Asia

Missiles, drones and tanks: China shows off military prowess

  by Ludovic Ehret and Helen Roxburgh BEIJING, China (AFP) — China put its growing military might on full display Tuesday with a parade of new ballistic missiles, supersonic drones and next-generation battlefield tanks that highlighted Beijing’s accelerating race to match the firepower of its US rival. The tightly choreographed procession across Tiananmen Square underscored a level of material and technological innovation that is increasingly viewed by many as a threat to US dominance in […]

Hong Kong defies China anniversary with ‘Day of Grief’ rallies and clashes

  by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Strife-torn Hong Kong on Tuesday marked the 70th anniversary of Communist China’s founding with defiant “Day of Grief” protests and fresh clashes with police as pro-democracy activists ignored a ban on marches and took to the streets. Activists are determined to overshadow Beijing’s festivities, using the anniversary to step up their nearly four months of protests pushing for greater democratic […]

One party: How communists rule in China

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s Communist Party has defied the odds to retain firm control of power for 70 years, adapting to a changing world to outlast its comrades in the Soviet Union. As the People’s Republic of China celebrates its anniversary on Tuesday, here is a look at how the party has evolved over the years.   Turbulent decades  For almost three decades, China had its own style of rule: Maoism. Under the […]

China celebrates 70 years as Hong Kong unrest looms large

  by Laurent Thomet and Helen Roxburgh BEIJING, China (AFP) — China celebrates 70 years of Communist Party supremacy Tuesday with a parade of tanks, missiles and troops, a muscular display of its rising superpower status even as it faces an unprecedented challenge to its authority in seething Hong Kong. Authorities in Beijing have closed roads, banned the flying of kites, and shut some bars as they tightened security for an event celebrating China’s journey […]

Late monsoon fury kills 100 in north India

  PATNA, India (AFP) — At least 100 people have died in northern India over the last three days in unusually heavy late monsoon rains which have submerged streets, hospital wards and houses, officials said Monday. Dozens of boats were pressed into service on streets overflowing with gushing rain water in Patna, the capital of the eastern state of Bihar, after torrential downpours far stronger the normal. At least 27 people have lost their lives […]

Five injured in fire at Saudi high-speed train station: state TV

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Five people were injured in a fire that broke out at a new high-speed train station in Saudi Arabia’s western city of Jeddah on Sunday, state television reported, with huge palls of smoke seen rising into the air. The station serves the main Haramain High-Speed Rail system. The route opened to the public in October last year, taking passengers between Mecca and Medina, Islam’s holiest sites. “Five people who sustained […]

Factory fire kills 19 in east China: official

BEIJING, China (AFP) — A factory fire has killed 19 people in east China, local authorities said Monday, in the latest deadly incident to hit the country’s industrial sector. The fire broke out on Sunday at a factory in Ninghai county, eastern Zhejiang province, said the local government on its official Twitter-like Weibo account. The incident, which is under investigation, occurred at a facility owned by the Ruiqi Daily Necessities Company. Among eight people rescued […]

Strife-torn Hong Kong braces for China anniversary day violence

by Jerome TAYLOR / Jasmine LEUNG HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Ripped-up paving stones lay scattered around the graffiti-scarred streets of Hong Kong after one of the most violent days in a summer of rage, as protesters ready for fresh clashes on Tuesday’s 70th anniversary of communist China’s founding. The protest-wracked financial hub witnessed its fiercest political violence in weeks on Sunday as riot police spent hours in running battles with protesters, the streets blanketed […]

Taiwan shrugs as communist China hails 70th anniversary

  by Sean Chang  TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Communist China’s creation seven decades ago irrevocably changed Taiwan, but Beijing’s huge celebrations this week will be met with a collective shrug on an island where people increasingly see themselves as distinct from the mainland. After the People’s Republic of China was declared on 1 October 1949, its rival, the Republic of China, set up in Taiwan — the island Chiang Kai-shek’s defeated nationalists fled to and […]

Iglesia Ni Cristo holds Aid to Humanity in India, helps thousands of poor families

  (Eagle News) – The Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) held a series of Aid to Humanity activities in India which started on Friday, Sept. 27, 2019 in Andhra Pradesh. Government officials from India were among the thousands who gathered at the open field of the Andhra University in Visakhapatnam City where the INC conducted the first stop of its Aid to Humanity tour in India on Friday. The INC Aid to Humanity series […]

At least 44 killed in north India floods

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — At least 44 people were killed and thousands moved to relief camps because of flooding caused by torrential rains in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state, officials told AFP Saturday. Densely populated regions on the banks of two main rivers in the state, which are overflowing because of incessant rainfall in the last 24-48 hours, are among the worst hit. “We had confirmed 44 deaths till late yesterday night. The authorities […]

Russia tells US not to release Trump-Putin transcripts

  UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Russia on Friday urged the United States not to publish Donald Trump’s conversations with Vladimir Putin after a growing scandal led the White House to release a transcript from a call with Ukraine’s leader. “As for transcripts of phone conversations, my mother when bringing me up said that reading other people’s letters is inappropriate,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters at the United Nations. “It is indecent,” […]