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JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on a clearer path to victory on Wednesday in Israel’s general election after updated exit polls showed him gaining ground on his main rival. Two updated exit polls by Israeli television channels put his rightwing Likud ahead of rival Benny Gantz’s Blue and White by one seat. One of the polls further improved his chances of forming a coalition government based on smaller rightwing parties allied […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Japanese F-35A stealth fighter jet with one pilot on board disappeared off the radar while on a training mission over the Pacific late Tuesday, the defense ministry said. The fighter jet went missing around 7:30 pm (1030 GMT) as it was flying some 135 kilometers (84 miles) east of Misawa, northeastern Japan, a ministry spokeswoman said. The plane lost contact about 30 minutes after taking off from Misawa Air Base […]
by Jonah Mandel and Mike Smith JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger Benny Gantz were neck and neck after Israeli elections on Tuesday, exit polls showed, but the premier seemed better placed to form a coalition. Both men claimed victory after the exit surveys were released by Israel’s three main television stations following the closure of polling places at 1900 GMT. Exit polls have proven to be unreliable in […]
by Kay Armin Serjoie Agence France Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday accused the United States of being the real “leader of world terrorism”, hitting back after Washington blacklisted Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation. Tehran was quick to retaliate on Monday by declaring US troops “terrorists” following Washington’s move, which was welcomed by Iran’s regional arch-rivals Israel and Saudi Arabia. It was the first time that Washington […]
Israelis voted Tuesday in a high-stakes election that will decide whether to extend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long right-wing tenure or to replace him with an ex-military chief new to politics. The vote is expected to be close and likely lead to frantic negotiations to form a coalition once results are in, with opinion polls having shown Netanyahu best placed to do so. Polls were to close at 1900 GMT in most areas and […]
by Yan Zhao and Elaine Yu Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A group of Hong Kong activists face jail after being convicted Tuesday on colonial-era “public nuisance” charges for their role in organizing mass pro-democracy protests that paralyzed the city for months and infuriated Beijing. The convictions followed a trial that has renewed alarm over shrinking freedoms under an assertive China which has rejected demands by Hong Kongers asking for a […]
by Theodore Lim Agence France Presse SINGAPORE (AFP) — Tech giants have reacted with horror after Singapore proposed laws against “fake news” allowing authorities to order the removal of content and impose hefty fines, in what critics say is an assault on free speech. The government unveiled a bill last week containing tough measures, including powers for ministers to order social media sites like Facebook to put warnings next to posts authorities believe to […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A Cathay Dragon flight from Taiwan to Hong Kong made an emergency landing on Monday at the city it departed from after experiencing a “technical issue” shortly after take-off, the carrier said. Cathay Pacific, the parent company of Cathay Dragon, said flight KA451 from Kaohsiung to Hong Kong made an “air return” and landed safely back at the southern Taiwanese city. An official with Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) told […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Floods in Iran since March have killed 70 people the head of the emergency services said on Friday according to the official IRNA News Agency. “The floods also injured 791 persons of which 45 are still hospitalized,” Pirhossein Koolivand, the head of the national Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Organisation said. A report published on the EMS website showed the southern Fars Province had the highest fatalities with 23 dead. The report […]
by Jonah Mandel Agence France-Presse MOTZA ILLIT, Israel (AFP) – Eyal Vardi has voted for Israel’s Labour party for most of his adult life, but the 60-year-old wants to support a winner in April 9 elections. Attending a recent open house for a candidate for another party in an affluent community west of Jerusalem, Vardi points out that Labour has all but abandoned its left-wing roots anyway. He’ll vote for the centrist Blue and White party […]
by Abhaya SRIVASTAVA Agence France-Presse NEW DELHI, India (AFP) – India’s alpha-male Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces three formidable women looking to spoil his chances of winning a new term in elections beginning next week. AFP profiles them here: ‘Big sis’ Feisty and fiery Mamata Banerjee is the first female chief minister of the eastern state of West Bengal — home to more people than Germany — where Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) needs to […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — An enormous fire erupted Thursday in the South Korean border town of Goseong, leaving at least one dead, destroying dozens of homes and forcing more than 3,000 people to evacuate, the Yonhap news agency reported. Strong winds fanned the flames in the town, located in mountainous northeastern Gangwon province near the frontier with North Korea, the report said, citing fire officials. The National Fire Agency mobilised about 2,700 emergency personnel, […]
