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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia on Thursday said it was creating government bodies to boost oversight of its intelligence operations, in the wake of international outrage over critic Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. The kingdom has said Khashoggi was killed inside its Istanbul consulate on October 2 in a “rogue operation” led by the then deputy intelligence chief Ahmad al-Assiri and royal court advisor Saud al-Qahtani, both of whom have been sacked. King Salman subsequently […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Tens of thousands of taxi drivers in South Korea went on a nationwide strike Thursday, snarling up traffic in Seoul, in the latest protest at a planned Uber-like ride-sharing service. An estimated 50,000 taxi drivers, wearing headbands, chanting slogans and waving banners, rallied outside the parliament, calling for the car-pooling app to be banned, AFP photographers at the scene said. Drivers say the service being introduced by KakaoTalk — the […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he wants to see his country’s economy in the world’s top five. “The main thing is that we need to get into a new league economically,” Putin told his annual press conference, adding: “We could very well take the fifth place in terms of size of economy. And I think we’ll do that.” Russia is currently ranked 12th in the world pecking order by […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Japanese court on Thursday rejected prosecutors’ request to extend the detention of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn after his arrest for financial misconduct, with local media saying he may now be released as early as Friday. The Tokyo District Court said a longer detention had been asked for, but was refused. Public broadcaster NHK said Ghosn may walk free on bail as early as Friday. Prosecutors have charged him with […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — A powerful cyclone left one person dead and forced thousands to flee their homes on India’s east coast, officials said Tuesday. Cyclone Phethai packed winds up to 90 kilometres (55 miles) per hour, felling thousands of trees and electricity pylons, and bringing heavy rains to the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh state after making landfall on Monday. Officials said 10,600 people were moved to relief camps after being evacuated from […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — One of South Korean largest human rights groups will strip Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi of its 2004 prize because of her “indifference” to the atrocities against the Rohingya minority, organizers said Tuesday. Suu Kyi was unable to receive the Gwangju human rights award at the time because she was under house arrest by the military junta. Her party has since taken office in Myanmar and the […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — The new Maldives president, seen as closer to the West and India than his predecessor, secured $1.4 billion from New Delhi on Monday in his first visit abroad to his country’s “closest friend”. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said after talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that they would also “strengthen maritime security” through patrols, aerial surveillance and exchanging information. “India is our closest neighbour and our people are bound by ties […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — President Xi Jinping vowed Tuesday to push ahead with China’s “reform and opening up” but warned that no one can “dictate” what it does, as the Communist Party celebrated the policy’s 40th anniversary. “No one is in a position to dictate to the Chinese people what should or should not be done,” Xi said as China faces a stern challenge from the United States over trade and diplomacy. © Agence France-Presse
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Hope has all but faded for 13 miners trapped deep underground four days ago when an illegal “rat hole” coal pit flooded in remote northeastern India. Emergency crews have been pumping water from the site since the accident last Thursday in mineral-rich Meghalaya state, but no contact has been made with the workers believed trapped below, police say. Authorities have declined to comment on their fate, but concede the operation […]
MUMBAI, India (AFP) — At least six people were killed and more than 100 injured when a fire engulfed a hospital in Mumbai on Monday, officials said, in the latest disaster to raise concerns about fire safety in India. The blaze broke out around 4:00 pm (1130 GMT) on the fourth floor of the government-run ESIC Kamgar hospital in the northern suburb of Andheri. Six people died, according to a statement released by the civic […]
ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — A Turkish court on Monday placed three railway workers in pre-trial detention after they were accused of negligence leading to last week’s fatal rail crash in Ankara. Nine people were killed and almost 90 injured after a high-speed train crashed into a locomotive. Those detained — a signalman, a switchman and a controller working for the state railway authority — face charges of reckless manslaughter and causing injury, the Anadolu state news […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia on Monday filed criminal charges against Wall Street titan Goldman Sachs and two of its former employees over the scandal surrounding state fund 1MDB, authorities said. Charges were filed against subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs and former employees Tim Leissner and Ng Chong Hwa, said a statement from Malaysia’s attorney-general Tommy Thomas. Low Taek Jho, a Malaysian financier who allegedly masterminded the theft of billions of dollars from the sovereign […]
