Asia

Hong Kong leader refuses to scrap extradition bill despite rally

by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing leader on Monday refused to scrap a controversial plan to allow extraditions to the Chinese mainland, a day after huge crowds came out to oppose the proposal. Striking a defiant tone after the city’s largest protest since the 1997 handover, chief executive Carrie Lam said the legislature would debate the bill on Wednesday as planned, rejecting calls to delay or withdraw […]

Chinese cartoonist slams Twitter for refusing Tiananmen emoji

HONG KONG, China (AFP) – Chinese artist Badiucao, whose anonymous political satire infuriated Beijing and earned him comparisons to Banksy, on Thursday announced a protest campaign against Twitter over what he says is its pandering to China. This is the second time the social media giant has come under fire in the last week over its handling of China-related content after it apologized for mistakenly suspending accounts critical of Beijing — just days ahead of […]

UAE echoes Saudi call for resumed Sudan talks

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) – The United Arab Emirates, which has been a key supporter of Sudan’s ruling generals, called Thursday for resumed talks on its political future following a deadly crackdown on protesters. The military council, which ousted longtime president Omar al-Bashir on April 11, had offered on Wednesday to reopen negotiations. But the offer was rejected by protest leaders who demanded justice for the 108 people doctors say have been killed […]

Hungary tourist boat death toll reaches 15

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) – The bodies of two more South Korean tourists have been found after a sightseeing vessel sunk in Budapest last week, bringing the death toll to 15, with 13 still missing, police said. The Mermaid with mainly South Koreans aboard overturned and sank May 29, seconds after colliding with a bigger cruise ship on a busy stretch of the Danube river in the heart of Budapest. Police said late Wednesday that […]

Netanyahu fails to get postponement of corruption court hearing: reports

JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel’s attorney general on Thursday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone a court hearing over corruption allegations against him, media reports said. The prosecutor’s office said Netanyahu had requested “that the hearing be delayed due to the dissolution of the Knesset and the elections due on September 17” to a date after the polls, the Ynet news site said. After considering the matter, the prosecutor’s office said “nothing justified […]

Homesick OFWs in Japan grateful to the Iglesia ni Cristo for the Aid to OFW & Humanity they organized

by Tyra’nell PILLE-LU EBC Japan Correspondent TOKYO, Japan (Eagle News) – Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in Japan are grateful to the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) for the tangible and intangible blessings they received during the Aid for OFW and Humanity event the church organized at Hilton Hotel in Odaiba, Tokyo on Sunday, the 2nd of June. With huge smiles evident on the attendees’ faces, some guests said the event has cheered them up […]

South Korea approves $8 million in aid for hungry North

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea approved $8 million in humanitarian aid for the impoverished North on Wednesday, authorities said, with negotiations over Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal deadlocked and inter-Korean relations at a standstill. It will be the first such aid Seoul has provided Pyongyang since 2015 and follows the North’s lowest recorded harvest for a decade, according to the United Nations. The donation — to be made through the UN — comes as […]

US House votes to help ‘Dreamer’ immigrants; move to benefit over 20,000 undocumented Filipinos

  The Democrat-dominated House of Representatives approved a bill Tuesday that would create a path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, including more than 20,000 Filipino illegal migrants in the United States. The bill, however, faces dubious Senate chances. The White House has warned President Donald Trump would veto the legislation if it reaches his desk as is, and the Republicans who control the Senate are unlikely to pass the measure. The […]

Hungary tourist boat disaster death toll reaches 11

  BUDAPEST, Hungary (AFP) — Hungarian police confirmed Tuesday the discovery of two more South Korean victims of a sightseeing vessel which sank in Budapest last week, raising the toll to eleven tourists killed with 17 still missing. “A (male) body was found in the window of the boat wreck and brought to the surface,” said a statement by Hungarian counterterror police TEK, who are leading the search operation. Later, police confirmed a male body […]

Japan ends search for crashed F35 fighter jet

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan called off its search for an F-35A on Tuesday, almost two months after the stealth jet crashed into the sea sparking a scramble to recover the pilot and secrets onboard. Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters the search had been halted but that his teams were still investigating the cause of the crash, adding that F-35A operations in northern Japan had not yet resumed. The ministry would also keep […]

Tiananmen’s key moments: hope crushed by soldiers and tanks

HONG KONG, United States (AFP) — Tuesday marks the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing where Chinese troops fired on peaceful protesters, drawing global condemnation. Students rallying for democracy and freedom had filled the symbolic heart of Chinese power, drawing in workers and intellectuals and inspiring demonstrations across the country. But after weeks of protest, the movement was shattered by an overnight military assault that left hundreds of people dead — by […]

China urges students to weigh ‘risk’ of studying in US

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Monday warned students and academics on the “risk” of studying in the United States, citing an uptick in visa denials and delays amid a trade war and other tensions. The education ministry in a statement urged students to “strengthen risk assessment… and make relavent preparations”. The ministry said Chinese students and academics have experienced visa restrictions, delays in obtaining them, and visas with shorter duration. China is the […]