Asia
Volcanic Smog (VOG) Alert for Taal Volcano
As of 12:30 PM today, volcanic smog (VOG) has been observed over Taal Lake, persisting in the region. Continuous upwelling at the Taal Main Crater Lake is generating steam plumes reaching 2,400 meters high, drifting west-northwest. A total of 4,569 tonnes/day of volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas emission was measured today, September 21, 2023. VOG contains acidic volcanic gases like SO2 and may irritate the eyes, throat, and respiratory tract, particularly for those with health […]
South Korea parliament clears way for opposition leader’s arrest
SEOUL, Sept 21, 2023 (AFP) – In a surprise move, South Korea’s opposition-controlled National Assembly voted Thursday to strip the leader of the opposition of his parliamentary immunity, potentially allowing his arrest over corruption allegations. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, has been accused by prosecutors of bribery in connection with a firm that is suspected of illicitly transferring $8 million to North Korea. He is also accused of breaching his duties, which allegedly […]
New Delhi seeking ‘reduction’ in Canadian diplomats in India as row escalates
NEW DELHI, Sept 21, 2023 (AFP) – New Delhi said Thursday it is seeking the reduction of Canadian diplomatic staff in India and has stopped visa services, as a row over the killing of a Sikh separatist deepens. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has demanded India treat with “utmost seriousness” allegations that Indian agents played a role in the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver. The fallout prompted tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions and a […]
‘Like a grave’: Syrians shelter underground in rebel bastion
By Omar Haj Kadour In a battered village in Syria’s last main opposition bastion, one resident has hewn a bomb shelter out of rock to stay on his land and protect his family from attacks. Kansafra, in the south of Idlib province, often comes under Syrian army fire targeting jihadists who control the area, while Russian warplanes circle above and carry out air strikes in support of ally Damascus. Many families have fled the village, […]
Azerbaijan claims victory after Karabakh separatists surrender
By Farhad Gasymov and Mariam Harutyunyan in Yerevan Azerbaijan said Wednesday it had regained control over breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh for the first time in decades, after Armenian separatists agreed to lay down their arms in the face of a military operation that they said killed 200 people. The stunning collapse of separatist resistance represents a major victory for Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev in his quest to bring the Armenian-majority region back under Baku’s control. Since the […]
China asks consulates in Hong Kong for local staff details
HONG KONG, Sept 19, 2023 (AFP) – China has given foreign consulates in Hong Kong a month to submit their local staffers’ names, home addresses and job descriptions, according to diplomatic sources and documents seen by AFP on Tuesday. The documents include a letter in English and Chinese dated Monday from Beijing’s Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (OCMFA), as well as two forms for consulates to fill in with their […]
India denies involvement in slaying of Sikh leader in Canada
NEW DELHI, Sept 19, 2023 (AFP) – India on Tuesday rejected the “absurd” allegation that its agents were behind the killing of a Sikh leader in Canada, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s bombshell accusation sent already sour diplomatic relations to a new low. Ottawa also expelled a diplomat it described as the head of India’s foreign intelligence service in Canada, prompting a tit-for-tat order from New Delhi for a Canadian diplomat to leave. Trudeau said […]
Indonesia hosts first-ever ASEAN military drills
BATAM, Indonesia, Sept 19, 2023 (AFP) – Militaries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations began their first-ever joint exercises on Tuesday in Indonesia, with a Myanmar representative present despite the bloc’s ban on its junta leaders. ASEAN countries have participated in multinational defence drills before, but these are the first featuring just the bloc, which is battling perceptions of irrelevance on major regional issues such as the turmoil in Myanmar and disputes in the […]
Seoul summons Russian ambassador after Kim-Putin summit
SEOUL, Sept 19, 2023 (AFP) – South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador Tuesday, the foreign ministry said, to warn Moscow over military cooperation with North Korea after Kim Jong Un met President Vladimir Putin in Russia. Kim spent nearly a week touring Russia’s far east before returning home Monday, visiting a space centre and weapons factories, on a trip which has fanned Western fears that isolated, nuclear-armed Pyongyang could provide Moscow with weapons for its […]
Escaped Chinese crocodiles all captured: state media
Dozens of crocodiles that escaped a flooded Chinese farm have all been recaptured, state media reported on Tuesday, a week after the reptilian runaways wriggled free. More than 70 reptiles escaped from a commercial crocodile farm in the southern Chinese city of Maoming earlier this month after a typhoon inundated the area. Authorities in Guangdong Province launched an expansive hunt, with state broadcaster CCTV running footage of workers in rain boots dragging a crocodile out […]
One in 10 Japanese are older than 80: government data
TOKYO, Sept 18, 2023 (AFP) – More than 10 percent of Japanese people have crossed 80 years or older for the first time, new official data showed, as the nation faces a rapidly greying population. Government data released on Sunday, ahead of Monday’s “Respect for Aged Day” national holiday, also showed that the share of Japan’s population at 65 or older expanded to a record 29.1 percent from 29.0 percent a year ago. The level […]
