Asia

US says North Korean test not a ballistic missile

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A weapons test announced by North Korea was not of a ballistic missile, the US defense chief said Thursday, adding that US forces have not changed their posture in response. “There was a test,” Patrick Shanahan, the acting defense secretary, told reporters as he met his Albanian counterpart at the Pentagon. He declined to elaborate on the findings of US intelligence but said, “It’s not a ballistic missile.” “Also […]

Mueller report shows ‘no reasonable proof’ of Russian meddling: Kremlin

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Friday once more dismissed the Mueller report, saying it failed to present clear evidence of any meddling by Moscow in the 2016 US election and called its impact on relations regrettable. “As a whole the report as before does not present any reasonable proof at all that Russia allegedly meddled in the electoral process in the US,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, saying it contained “no new […]

Bangladesh girl burned to death on teacher’s order after she reported sexual assault, says police

  DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) — A schoolgirl was burned to death in Bangladesh on the orders of her head teacher after she reported him for sexually harassing her, police said Friday. The death of 19-year-old Nusrat Jahan Rafi last week sparked protests across the South Asian nation, with the prime minister promising to prosecute all those involved. Rafi was lured to the rooftop of the Islamic seminary she attended where her attackers asked her to […]

Indonesia’s ‘smooth’ polls a beacon in sea of strongmen: analysts

by Harry PEARL Agence France-Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) – Indonesia pulled off a complex yet peaceful election across its vast — and ethnically diverse — island territory this week, cementing its place as a democratic beacon in a sea of authoritarian governments, analysts say. But the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation still faces a spike in militant Islam and myriad other challenges. On Wednesday, the sprawling Southeast Asian archipelago saw as many as 190 million voters […]

North Korea demands Pompeo’s removal from US nuclear talks

  by Kang Jin-kyu Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Thursday demanded the removal of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from talks over its banned nuclear program, hours after the isolated state claimed to have tested a new kind of weapon. Describing Pompeo as “reckless” and immature, the foreign ministry said it wanted him replaced by another interlocutor, a demand that significantly ups the ante in a sensitive diplomatic […]

Strong 6.1-magnitude quake hits Taiwan, shakes buildings in Taipei

  A 6.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Taiwan on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, shaking buildings and disrupting traffic. In the capital Taipei, highrises swayed while some panicked schoolchildren fled their classrooms in eastern Yilan county, according to reports. The quake was felt across the island and a highway connecting Yilan and Hualien was shut down due to falling rocks, authorities said. An official at the Hualien county fire department told AFP that two people, including […]

N.Korea’s Kim oversees new ‘guided weapon’ test: state media

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has supervised the test-firing of a new type of “tactical guided weapon,” the country’s state media reported on Thursday. It said the “advantages” of the weapon were “the peculiar mode of guiding flight and the load of a powerful warhead”. The KCNA report did not provide further details about the weapon, but said Kim described its development as one “of very weighty significance […]

Thunderstorms kill 35 in India

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Thunderstorms swept across western India killing at least 35 people and leaving widespread damage, officials said Wednesday. Strong winds barrelled through Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh states felling walls, trees and electricity lines. The storms have also been blamed for at least 25 deaths in Pakistan this week. At least 10 people were killed in the desert state of Rajasthan, where a wall of dust swept over several cities. Another […]

Activity detected at North Korea nuclear site: US monitor

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Activity has been detected at North Korea’s main nuclear site, suggesting Pyongyang may be reprocessing radioactive material into bomb fuel since the collapse of a summit with Washington, a US monitor said Wednesday. The possible signs of fresh reprocessing activity last week come after a February summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended abruptly without agreement on Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. Since then […]

Amid intense drought, deadly rains lash Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Torrential rainstorms have lashed drought-stricken Afghanistan in recent days, bringing widespread flooding that has killed at least five people and washed away homes including in the capital Kabul, officials said Tuesday. While some welcomed the wet weather after the punishing dry spell of recent years, residents complained about the lack of infrastructure and government assistance to help them clear up from the deluge. Sixteen of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces were hit in […]

17 more detained over China blast that killed 78

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Police have detained 17 more suspects connected to a chemical blast in eastern China last month which killed 78 and left hundreds injured, local authorities said Monday. The explosion in eastern Jiangsu province was one of the worst industrial accidents in the country in recent years and led to the closure of the plant. Police have taken “criminal coercive measures” against the 17 suspects, said the Yancheng city government on its […]

Tiger wins 15th major title with spectacular Masters victory

by Jim SLATER AUGUSTA, United States (AFP) — Tiger Woods completed an epic “full circle” comeback from career-threatening injury and scandal by winning the 83rd Masters on Sunday, capturing his 15th major title with an unprecedented back-nine rally. Ending an 11-year major drought, the 43-year-old American superstar — who underwent spinal fusion surgery in 2017 due to chronic back pain — seized his first major title since the 2008 US Open. “It’s overwhelming just because […]