Asia

China slams ‘tyrannical logic’ of US South China Sea sanctions

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 […]

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South Korean parliament closed over virus fears

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 […]

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Afghanistan flash floods kill over 100

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 […]

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US blacklists Chinese individuals, firms for South China Sea work

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Wednesday announced sanctions and restrictions on two dozen Chinese companies and associated officials for taking part in building artificial islands in disputed waters in the South China Sea. The 24 state-owned firms include subsidiaries of construction giant China Communications Construction Co., telecommunications firms and a unit of the China Shipbuilding Group. The move was the latest step in Washington’s efforts to pressure Beijing over its military […]

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UPDATED: Flash floods kill more than 70 in Afghanistan

by Elise Blanchard with Emal Haidary in Kabul KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Rescue workers in Afghanistan searched Wednesday for survivors of flash floods that killed more than 70 people and destroyed hundreds of houses in a city north of the capital, officials said. Troops pulled dozens from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Charikar, capital of Parwan province, after it was hit by heavy rain overnight, but officials and witnesses said many children were among […]

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N. Korea’s Kim issues warning on virus as health speculation swirls

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean state media on Wednesday showed leader Kim Jong Un at a meeting of a top committee issuing warnings about the coronavirus and a looming typhoon, following international speculation over his state of health. Kim’s comments come amid conjecture over his condition after South Korea’s spy agency said he had delegated some authority to his sister Kim Yo Jong to relieve his “governance stress”. A former aide to late […]

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Seoul schools go back online over virus fears

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea on Tuesday ordered all schools and kindergartens in the greater Seoul region to switch to online classes as authorities battle multiple coronavirus clusters. The country’s “trace, test and treat” approach to curbing the virus has been held up as a global model, but it is now trying to contain several outbreaks, mostly linked to Protestant churches. South Korea reported 280 new infections on Tuesday, taking the country’s total […]

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South Korea tightens virus curbs as global deaths cross 800,000

by Sunghee Hwang, with AFP Bureaus SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea ramped up coronavirus restrictions on Sunday to try to contain a growing outbreak, as many countries around the world battled worrying surges in infections. The pandemic has killed more than 800,000 people globally, and continues to unleash destruction with areas such as Western Europe detecting spikes in infections not seen for many months. Infections have soared past 23 million globally, and some […]

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One dead, scores feared trapped in India building collapse

by Pritam SAKPAL MAHAD, India (AFP) — One person was killed and dozens feared trapped after a five-storey apartment building collapsed late Monday in western India, officials said. Estimates of the number of missing people range from 51 to 200, according to various local officials. The collapsed structure comprised 47 flats, police in the town of Mahad — 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Mumbai in Maharashtra state — said in a statement. The cause […]

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Jordan summit still on after Iraq minister catches COVID-19: officials

  AMMAN, Jordan (AFP) — An Amman summit between Jordan, Iraq and Egypt will go ahead Tuesday, officials said, with extra precautions after Iraq’s telecommunications minister tested positive for COVID-19. Minister Arkan al-Shaybani and fellow Iraqi officials were tested upon landing in Amman on Friday and were put under confinement following the positive result, according to a statement by Jordan’s information minister Amjad al-Adayla. “This required implementing medical procedures put in place to protect the […]

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Pompeo starts Middle East tour in Israel

by Guillaume Lavallee and Stephen Weizman JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Israel on Monday to start a five-day Middle East tour focused on Israel’s normalising of ties with the United Arab Emirates and pushing other Arab states to follow suit. Pompeo, wearing a face mask in the colours of the US flag, was due to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in coming days also visit Sudan, Bahrain […]

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Japan PM in hospital for more checks as health speculation grows

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returned to hospital on Monday for more medical checks, a government spokesman said, a week after a first visit that fuelled growing speculation about his health. “I’ve been told today he will receive additional testing after a check-up” last week, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters at a regular briefing. “I see him every day and I don’t see any change in him,” Suga said, in […]

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