AHMEDABAD, India (AFP) — At least 12 workers were killed Wednesday when part of a chemical warehouse collapsed following a powerful blast in western India, officials said. A fire official said the dead included five women and nine other people were injured in the incident at an industrial complex on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, a major city in western Gujarat state. “The death toll has increased to 12 which includes five women. Nine people are […]
Asia
South Korean military captures North Korean crossing border
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A North Korean man was captured by South Korea’s military on Wednesday after crossing the inter-Korean border, Seoul said. The man was identified by Seoul only as a North Korean male, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Investigations will be conducted “in cooperation with related agencies for details”, it added, including whether the man sought to defect to the South. No unusual activity of the North’s […]
Two children rescued days after deadly Turkey quake
by Luana SARMINI-BUONACCORSI BAYRAKLI, Turkey (AFP) — Rescuers pulled two children from the rubble in a town in Turkey on Monday, providing hope nearly three days after a major earthquake hit the Aegean, killing 94 people and damaging or destroying dozens of buildings. Three-year-old Elif Perincek was rescued 65 hours after the 7.0-magnitude quake left a trail of destruction in western Turkey and eastern Greece on Friday, Turkey’s AFAD emergency authority said. Local media showed […]
Saudi ‘strongly condemns’ knife attack in France
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia “strongly condemned” deadly stabbings Thursday in the French city of Nice, which authorities are investigating as the latest terrorist attack in France. A knife-wielding man killed three people at a church in Nice on Thursday, slitting the throat of at least one of them, in an attack that triggered global shock. “We strongly condemn and denounce the terrorist attack that occurred… in Nice, France, which resulted in the […]
Suu Kyi kicks off advance voting for elderly in Myanmar election
by Richard SARGENT / Su Myat MON NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi cast her ballot Thursday ahead of election day next week with hundreds of thousands of elderly voters across the country expected to follow suit to reduce the risk of coronavirus. Wearing a face mask, rubber gloves and her trademark flowers in her hair, Suu Kyi was one of the first in the country to vote in the […]
South Korean ex-president Lee ordered back to prison for 17 years
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak was ordered back to prison Thursday as the country’s Supreme Court upheld a 17-year jail term for bribery and embezzlement offences. The conservative Lee, who served as president from 2008 to 2013, had been out on bail awaiting the ruling and was not in court for the decision. The ruling is not subject to further appeal and at age 78 means Lee is likely […]
India passes eight million coronavirus cases
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India on Thursday passed eight million coronavirus cases, with the world’s second-worst-hit country bracing for a possible second wave ahead of winter and a series of religious festivals. There have now been 8,040,203 cases and 120,527 deaths across the country of 1.3 billion people, according to the latest government figures. The United States has seen 9.1 million cases and more than 230,000 deaths. India has one of the world’s […]
UPDATED: 21 dead, dozens missing in Vietnam after typhoon brings destruction
by Quy Le Bui QUANG NAM, Vietnam (AFP) –Twenty-one people have been killed and dozens more were feared dead on Thursday after a typhoon tore through central Vietnam, triggering landslides and causing some of the worst destruction seen in years. Typhoon Molave hit villages as it made landfall a day earlier, tearing roofs from homes and bringing heavy rain to an area already badly affected by weeks of flooding. Hundreds of rescuers were desperately trying […]
France fears new lockdown to contain virus flare-up
by Mariëtte Le Roux Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — France was preparing Wednesday for tough new restrictions to halt a flare-up in Covid-19 cases that has alarmed doctors, with a second lockdown widely mooted as hospitals battle an influx of patients. President Emmanuel Macron is to announce more measures in a televised address to the nation Wednesday evening, a day after officials announced coronavirus 523 deaths in 24 hours — the highest […]
Millions queue to vote as India state election gets under way
by Prakash Singh and Archana Thiyagarajan Agence France Presse PATNA, India (AFP) — Millions of Indians turned out to cast ballots in a state election Wednesday in the world’s biggest vote since the coronavirus emerged, with booths packed out and many ignoring government advice on wearing masks and social distancing. Some 70 million people are eligible to vote in Bihar, an impoverished eastern state governed by an alliance that includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s […]
Two dead, 26 missing as Typhoon Molave slams into Vietnam
QUANG NAI, Vietnam (AFP) — Two people were reported killed and 26 others missing as Typhoon Molave hit central Vietnam Wednesday, knocking down trees and tearing roofs off homes in some of the worst destruction seen in years. Authorities relocated around 375,000 people to safety, cancelled hundreds of flights and closed schools and beaches ahead of the typhoon, which made landfall south of Danang packing winds of up to 145 kilometres per hour (85 miles […]
Russia seeks accelerated WHO registration for virus vaccine
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia has applied to the World Health Organization for accelerated registration and pre-qualification of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the country’s sovereign wealth fund said Tuesday. Russia announced in August that it had registered the world’s first coronavirus vaccine, named after the Soviet-era satellite. On Tuesday, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which finances the vaccine, said that accelerated registration would make Sputnik V “available globally in a shorter time frame than […]
