TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A volcano in southwestern Japan has erupted, flinging large rocks hundreds of metres from the crater and prompting the meteorological agency to raise its alert level, Kyodo news agency reported early Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of injuries after the eruption of Mount Otake in Kagoshima prefecture, according to Kyodo. The report said the Japan Meteorological Agency had raised its alert level to a three on a scale of five, […]
Asia
Myanmar crackdown death toll passes 500
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — The death toll in the Myanmar military’s crackdown on protesters has passed 500, as armed rebel groups on Tuesday threatened the junta with retaliation if the bloodshed does not stop. World powers have ramped up their condemnation of the military’s campaign against the anti-coup movement that is demanding the restoration of the elected government and the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Washington suspended a trade pact with Myanmar […]
Chinese firm to make 60 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik vaccine
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia has agreed a deal for more than 60 million doses of its Sputnik V vaccine to be produced in China from May, the jab’s developer said on Monday. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which has financed the development of the vaccine, said it and Shenzhen Yuanxing Gene-tech Co. “have agreed to cooperate on production of over 60 million doses” of Sputnik in China. The RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund […]
Myanmar bloodshed ‘absolutely outrageous’, Biden says after deadly weekend
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — US President Joe Biden led global condemnation of an “absolutely outrageous” crackdown by Myanmar’s junta that killed more than 100 people over the weekend, as funerals were held Monday for the victims. Soldiers and police have killed hundreds in a brutal campaign against mass anti-coup protests demanding a restoration of democracy and the release of detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. At least 107 more people — including seven children […]
Virus likely jumped to humans from bats through ‘missing link’ animal: WHO report
by Nina LARSON GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — An international expert mission to Wuhan has concluded it was very likely that Covid-19 first passed to humans from a bat through an intermediary animal, while all but ruling out a laboratory leak. The intermediate host hypothesis was deemed “likely to very likely”, while the theory that the virus escaped from a lab was seen as “extremely unlikely”, according to the long-awaited report, which AFP obtained a copy […]
Mega-ship in Suez Canal moved ‘80%’ in right direction
CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The enormous container ship blocking the Suez Canal for almost a week has been turned 80 percent in the right direction, officials said Monday, raising hopes the vital trade route could soon be clear. But its owner said that while the giant ship “has turned”, it was still not yet fully unwedged. The MV Ever Given, longer than four football fields, became wedged diagonally across the canal during a sandstorm last […]
Indonesia cathedral rocked by suicide bombing
by Andi Hajramurni Agence France Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — An Indonesian cathedral was rocked by a suicide bombing on Sunday with body parts littering the chaotic scene as Christians inside celebrated the start of the Catholic Church’s Holy Week. The powerful blast at the church in Makassar city on Sulawesi island happened around 10:30 am local time (0330 GMT) and left at least 14 church officials and congregants injured by debris, police said. […]
Scores dead as Myanmar junta puts on show of force
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s security forces killed at least 91 people Saturday in the bloodiest day since the military seized power, a monitoring group said, as the junta staged a major show of might for its annual Armed Forces Day. The killings drew swift international outrage, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying the military had shown its willingness to “sacrifice the lives of the people to serve the few.” Myanmar has […]
Megaship blocking Suez Canal may be refloated Saturday: owner
by Bassem Aboualabass CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The owner of a megaship blocking Egypt’s Suez Canal hopes to refloat it as early as Saturday, as the crisis forced companies to re-route services from the vital shipping lane around Africa. The MV Ever Given, which is longer than four football fields, has been wedged diagonally across the span of the canal since Tuesday, blocking the waterway in both directions. At a press conference in Japan Friday […]
Fire at Saudi oil terminal after projectile hit: energy ministry
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — A fire broke out at an oil terminal in southern Saudi Arabia after it was hit by a projectile, the energy ministry said Friday, the sixth anniversary of a Riyadh-led military intervention in Yemen. “A projectile attack on a petroleum products distribution terminal in Jizan… resulted in a fire in one of the terminal’s tanks,” the ministry said in a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency, adding that […]
N. Korea launch was new ‘tactical guided projectile’: Pyongyang
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea has tested a new “tactical guided projectile” with a solid-fuel engine, state media said Friday after the nuclear-armed country carried out its first substantive provocation since US President Joe Biden’s inauguration. The North on Thursday launched two weapons from its east coast, with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga calling them ballistic missiles. Pyongyang is under multiple international sanctions over its weapons programmes, with UN Security Council resolutions banning […]
Suez Canal suspends traffic as bid to refloat grounded ship hits trouble
CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The owners of a giant container vessel blocking the Suez Canal said Thursday they were facing “extreme difficulty” refloating it, prompting Egypt to suspend navigation through one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Shipping analysts warned the suspension could last days or even weeks, forcing businesses to consider diverting their cargos to the much longer route round the tip of Africa in a blow to global supply networks. The Suez Canal […]





