Asia

Erdogan’s party loses re-run of Istanbul mayor election

by Fulya OZERKAN ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suffered a bruising defeat on Sunday as the opposition candidate in Istanbul’s controversial mayoral election re-run romped to victory. Ekrem Imamoglu had won the first mayoral vote in March by a slim margin of 13,000 votes over Erdogan’s chosen candidate, Binali Yildirim, who contested the results and a new election was ordered. After being stripped of that victory over disputed claims of fraud, […]

Rescuers scour rubble as Cambodia building collapse toll rises to 18

  SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia (AFP) — Victims of the Cambodia building collapse were buried alive as they slept, a survivor told AFP on Sunday, as the death toll at the Chinese-owned site rose to 18 and increasingly desperate rescuers picked through the compacted rubble for any further signs of life. There are fears many more workers may be buried as rescuers had scoured barely half of the debris of twisted metal, glass and large concrete slabs […]

North Korean leader receives ‘excellent’ letter from Trump, says North Korea’s state media

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received a personal letter of “excellent content” from US President Donald Trump, the country’s state media said Sunday, amid a nuclear deadlock between Pyongyang and Washington. Talks have been stalled since the collapse of a second summit between the two leaders in February after they failed to agree on what the North would be willing to give up in exchange for sanctions relief. […]

Hong Kong protesters end blockade of police headquarters

By RAF WOBER Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Protesters in Hong Kong ended their overnight siege of police headquarters peacefully Saturday, disappointed that their demands for the territory’s leader to formally withdraw a contentious extradition bill and police to apologize for heavy handed tactics have gone unmet. By daybreak, police had cleared the streets of barriers set up by protesters to snarl traffic in the Asian financial center, and only a few groups in […]

Hundreds converge anew on Hong Kong parliament to demand resignation of Chief Executive Lam

  (Eagle News) — After the Hong Kong government had refused to completely withdraw the unpopular extradition bill, hundreds of protesters again poured into Hong Kong’s main government complex early Friday to demand the resignation of Hong Kong leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who is seen as pro-Beijing. The people started converging around 7 a.m., many of them dressed in black. The government had refused to accede to the demands of the protesters who have […]

6.3-magnitude earthquake rocks Indonesia’s Papua

  A 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Papua, in eastern Indonesia Thursday, US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued. The quake hit about 250 kilometres west of the town of Abepura in Papua province at 12:46 am local time, at a depth of 12 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake was felt weakly in Abepura, but most people did not notice it. “I was still awake at home but I did not […]

Iran says it has shot down US drone over its territory: TV

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Thursday it had shot down a US “spy drone” over its territory after it violated Iranian airspace, according to Iranian state television. “The US-made Global Hawk surveillance drone was brought down by its Air Force” in the country’s southern coastal province of Hormozgan, the Revolutionary Guard added, according to the English-language Press TV. © Agence France-Presse

Xi arrives in North Korea to meet Kim ahead of Trump talks

by Sebastien Berger with Poornima Weerasekara in Beijing PYONGYANG, North Korea (AFP) — President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday on a historic trip to reboot a troubled alliance, as he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un face their own challenges with US President Donald Trump. Xi is the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years after relations between the Cold War era allies deteriorated over Pyongyang’s nuclear provocations and […]

US says Saudis can do more after UN Khashoggi probe

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A US official said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia should do more to ensure accountability over the death of dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi but stopped short of blaming the crown prince after a UN probe linked him to the killing. Brian Hook, who is in charge of pushing President Donald Trump’s hawkish line on Iran, was asked about US support of Tehran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia as he testified before Congress. […]

Xi heads to North Korea to meet Kim ahead of Trump talks

by Sebastien Berger with Poornima Weerasekara in Beijing BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a historic trip to Pyongyang on Thursday, rebooting a troubled alliance as he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un face their own challenges with US President Donald Trump. Xi will be the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years after relations between the Cold War era allies deteriorated over Pyongyang’s nuclear provocations and Beijing’s […]

DFA checking if there are Filipinos affected in Japan quake

  (Eagle News) — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it is “closely monitoring the situation” of more than 800 Filipinos living in Yamagata Prefecture in Japan which had been hit by a magnitude 6.8 quake at around 10:30 p.m. (Japan time) Tuesday. Through the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo and the Philippine Consulate General in Osaka, the DFA is closely checking if there were Filipinos affected by the strong quake that hit Yamagata, Northern […]

Japan quake causes minor tsunami, 16 hurt

  by Shingo Ito Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocked Japan, sparking a tsunami advisory that was later lifted with no reports Wednesday of major damage and only a handful of light injuries. The nation’s meteorological agency had warned Tuesday that a wave of one metre (three feet) could hit the coast of the Sea of Japan, north of Tokyo, but only small ripples of 10 centimetres were recorded. […]