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BEIJING, China (AFP) — At least 17 people died on Saturday when a restaurant in northern China collapsed, state media said, with rescuers pulling dozens of survivors from the rubble and searching for others believed to be trapped. The two-storey building used for banquets came down in the morning in Xiangfen county, in Shanxi province, according to broadcaster CGTN. Xinhua news agency reported that “45 people have been brought out, of which 17 were […]
by Shingo ITO / Sara HUSSEIN Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The race to succeed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe kicked off informally on Saturday, with several contenders announcing their plans to stand, a day after Japan’s longest-serving leader announced his resignation. Abe said he was suffering a recurrence of ulcerative colitis, the condition that forced him to cut short his first term in office, but that he would stay on until his […]
MANCHESTER, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Friday paid his “highest respect” to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and voiced concern over his “great friend” resigning for health reasons. “I want to pay my highest respect to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a very great friend of mine,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned from a campaign rally in New Hampshire. “We’ve had a great relationship and I […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — An Iranian has been sentenced to nine years in jail for beheading his teenaged daughter in her sleep, local media reported Friday, adding that the mother wants him executed. The so-called “honour” killing of 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi on May 21 sparked widespread outrage, with media condemning “institutionalised violence” in the Islamic republic. Media said Romina was decapitated at the family’s home in Talesh in the northern province of Gilan. “Despite the […]
by Hiroshi HIYAMA / Kyoko HASEGAWA Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — As Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces his plans to resign over health problems, attention turns to who could succeed the country’s longest-ruling premier, with no consensus yet clear on a candidate. Here are some of the potential contenders: Taro Aso, gaffe-prone finance minister In his dual role as finance minister and deputy prime minister, 79-year-old Taro Aso is a Liberal […]
by Hiroshi HIYAMA / Miwa SUZUKI Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Friday he will resign, ending his record-breaking tenure in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership race in the world’s third-largest economy. Abe said he is suffering a recurrence of the ulcerative colitis that forced him to cut short a first term in office, and that he no longer felt able to continue as […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to announce his resignation over health issues, local media reported Friday hours before he is due to address a press conference. “Abe intends to resign as his illness has worsened and he worries it will cause trouble” in leading the country, national broadcaster NHK said, without citing a source. Speculation about the prime minister’s health has been swirling for weeks but reached fever pitch […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) –Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will address speculation over his health at a press conference later Friday, with reports suggesting he will say he is fit to stay in office. Questions about Abe’s health have been swirling since he made a previously unannounced visit to hospital for medical checks on August 17, and then returned for further checks a week later, on Monday. Abe, 65, ended his first term as prime minister […]
CHARIKAR, Afghanistan (AFP) — Rescue workers were searching Thursday for bodies in the debris of collapsed houses after flash floods fuelled by torrential rains killed at least 162 people in Afghanistan. At least 100 people died in the city of Charikar north of Kabul when flooding overnight on Tuesday caused hundreds of buildings to collapse. Abdul Ghayor, a labourer who was working in the capital, said he had rushed back to Charikar to look for […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing on Thursday slammed Washington’s “tyrannical logic” over the latest US sanctions targeting Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea, worsening tensions between the two superpowers. In recent years, China has aggressively pursued its territorial claims in the South China Sea, building small shoals and reefs into military bases with airstrips and port facilities. Both the US and Chinese militaries have recently ramped up their actions in the region, raising tensions […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s parliament was shut down on Thursday and a group of lawmakers were in self-quarantine as the country recorded more than 400 new coronavirus infections. The South endured one of the worst early outbreaks of Covid-19 outside mainland China before bringing it broadly under control with extensive tracing and testing, but is now battling several clusters mostly linked to Protestant churches. Thursday’s 441 new cases were mostly in the […]
by Elise Blanchard with Emal Haidary in Kabul CHARIKAR, Afghanistan (AFP) — Rescue workers in Afghanistan searched Wednesday for survivors of flash floods that killed more than 100 people and destroyed hundreds of houses near Kabul, officials said. Troops pulled dozens of victims from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Charikar, capital of Parwan province, after torrential overnight rains fuelled fierce floods that swept through the city. Officials and witnesses said many children were among […]
