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Beijing, China (AFP) by Laurie CHEN Workers at Beijing crematoriums said Friday they are overwhelmed as China faces a surge in Covid cases that authorities warn could hit its underdeveloped rural hinterland during upcoming public holidays. Covid-19 is spreading rapidly across China after three years of strict containment measures ended last week, with health authorities now admitting the true scale of the outbreak is “impossible” to track. China’s top Covid response body on Friday […]
Tokyo, Japan (AFP) by Kyoko HASEGAWA / Sara HUSSEIN Japan’s government approved a major defence policy overhaul Friday, including a significant spending hike, as it warned China poses the “greatest strategic challenge ever” to the country’s security. In its largest defence shake-up in decades, Japan vowed to up security spending to two percent of GDP by 2027, reshape its military command, and acquire new missiles that can strike far-flung enemy launch sites. “Fundamentally strengthening […]
Tokyo, Japan (AFP) by Katie Forster Japan has laid out plans to expand its defence capabilities drastically over five years. The new security strategy marks a major shift, as Japan confronts China’s growing military might. – Why are the changes controversial? – Japan’s constitution, drafted by the United States after World War II, does not officially recognise the military, so moves to bolster its capacity are highly sensitive. The constitution limits spending on the […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) – At least eight people died after a landslide struck a Malaysian campsite Friday, officials said, as rescuers searched for dozens who were still missing. Seven people were injured in the landslide near the town of Batang Kali, just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur and near a mountain casino resort, the National Disaster Management Agency said in a tweet. Landslides are common in Malaysia after heavy rains, which are regular at the […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) – Google said Thursday it does not manipulate search results, after Hong Kong’s government said the tech giant had refused its demand to remove a popular protest song. The controversy began after it emerged that links to the pro-democracy song “Glory to Hong Kong” appeared ahead of China’s official “March of the Volunteers” when people searched for the city’s anthem. The song was accidentally played for Hong Kong athletes at two international […]
⚠Preliminary info: M6.1 #earthquake (#地震) about 30 km SE of #Hualian (#Taiwan) 3 min ago (local time 12:03:17). Updates at:📱https://t.co/LBaVNedgF9🌐https://t.co/AXvOM7I4Th🖥https://t.co/wPtMW5ND1t pic.twitter.com/VQeqVCLN9y — EMSC (@LastQuake) December 15, 2022 Taipei, Taiwan (AFP) A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off Taiwan’s eastern coast on Thursday followed by multiple lighter aftershocks, the island’s weather bureau said, with shaking felt in the capital Taipei. The quake hit just after midday (0400 GMT) about 30 kilometres (19 miles) off the coast of Hualien […]
Tokyo, Japan (AFP) by Sara HUSSEIN Japan is expected to announce its biggest defence overhaul in decades this week, hiking spending, reshaping its military command and acquiring new missiles to tackle the threat from China. The policies, to be outlined in three defence and security documents as soon as Friday, will reshape the defence landscape in a country whose post-war constitution does not even officially recognise the military. “Fundamentally strengthening our defence capabilities […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — The true scale of Covid-19 infections in China is now “impossible” to track, the country’s top health body said Wednesday, as officials warned of a rapid spread in Beijing after the country abruptly dropped its zero-tolerance policy. China last week loosened restrictions for mass testing and quarantine after nearly three years of attempting to stamp out the virus, prompting officially reported infections to fall quickly from the all-time highs recorded last […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) – Google has a “moral obligation” to stop a democracy protest song appearing in search results, Hong Kong’s leader said Tuesday, as row over China’s national anthem widened to include the tech giant. Hong Kong officials have been infuriated by a series of mistakes at international sporting events in recent weeks when a protest song has been played instead of China’s national anthem for the city’s athletes. Their ire has increasingly focused […]
by Kyoko HASEGAWA Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — From Super Mario to Final Fantasy, Japan has long been synonymous with gaming, but some experts and parents fear a growing addiction problem is going unaddressed. While nearby nations like China and South Korea have imposed drastic restrictions on youth gaming in recent years — with mixed results — some Japanese families feel they are being left to deal with the issue on their own. Each […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — BTS star Jin starts his mandatory South Korean military duty on Tuesday, the band’s first member to enlist since a hiatus announcement this year left fans heartbroken over the K-pop juggernaut’s uncertain future. The septet is widely considered the country’s biggest-ever cultural phenomenon — selling out stadiums around the world and dominating the charts while raking in billions and building a global legion of fans known as ARMYs. But all […]
Kabul, Afghanistan (AFP) by Abdullah HASRAT At least three people were killed when gunmen attacked a hotel popular with Chinese business people in the Afghan capital Monday, with witnesses reporting multiple blasts and several bursts of gunfire. Smoke could be seen pouring from the multi-storey Kabul Longan Hotel as Taliban security forces rushed to the site and sealed off the neighbourhood. The Taliban claim to have improved security since storming back to power in August […]
