Asia

Malaysian airline mogul Fernandes delays retirement

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Malaysia’s Tony Fernandes, one of Asia’s most prominent entrepreneurs, has decided to extend his contract as chief executive of Capital A, the firm said Wednesday, after the board persuaded him to delay his planned retirement. Fernandes, 59, a pioneer of Southeast Asia’s budget carrier sector who is often compared to British tycoon Richard Branson, said in January that he intended to step aside within the next five years after more than […]

At least six killed in India hotel fire: police

PATNA, India, April 25, 2024 (AFP) – At least six people were killed in a fire that ripped through a hotel in eastern India on Thursday, police said, with rescue teams still searching the wreckage for survivors. The fire broke out at the Pal Hotel in Patna, the capital of Bihar state, and soon spread to adjacent buildings before it was extinguished. “So far six people have been killed,” a police officer told AFP on […]

‘So hot you can’t breathe’: Extreme heat hits the Philippines

By Cecil MORELLA Extreme heat scorched the Philippines on Wednesday, forcing schools in some areas to suspend in-person classes and prompting warnings for people to limit the amount of time spent outdoors. The months of March, April and May are typically the hottest and driest in the archipelago nation, but conditions this year have been exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon. “It’s so hot you can’t breathe,” said Erlin Tumaron, 60, who works at […]

‘Everyone’s afraid’: Ukraine power plant workers fear fresh strikes

By Anna MALPAS The clocks had stopped at the exact moment Russian missiles recently ripped into the Ukrainian power plant, where workers were clearing scorched debris under a gaping hole in the roof. Oleksandr, the 51-year-old production manager at the facility, said it had already been damaged by Russian attacks but noted a worrying difference in damage after the last barrage. “It’s a lot worse,” he told AFP journalists at the facility, whose location could […]

Asia hit hardest by climate, weather disasters in 2023:UN

By Robin MILLARD GENEVA, April 23, 2024 (AFP) – Asia was the world’s most disaster-hit region from climate and weather hazards in 2023, the United Nations said Tuesday, with floods and storms the chief cause of casualties and economic losses. Global temperatures hit record highs last year, and the UN’s weather and climate agency said Asia was warming at a particularly rapid pace. The World Meteorological Organization said the impact of heatwaves in Asia was […]

Taiwan hit by numerous quakes, strongest reaching 6.3 magnitude

TAIPEI, April 22, 2024 (AFP) – Taiwan’s capital was hit by a series of earthquakes overnight into the early hours of Tuesday, with the Central Weather Administration saying the strongest was a magnitude-6.3 tremor originating in eastern Hualien. The first strong quake — a magnitude 5.5 — hit on Monday at around 5:08 pm (0908 GMT), according to Central Weather Administration. It could be felt in the capital Taipei. That was followed by a series […]

Southern China storms kill four, force mass evacuations

BEIJING, April 22, 2024 (AFP) – Four people are dead and 10 others missing following storms that battered southern China, state media said Monday, with tens of thousands evacuated from areas hit by torrential downpours. Heavy rain has descended upon the vast southern province of Guangdong in recent days, swelling rivers and raising fears of severe flooding that state media said could be of the sort only “seen around once a century”. “Three deaths were […]

Germany and Britain move in on suspected Chinese spies

By Femke COLBORNE with Phil HAZLEWOOD in London BERLIN, April 22, 2024 (AFP) – Germany and Britain on Monday both swooped on suspected spies accused of passing on secret information to China, as concern deepens in the West over aggressive Chinese espionage. In Germany, investigators arrested three German nationals in the west of the country suspected of sharing information on maritime technology, prosecutors said in a statement. The trio, named as Herwig F., Ina F. […]

Taiwan hit by strong 5.5-magnitude quake

TAIPEI, April 22, 2024 (AFP) – Taiwan’s capital was shaken by a “strong” earthquake early Monday evening, AFP staff reported, with the Central Weather Administration saying it was a magnitude-5.5 tremor originating in eastern Hualien. The region was the epicentre of a magnitude-7.4 quake that hit on April 3, causing landslides around the mountainous region that blocked off roads, while buildings in the main Hualien city were badly damaged. At least 17 were killed in […]

11 missing, tens of thousands evacuated as storms strike south China

BEIJING, April 22, 2024 (AFP) – Eleven people are missing following storms that battered southern China, state media said Monday, with tens of thousands evacuated away from the torrential downpours. Heavy rain has descended upon the vast southern province of Guangdong in recent days, swelling rivers and raising fears of severe flooding that state media said could be of the sort only “seen around once a century”. “A total of 11 people are missing after […]

One dead, seven missing after two Japanese military helicopters crash

TOKYO, April 21, 2024 (AFP) – One died and seven people were missing Sunday after an accident overnight in which two Japanese military helicopters apparently collided before crashing into the sea, officials said. A spokesman for Japan’s Self-Defense Force (SDF) confirmed the late Saturday incident to AFP and said that one person was rescued but later confirmed dead. Defence Minister Minoru Kihara said rescuers “spotted what are believed to be part of the aircraft in […]

North Korea tests ‘super-large warhead’: state media

SEOUL, April 20, 2024 (AFP) – North Korea has tested a “super-large warhead” designed for a strategic cruise missile, state media said Saturday, the most recent test since UN sanctions monitoring against the nuclear-armed nation was upended last month by Russia. The announcement comes after Russia in March used its United Nations Security Council veto to effectively end UN monitoring of violations of the raft of sanctions on Kim Jong Un’s government for its nuclear […]