Asia

Hong Kong leader offers “most sincere apology” for public turmoil created by extradition bill

  (Eagle News) — Embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam offered her “most sincere apology” Tuesday for the political unrest that has shaken Hong Kong because of massive protests to the extradition bill, saying she “will not proceed with this legislative exercise” if it would continue to be unpopular with the people. “In recognition of the anxiety and fears caused by the bill in the last few months, if we don’t have confidence from the […]

China’s Xi to visit North Korea this week ahead of G20

by Eva Xiao with Sebastien Berger in Pyongyang BEIJING, China (AFP) — Xi Jinping will make the first trip to North Korea by a Chinese president in 14 years this week, state media said Monday, as Beijing tightens relations with Pyongyang amid tensions with the United States. Xi will visit Pyongyang on Thursday and Friday at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said Chinese official news agency Xinhua. The timing is likely […]

UPDATED: China earthquake kills 12, injures 134

  BEIJING, China (AFP) –The toll from a strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake in southwest China rose to 12 dead and 134 injured on Tuesday as rescuers pulled bodies and survivors from wrecked buildings. More than 4,000 people were relocated as dozens of structures were damaged or collapsed following late Monday’s earthquake outside Yibin in Sichuan province, according to the city government. State broadcaster CCTV showed footage of rescuers bringing a survivor out of the rubble of […]

Shooting at rally mars Raptors celebration of NBA crown

by Jorge Uzon TORONTO, Canada (AFP ) — A giant parade to celebrate the Toronto Raptors winning their first NBA title was marred Monday by a shooting behind the downtown stage at Nathan Phillips Square — which left two people badly injured and sent revelers fleeing in panic. A crowd estimated at more than one million people gathered across downtown Toronto for a parade in tribute of the team, but the victory rally at the […]

At least six dead, 75 hurt in China quake

BEIJING, China (AFP) — A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck China’s southwestern Sichuan province on Monday, leaving at least six people dead and 75 others hurt, officials and state media said. Rescuers were rushing to affected areas in heavy rain near the epicenter, which was located outside the city of Yibin, the Xinhua news agency reported. The quake occurred at about 10:55 pm (1455 GMT) at a depth of 16 kilometers (10 miles), according to the […]

Police kill gunman who opened fire on US courthouse

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A man armed with an automatic rifle opened fire on a Dallas federal courthouse on Monday before being killed by police in the southern US city, law enforcement officials said. Police identified the shooter as 22-year-old Brian Clyde, who caused no deaths or injuries when he began firing at the courthouse entrance from a sidewalk. In images captured by a photographer at the scene, Clyde is pictured wearing a military […]

Beijing says it will ‘firmly support’ Hong Kong leader Lam

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing reiterated its backing of Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam on Monday after a massive demonstration demanding her resignation over a controversial extradition bill. Protest organisers said some 2 million people choked Hong Kong’s streets on Sunday — despite Lam’s decision to indefinitely suspend passage of the bill a day earlier. Critics fear the Beijing-backed law will entangle people in China’s notoriously opaque and politicised courts and damage the […]

Huawei founder says to cut output by $30-billion in 2019-20

The founder of Huawei said the Chinese telecom giant would slash production over the next two years as it grapples with a US push to isolate the company internationally. “In the coming two years, the company will cut production by $30 billion,” Ren Zhengfei said during a panel discussion at corporate headquarters in Shenzhen. © Agence France-Presse

Joshua Wong: Poster child of Hong Kong’s ‘Umbrella Movement’

by Jerome TAYLOR HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Joshua Wong was the unlikely hero who helped lead a movement that inspired hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers to take over the city’s streets for two months in 2014 calling for fully free elections. Scrawny, with gaunt features and a studious frown, the then 17-year-old spearheaded the mass “Umbrella Movement” protests, which were a reaction to restrictions from Beijing on how Hong Kong’s next leader would […]

Hong Kong leader apologizes as rally chokes city

by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO HONG KONG, China (AFP) — About two million protesters choked Hong Kong’s streets in a powerful rebuke of a reviled extradition law, organizers said Sunday, piling pressure on the city’s embattled pro-Beijing leader who apologized for causing “conflict” but refused to step down. The show of force saw vast crowds marching for hours in tropical heat, calling for the resignation of chief executive Carrie Lam, who was forced to […]

Severe heat kills dozens in India’s Bihar state

PATNA, India (AFP) — Severe heat has left dozens dead over a 24-hour period in India’s Bihar state, as the country enters a third week of searing temperatures, officials said Sunday. The deaths occurred in three districts of the poor northern state, where temperatures have hovered around 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in recent days, senior health official Vijay Kumar told AFP. Forty-nine people died in three districts of the Magadh region that has been […]

Crew on Japan tanker saw ‘flying object’ before attack: company head

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The crew of a Japanese-owned tanker hit in an apparent attack in the Gulf of Oman saw a “flying object” before a second blast on board, the operator’s head said Friday. “The crew members are saying that they were hit by a flying object. They saw it with their own eyes,” Yutaka Katada, head of Kokuka Sangyo shipping company, told reporters. “We have received a report saying that something seems to […]