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TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan on Monday announced its new imperial era, which will begin next month after Emperor Akihito abdicates, will be known as “Reiwa”, a word that includes the character for “harmony”. The name consists of two characters: “Rei”, which can have meanings related to “order” but also “auspicious” and “Wa”, usually translated as “peace” or “harmony”. The government is expected to explain the official meaning as well as the English spelling for […]
by Fulya Ozerkan with Raziye Akkoc in Ankara ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP appeared headed for defeat in the capital Ankara in Sunday’s local elections, delivering a blow to the party in power for a decade and a half. With 92 percent of the ballot boxes counted, the joint opposition candidate for Ankara mayor was ahead with 50.62 percent of votes and the AKP on 47.20 percent, Anadolu state […]
TUNIS, Tunisia (AFP) — Arab leaders slammed the US decision to recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory at a summit in Tunis on Sunday, but struggled for further unity as Qatar’s emir left the meeting early. In a final declaration, the Arab League summit said it “affirmed that the Golan is occupied Syrian territory according to international law, the decisions of the United Nations and the Security Council”. A separate statement dedicated solely to […]
by Hiroshi HIYAMA TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s outgoing Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko dramatically modernized the tradition-bound monarchy, bringing themselves closer to the public and boosting popular support for the household. Akihito has broken new ground with everything from his decision to marry for love to his outspoken calls for peace and expressions of regret over Japan’s wartime role. His approach has at times unsettled those who view the emperor as a divine priest […]
by Ammar Karim Agence France-Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) – A governor on the run, officials summoned to court and candidates accused of bribing councilors: the Mosul ferry disaster has brought renewed attention to the scourge of corruption in Iraq. Nationwide horror over the March 21 capsizing of the overloaded riverboat in the northern city of Mosul, which claimed 100 lives, mostly of women and children, has given way to a clamor for provincial officials to be […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea has almost completed rebuilding a long-range rocket site it had promised to close, Seoul lawmakers told reporters Friday after a closed-door meeting with South Korean intelligence officials. The claim comes a month after a second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in February ended without an agreement, deepening a gap between the two on how to achieve “complete denuclearisation”. Shortly […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — US President Donald Trump will host his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in next month, Seoul said Friday, after the latest summit between Washington and Pyongyang ended in deadlock. Moon has long backed a policy of engagement with nuclear-armed, sanctions-hit Pyongyang and was instrumental in brokering talks between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. But the failure of Kim and Trump to reach an agreement in Hanoi on curtailing […]
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) — Firefighters were combing through the charred shell of a Bangladesh skyscraper Friday where at least 19 people died in a high-rise blaze, with many having jumped to their deaths. Flames tore through the 22-storey FR Tower in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon, trapping hundreds of office workers. Some made it to safety by sliding down cables on the side of the building, but others took their chances and jumped in a bid to […]
by Jalees Andrabi NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India said Wednesday it destroyed a low-orbiting satellite in a missile test that proved the nation was among the world’s most advanced space powers. In a rare address to the nation just weeks out from a national election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India had joined the United States, Russia, and China in accomplishing the feat. A missile fired from a testing facility in Odisha, eastern India, […]
by Ryan MCMORROW BEIJING, China (AFP) — The United States and China open the latest round of their trade talks Thursday as the economic superpowers edge towards a deal to resolve a months-long spat that has rattled the global economy. The two-day meetings between US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin with China’s top economic official Liu He is the first since China put into law new measures seen as an olive […]
by Stephen Weizman with Sakher Abou El Oun in Gaza City JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Calm returned Wednesday after Palestinian militants in Gaza fired three rockets at Israel overnight, prompting retaliatory fire from Israel and threatening a Hamas-declared truce. But while the shaky ceasefire seemed to be taking effect, there were concerns the first anniversary of mass protests along the Gaza-Israel border on Saturday could lead to further tensions. A big turnout is expected for […]
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — To hear President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the campaign trail, Turkey’s municipal elections on Sunday may be a fight for survival against foreign and domestic enemies trying to destroy the country. For many Turks, it may be more about the family finances. No one expects a major defeat for Erdogan’s AKP. But with Turkey’s economy in recession and inflation in double digits, the ruling party faces a tough battle to capture […]
