Asia

Kim’s sister defends North Korea’s spy satellite capabilities

Seoul, South Korea (AFP) North Korea has developed advanced technologies to take images from space using a spy satellite, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un insisted Tuesday, after experts mocked black-and-white pictures supposedly taken from space in a weekend launch. Kim Yo Jong’s defence of North Korea’s satellite capabilities comes after the isolated country said it conducted an “important final-stage” test for the development of a reconnaissance satellite. But experts in Seoul quickly […]

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Six dead as Thai navy continues search for missing sailors

Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand  (AFP) by Montira Rungjirajittranon with Thanaporn Promyamyai in Bangkok Six bodies have been found and one survivor was rescued Tuesday, after the sinking of a naval vessel two days ago in the Gulf of Thailand, the Thai navy said. Seventy-six sailors from the HTMS Sukhothai have been hauled from the sea after the vessel went down late Sunday roughly 37 kilometres (22 miles) off the country’s southeastern coast. There were 23 […]

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All hostages freed and captors killed as Pakistan police siege ends

Bannu, Pakistan (AFP) All 33 suspected militant prisoners who seized a Pakistan police station over the weekend were killed and their hostages freed in a clearance operation by special forces on Tuesday, the defence minister said. The hostage takers, who were suspected of being members of various militant groups including the Tehreek–e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), overpowered their jailers and snatched weapons on Sunday. “All the hostages have been freed,” Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told parliament. […]

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Four dead as Thai navy continues search for missing sailors

  Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand (AFP) by Montira RUNGJIRAJITTRANON Four bodies were recovered in the Gulf of Thailand on Tuesday, the Thai navy chief said, following the sinking of a naval vessel two days ago. More than 70 survivors from the HTMS Sukhothai have been hauled from the sea since the vessel went down late Sunday roughly 37 kilometres (22 miles) off Thailand’s southeastern coast. Rescuers in helicopters, two planes, and four vessels — the […]

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North Korea denounces Japan’s new security strategy

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Tuesday denounced Japan’s new security strategy, calling it a “serious” threat against international peace that “fundamentally changed” the regional security environment and warned of “actual action” in response. Japan outlined plans last week to drastically expand its defense capabilities over the next five years — including counterstrike capability — in response to threats from China and nuclear-armed North Korea. “Japan is creating a serious security crisis… by […]

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Australia urges release of citizens in China

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Tuesday urged the release of citizens held in China, as she prepared to embark on a landmark visit to Beijing. Wong is set to be the first top Australian diplomat to visit China in four years, a trip aimed at thawing troubled relations. She will depart Australia on Tuesday for a meeting with Chinese state councilor and minister of foreign affairs, Wang Yi, and indicated […]

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Thai navy hunts for 31 sailors after vessel sinks

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN, Thailand (AFP) — Thai military frigates and helicopters kept up the search late Monday for more than 30 sailors missing after a naval vessel sank, with dozens of others already hauled from the choppy waters. The HTMS Sukhothai capsized late Sunday as it was patrolling the Gulf of Thailand, about 37 kilometers (22 miles) off the Southeast Asian nation’s southeastern coast. Some sailors survived by jumping into a life raft at night, […]

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TikTok denies setting up ‘illegal operations’ in Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) – TikTok’s Chinese owner denied on Monday setting up a subsidiary company in Taiwan after the island’s authorities said they were investigating the social media app for running “illegal operations”. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan’s top China policy-making body, said the cabinet had requested a multi-agency investigation during a meeting on security issues posed by TikTok earlier this month. The case was also forwarded to prosecutors for investigation after a local company […]

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China megacity says people with symptomatic Covid can work ‘as normal’

  Beijing, China (AFP) People with Covid-19 symptoms in one of China’s largest cities can now go to work “as normal”, state media reported Monday, a dramatic reversal in a country where a single case could previously send thousands into lockdown. The world’s most populous nation is unwinding years of hardline coronavirus policy, with Covid spreading rapidly in the wake of the official end of mass lockdowns, testing and quarantines. And with authorities admitting the […]

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North Korea fires two ballistic missiles: Seoul’s military

Seoul, South Korea (AFP) North Korea fired two medium-range ballistic missiles Sunday, Seoul’s military said, days after Pyongyang announced a successful test of a solid-fuel motor for a new weapons system. Military tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen sharply this year as Pyongyang has carried out an unprecedented blitz of weapons tests, including the launch of its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile ever last month. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected […]

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Indonesia quake death toll jumps to 602 after new count

  Jakarta, Indonesia (AFP) by Marchio GORBIANO The death toll from an earthquake that hit Indonesia’s main island Java last month has jumped by hundreds to 602, a local administration official said Friday, after authorities verified unreported casualties across the worst-hit town. The shallow 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit the town of Cianjur in Indonesia’s most populous province West Java on November 21, with most of the victims killed as buildings collapsed or landslides were triggered. Cianjur […]

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Moderate earthquake hits US oil region in west Texas

Washington, United States (AFP) A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck an oil-producing region of west Texas on Friday, rattling structures but causing no apparent damage, US authorities said. Preliminary data from the USGS reports the earthquake was a magnitude 5.3 centered 12 miles to the NNW of Midland with a depth of 3 miles. This would be the 4th strongest earthquake in Texas state history! #txwx #earthquake — NWS Midland (@NWSMidland) December 16, 2022   The […]

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