC said it was open to fresh calls on freezing output despite the failure to reach a deal at the weekend. The exporting group’s Secretary-General Abdalla El-Badri said it could revive the discussion among members and hold further talks with non-members. OPEC holds its next twice-yearly meeting on June 2. A much-vaunted meeting Sunday in Doha collapsed after […]
China could build nuclear plants for South China Sea, paper says
(Reuters) China is getting closer to building maritime nuclear power platforms that could one day to used to support Chinese projects in the disputed South China Sea, a widely-read state-run newspaper said on Friday. China has rattled nerves with its military and construction activities on the islands it occupies in the South China Sea, including building runways, though Beijing says most of what it is building is for civilian purposes, like lighthouses. The Global Times, […]
