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by Nina LARSON Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Afghan women made an impassioned plea at the UN Monday for solid international action to address the “gender apartheid” in their country since the Taliban swept to power last year. “Today, human rights in Afghanistan do not exist,” Afghan Mahbouba Seraj told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The outspoken journalist and rights activist said she was “sick and tired” of sounding the alarm […]
KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — A Black Hawk helicopter commandeered by the Taliban after the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan crashed during a training session at the weekend, killing two pilots and a crew member, the defense ministry said. The incident occurred Saturday on the campus of the country’s defense university in the capital Kabul. The Black Hawk crashed due to “a technical problem during a training exercise”, the ministry said, adding five crew members were […]
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (AFP) A 7.6-magnitude earthquake shook Papua New Guinea Sunday, damaging buildings, triggering landslides and killing at least five people, with several others severely injured. Residents in northern towns near the epicentre reported intense shaking mid-morning that cracked roads and rattled the cladding off buildings. Local member of parliament Kessy Sawang said at least two people had died in remote mountain villages, with four others airlifted to hospital in critical […]
TIMIKA, Indonesia (AFP) — A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake jolted a coastal region of Papua in eastern Indonesia Saturday morning and was followed by two weaker aftershocks minutes later, the US Geological Survey said. The first two quakes — the second a 5.8-magnitude tremor — hit at a relatively shallow depth of 15 kilometres, about 272 kilometres (169 miles) from the town of Abepura, according to the USGS. A third 5.9-magnitude quake then hit the […]
by Sajjad TARAKZAI, with Emma CLARK and Ahsraf KHAN in Sukkur Agence France-Presse ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) — United Nations chief Antonio Guterres began a two-day visit to flood-hit Pakistan Friday that officials hope will boost global support for a humanitarian crisis affecting millions. A third of the country is under water — an area the size of the United Kingdom — following record rains brought by what Guterres has described as “a monsoon on steroids”. […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan is confident it can sign a trade deal with Washington, its leader told visiting US lawmakers Thursday, adding that the island “will not back down” against Chinese threats. Washington unveiled plans for formal trade talks with Taiwan in a show of support as China was staging huge military drills last month. Taiwan lives under constant threat of an invasion by China, which claims the democratically ruled island as part of […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — The death toll from a strong earthquake that struck southwest China rose to 82, state media reported Thursday, as rain and possible mudslides threatened the search for dozens of missing people. The magnitude 6.6 quake hit about 43 kilometers (26 miles) southeast of the city of Kangding in Sichuan province at a depth of 10 kilometers on Monday, according to the US Geological Survey, forcing thousands to be resettled into temporary […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The United Nations warned on Tuesday the humanitarian situation in flood-ravaged Pakistan was expected to get worse, a day after establishing an air bridge to deliver aid to victims. More than 33 million people in Pakistan have been affected by the flooding, brought on by record monsoon rains amplified by climate change. The floods have caused at least 1,300 deaths and washed away homes, businesses, roads and bridges. The UN’s […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The death toll from Typhoon Hinnamnor rose to 10 in South Korea, authorities said Wednesday, after the storm battered the southern coast with huge waves and heavy rain this week. The typhoon, one of the most powerful to hit the country in decades, flooded streets and buildings as it passed through on Monday and Tuesday. In the southeastern port city of Pohang — one of the hardest-hit areas — […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan said a Chinese military reconnaissance drone entered its air defense zone on Monday, the latest incursion as relations between the two neighbors remain tense. The drone, identified by Taipei’s defense ministry as a BZK-007 vehicle, crossed into the southwest corner of the island’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) along with eight Chinese warplanes. Taiwan’s ADIZ is much larger than its airspace and overlaps with part of China’s ADIZ and even […]
by Poornima WEERASEKARA Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Rescuers scoured through rubble for hundreds of missing people in parts of southwestern China on Tuesday after an earthquake killed more than 60, as local weather services warned rain was set to inundate the area. The magnitude 6.6 quake hit about 43 kilometers (26 miles) southeast of the city of Kangding in Sichuan province at a depth of 10 kilometers on Monday, according to the US […]
BUSAN, South Korea (AFP) — Typhoon Hinnamnor made landfall in South Korea early Tuesday, causing power outages and leaving one person missing, but with few early reports of major damage as it headed back to sea. The typhoon, one of the most powerful to bear down on the country in decades, hit the country’s southern island of Jeju overnight before making landfall near the port city of Busan, which was battered by huge waves and […]
