MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused Ukrainian authorities of stalling talks, but added that Moscow was ready to search for solutions as he spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “It was noted that the Kyiv regime is trying in every possible way to stall negotiations, putting forward more and more unrealistic proposals,” the Kremlin said after the phone call. “Nevertheless, the Russian side is ready to continue to search for […]
Asia
Residents survey damage after powerful Japan quake
by Harumi OZAWA / Charly TRIBALLEAU Agence France Presse SOMA, Japan (AFP) — People in northeast Japan were cleaning up and surveying the damage on Thursday after a powerful 7.4-magnitude quake derailed a bullet train, opened cracks in highways and initially cut power to over two million homes. At least one death was directly caused by the overnight quake, government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said, but the toll is still being finalised after two suspected […]
US donates more than 500 million Covid vaccines to other countries
WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – The United States has given more than 500 million coronavirus vaccines to other countries since the jabs were developed, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday in a statement obtained by AFP. “The United States has now shared over 500 million safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine doses, free of cost, to more than 110 countries and economies around the world — for the sole purpose of saving lives,” Blinken said. Washington aims […]
North Korea silent after missile explodes over Pyongyang
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) – North Korea’s state media was silent Thursday after a suspected missile test ended in what Seoul said was total failure, exploding mid-air in the skies above the capital Pyongyang almost immediately after launch. The North test-fired what was most likely a ballistic missile from the Sunan area of the capital, home to some three million people, early Wednesday, South Korea’s military said. The projectile exploded moments after launch, with Seoul-based […]
UPDATED: Four dead after powerful Japan quake rattles east coast
by Harumi OZAWA / Charly TRIBALLEAU Agence France-Presse Four people were reported dead and more than 100 injured in Japan on Thursday after a powerful overnight earthquake rattled large parts of the east coast and prompted a tsunami warning, authorities said. The 7.4-magnitude quake off the coast of Fukushima derailed a bullet train, opened cracks in highways and threw products from shelves in shops. A tsunami warning for waves of up to a metre (three […]
7.3-magnitude quake hits east Japan, tsunami advisory issued
A powerful 7.3-magnitude quake jolted east Japan on Wednesday night, rattling the capital Tokyo and prompting a tsunami advisory for parts of the northeast coast, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The quake was centred off the coast of the Fukushima region at a depth of 60 kilometres (37 miles). Shortly after it hit at 11:36 pm (1436 GMT) an advisory for tsunami waves of one metre was issued for parts of the coast. There were […]
Vietnam ends Covid quarantine for international travellers
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam announced an end to quarantine for international travellers on Wednesday, as it seeks to restart its tourism industry after two years of strict Covid-19 restrictions. The only virus requirement for visitors will be a negative Covid test, the country’s ministry of health said in a statement. The communist state’s tourism sector was worth up to $32 billion a year before the pandemic, but it ground to a standstill during […]
South Korea hits record 400,000 plus cases amid Omicron wave
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea reported more than 400,000 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, a new record, as the country continues to ease restrictions despite the Omicron-fuelled wave of infections. Health authorities said 400,741 cases were recorded, the country’s highest daily figure since the pandemic began two years ago. The latest spike in cases is the “last biggest challenge” facing the country, Sohn Young-rae, a senior health official, told a press briefing. The […]
North Korea suspected ballistic missile explodes after launch
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile that exploded mid-air shortly after launch, Seoul said Wednesday, with analysts warning it was likely a failed test of Pyongyang’s so-called “monster missile”. The launch — North Korea’s tenth suspected weapons test this year — comes after the United States said the nuclear-armed country was preparing to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) “at full range” for the first time since 2017. […]
North Korea fires ‘unidentified projectile’ but launch fails
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) – North Korea fired an “unidentified projectile” Wednesday but the launch appears to have immediately failed, South Korea’s military said. “North Korea fired an unknown projectile from the Sunan area around 09:30 today, but it is presumed that it failed immediately after launch,” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Japanese media reported that North Korea had launched a possible ballistic missile, citing an unnamed defence ministry official. The […]
China does not want to be ‘affected’ by Russia sanctions: foreign minister
by Beiyi SEOW Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China does not want to be impacted by Western economic sanctions on Russia, state media reported Tuesday, as pressure grows on Beijing to withdraw support from an isolated Moscow. Beijing has refused to condemn its close ally Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, while blaming the United States and NATO’s “eastward expansion” for worsening tensions. Moscow and Beijing have grown closer in recent times, […]
Nearly 30 million under lockdown in China as virus surges
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Nearly 30 million people were under lockdown across China on Tuesday, as surging virus cases returned mass tests and hazmat suited health officials to city streets on a scale not seen since the start of the pandemic. China reported 5,280 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, more than double the previous day’s tally as the highly-transmissible Omicron variant spreads across a country that has tethered tightly to a ‘zero-Covid’ strategy. That approach, […]





