Asia

Shanghai official Covid death toll rises to 25

  SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Shanghai logged eight official Covid-19 deaths on Thursday, reporting a mounting death toll even as daily cases appear to be tapering off and some residents are finally free to venture outside under an easing lockdown. China’s largest city and commercial engine is inching towards reopening after weeks-long restrictions kept most of its 25 million people confined to their homes. Faced with the country’s worst virus outbreak in two years, Shanghai […]

Taiwan charges nine in rare migrant fishing abuse prosecution

Filipino and indonesian crew among those who suffered while working in Taiwan fishing fleet TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwanese prosecutors on Wednesday charged nine people for exploiting and abusing foreign crew, including Filipinos and Indonesians, on a longline fishing boat, a scourge that activists have long warned was going under-reported and unpunished. Prosecutors allege that the crew beat migrant fishermen, forced them to work up to 20 hours a day, and made Muslim employees eat […]

YouTube removes channel promoting future Hong Kong leader

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — US video hosting service YouTube Wednesday suspended a channel promoting Hong Kong official John Lee’s uncontested bid to be the city’s next leader, saying the move was in compliance with sanctions against the ex-security chief. Lee is expected to be appointed the business hub’s new chief executive by a committee of 1,500 Beijing loyalists next month. He faces no rivals. But he has nonetheless worked to promote his uncontested campaign, […]

Shanghai reports seven more Covid deaths since start of lockdown

  SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — China reported seven more deaths from Covid-19 in Shanghai on Tuesday, after hundreds of thousands of cases in the metropolis during a weeks-long lockdown. City authorities revealed the first deaths of this outbreak on Monday, with Tuesday’s fatalities bringing the official toll to just 10, even as the virus continues to spread. Beijing insists its zero-Covid policy of hard lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines has averted fatalities and the […]

US to host ASEAN leaders in mid-May

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden will meet in mid-May with the leaders of Southeast Asian nations, with a likely focus on the rising power of China, the host country announced Saturday. The summit, originally scheduled for March, “will demonstrate the United States’ enduring commitment to ASEAN,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “It is a top priority for […]

UN Chief: Ukraine war unleashing a ‘perfect storm’ of crises

UN Secretary-General António Guterres presented the first detailed policy brief issued by the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance (GCRG), which he set up to study the effects of the war in Ukraine on the world’s most vulnerable. Here is a summary of the findings, and some of your key questions answered, on what the Group aims to achieve. Speaking at the launch of the brief, Mr. Guterres pointed out that, whilst […]

Saudi Arabia pushed Yemen’s president to step down: report

  WASHINGTON, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia pushed Yemen’s president to step down earlier this month, and officials have confined him to his home and restricted his communications, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi announced his resignation on April 7, handing his powers to a new leadership council as Yemen entered into a fragile ceasefire that brought a rare pause in the years-long conflict. Citing anonymous Saudi and Yemeni officials, the […]

China economy accelerates in Q1 but virus stalks outlook

  by Beiyi SEOW Agence France Presse China’s economic growth accelerated in the first quarter of the year to 4.8 percent, official data showed Monday, but the government warned of “significant challenges” ahead while massive Covid-19 lockdowns started to bite. The world’s second-biggest economy had lost steam in the latter half of last year with a property slump and regulatory crackdowns, pulling down growth. But it exceeded expectations in the first three months of 2022, […]

Shanghai reports first Covid deaths since the start of lockdown: city govt

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — Shanghai reported the first Covid deaths since the start of its weeks-long lockdown, three elderly people with underlying conditions, the city government said Monday. “The three people deteriorated into severe cases after going into hospital, and died after all efforts to revive them proved ineffective,” the city said on social media. The deceased included two women aged 89 and 91, and a man aged 91, the city said, adding that […]

NKorea tests new weapons system aimed at enhancing ‘tactical nukes’ efficiency: KCNA

North Korea has test-fired a new weapons system, under the supervision of leader Kim Jong Un, that it claims will boost the efficiency of its tactical nuclear weapons, state media said early Sunday. The “new-type tactical guided weapon… is of great significance in drastically improving the firepower of the frontline long-range artillery units and enhancing the efficiency in the operation of tactical nukes,” the official Korean Central News Agency reported, without specifying when the test […]

CIA warns desperate Putin poses nuclear threat

Russia’s setbacks in its invasion of Ukraine could lead President Vladimir Putin to resort to using a tactical or low-yield nuclear weapon, CIA director William Burns said Thursday. “Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks that they’ve faced so far, militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons,” Burns said during a speech in […]

Search for survivors in Philippine villages hit by landslides

  by Bobbie Alota © Agence France-Presse BUNGA, Philippines (AFP) — Rescuers hampered by mud and rain on Tuesday used their bare hands and shovels to search for survivors of landslides that smashed into villages in the central Philippines, as the death toll from tropical storm Megi rose to 42. Tens of thousands fled their homes as the storm pummelled the disaster-prone region in recent days, dumping heavy rain that flooded houses, severed roads and […]