Asia

Ten trapped by avalanche in Indian Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India (AFP) — Rescuers battled Friday to reach the site of an avalanche that buried 10 people in Indian-administered Kashmir following two days of heavy snowfall across the region, police said. The avalanche hit a fire emergency facility late Thursday in the Banihal area of the Kashmir valley. Six police, two prisoners and two other personnel had taken refuge there during a storm. “We have not been able to rescue anyone so far because […]

Saudi crown prince told aide he would use ‘a bullet’ on Khashoggi: report

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s crown prince told a senior aide he would go after Jamal Khashoggi “with a bullet” a year before the dissident journalist was killed inside the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate, the New York Times reported Thursday quoting US intelligence. US intelligence understood that Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s 33-year-old de facto ruler, was ready to kill the journalist, although he may not have literally meant to shoot him, according to […]

Death toll hits 10 in Istanbul apartment block collapse

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — The death toll from the collapse of an Istanbul apartment block rose to 10 on Thursday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble, Turkish authorities said. The eight-storey building, which is located in the Kartal district on the Asian side of the city, collapsed on Wednesday but the cause is not yet clear. Rescuers had initially put the death toll at two, but Istanbul governor Ali Yerlikaya said on Thursday […]

Trump says no Xi meeting expected before trade talks deadline

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Thursday he does not expect to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping before a March 1 deadline in trade war negotiations between the two economic superpowers. “Not yet,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if a meeting had been arranged for within the next month. Asked if a meeting could happen before March 1, he said: “No.” Trump has said that final […]

Bangkok governor appeals for help reducing toxic smog

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Bangkok’s governor on Thursday appealed for help to battle the toxic smog shrouding the capital as the deployment of drones left Bangkok residents unimpressed. The city has been blanketed in a murky haze for weeks, inciting criticism from the public over the government’s response, which has veered from playing down the problem to abruptly shutting schools. Authorities have seeded clouds to provoke rain, sprayed overpasses with water to catch micro-pollutants, and […]

Hong Kong seizes record eight tonnes of pangolin scales

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong customs officers unveiled a record seizure of pangolin scales on Friday, the latest huge haul to underscore the city’s central role in the lucrative and booming illegal wildlife trade. Officials said they conducted a joint investigation with mainland customs officers on 16 January, seizing 8,300 kilos of pangolin scales and 2,100 kilos of ivory tusks hidden inside a container at a customs facility. “This is a record high […]

Plane skids off runway, closing parts of Tokyo’s Narita

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Japan Airlines plane from New Delhi skidded off a snow-bound runway at Narita Airport on Friday, officials told AFP, briefly closing part of Tokyo’s main hub. Spokespeople from the airport and the carrier said the 201 passengers and crew had all been escorted off the Boeing 787 jet with no serious injuries. The accident forced the airport to close one of its two runways for an hour from 7 am […]

China says US trade talks made ‘important progress’

BEIJING, China (AFP) — The US and Chinese negotiators made “important progress” in their trade talks in Washington, China’s official Xinhua news agency said on Friday. The two sides held “candid, specific and fruitful” discussions, the agency said, citing a statement from the Chinese delegation. © Agence France-Presse

World’s top two shipbuilders in deal to merge: Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The world’s biggest shipbuilder, South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries, has reached a deal to acquire a majority stake in ailing number two Daewoo from the government, Seoul said Thursday. The world’s top three shipbuilders are South Korean — Samsung Heavy ranks third — but the industry has been hammered in recent years by overcapacity and plunging ship prices. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering has struggled in particular and has repeatedly […]

Displaced Syrian children sift through trash to buy bread

by Aaref Watad Agence France Presse KAFR LUSIN, Syria (AFP) — Outside a camp for the displaced in northwest Syria, 15-year-old Sabaa al-Jassim hacked away at a mountain of trash hoping to find scraps to sell for food. Using a hooked metal rod, he stabbed at acrid household waste in the village of Kafr Lusin, looking for plastic to trade for a few dollars to feed his 11-member family. “I go to the dump to […]

King of Spain visits Iraq, first in 40 years: diplomat

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Spain’s King Felipe VI on Wednesday visited special forces helping Iraq fight jihadists, during the first trip by a Spanish monarch to the war-ravaged country in four decades, a diplomat said. The king, whose country is a member of an international coalition battling the Islamic State group, also later met President Barham Saleh. Iraq in 2017 declared victory over IS following a bruising months-long campaign backed by the coalition, which continues […]

Hundreds of schools to shut as toxic smog cloaks Bangkok

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Toxic smog forced Bangkok authorities to issue an unprecedented order to shut nearly 450 schools on Wednesday, as authorities struggle to manage a pollution crisis that has stirred widespread concern. The Thai capital has been shrouded in murky haze for weeks, forcing residents to don masks and sparking social media criticism of the uneven response by the government. Reasons given for the lingering pall include exhaust from traffic, unfettered construction, the […]