Asia

N. Korea rocket site appears ‘operational’ again: US experts

by Francesco FONTEMAGGI WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A North Korean long-range rocket launch site appears to have resumed “normal operation status,” US experts said Thursday, calling it an “affront” to President Donald Trump’s strategy of diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang. The specialized website 38 North and the Center for Strategic and International Studies used commercial satellite imagery to track construction at the site — which they said began before last week’s aborted summit in Hanoi […]

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China’s Huawei sues US over federal ban on using its products

SHENZHEN, China (AFP) — Chinese telecom giant Huawei said Thursday it was suing the United States for barring government agencies from buying the telecom company’s equipment and services. Huawei said the suit was filed in a US District Court in Plano, Texas, challenging a 2019 US defense bill that prevents US government agencies from buying Huawei equipment and services, as well as working with third parties that are Huawei customers. The lawsuit is Huawei’s latest […]

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Ghosn out on bail after more than 100 days

by Harumi OZAWA / Natsuko FUKUE TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn left his Tokyo detention center Wednesday after more than 100 days in custody, following a shock court decision granting him bail of one billion yen ($9 million). Ghosn left the detention center in northern Tokyo flanked by guards, wearing a blue cap, a white medical face mask and a work jacket with orange reflective stripes. Unrecognisable from the tycoon who […]

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North Korea food production ‘lowest for a decade’: UN

  by Sebastien Berger Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea recorded its worst harvest for more than a decade last year, the United Nations said Wednesday, as natural disasters combined with its lack of arable land and inefficient agriculture to hit production. The isolated North, which is under several sets of sanctions over its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs, has long struggled to feed itself and suffers chronic food shortages. […]

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South Korea court grants bail for ex-president Lee

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Jailed former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak was granted bail on Wednesday, nearly a year after he was arrested over corruption charges. The CEO-turned president, who served from 2008 to 2013, was found guilty on charges including bribery and embezzlement and sentenced to 15 years in prison last October. Lee appealed the decision and in January made a request for bail, citing old age and potential health complications from […]

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Pyongyang ‘rebuilding’ main satellite launch site, photos show

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Activity has been detected at a North Korean long-range rocket site suggesting Pyongyang may be pursuing the “rapid rebuilding” of a test facility after the collapse of the Hanoi summit, according to analysis of satellite imagery from a US think tank. The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) says activity is “evident” at the vertical engine test stand and the launch pad’s rail-mounted rocket transfer structure at the […]

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Malaysia joins ICC in boost for beleaguered court

  KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia has become a member of the International Criminal Court, a minister said Tuesday, in a boost for the beleaguered institution at a time it faces growing criticism. The ICC is the world’s only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling. But the tribunal in The Hague has come under fire over high-profile acquittals, while Burundi became the […]

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Pakistan navy says it stopped Indian sub from entering its waters

  KARACHI, Pakistan (AFP) — Pakistan has stopped an Indian submarine from entering its waters, the navy said Tuesday, as tensions continue to run high between the nuclear-armed foes. The development came days after a rare aerial dogfight between India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir ignited fears of an all-out conflict, with world powers rushing to urge restraint. “The Pakistan navy stopped an Indian submarine from entering our territorial waters,” a naval […]

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Tokyo court grants ex-Nissan chief Ghosn bail: media

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Tokyo Court on Tuesday granted ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn bail, local media reported, in a shock decision that could see the auto tycoon freed after more than three months of detention. The court reportedly set the bail at one billion yen ($9 million), but prosecutors are likely to appeal the decision and could even file additional allegations against Ghosn to keep him from leaving detention. © Agence France-Presse

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Ghosn family calls on UN to help release him, says lawyer

PARIS, France (AFP) — The family of former industrial tycoon Carlos Ghosn, currently held in Japan on charges of financial misconduct, is to appeal to the United Nations in a bid to have him released, one of his lawyers said Monday. Ghosn, 64, formerly in charge of the Nissan and Renault carmakers, has been in detention since his shock November 19 arrest, and has tried repeatedly without success to secure bail. “We have decided to […]

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North Korea’s Kim arrives home after Trump summit

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea’s Kim Jong Un arrived home on Tuesday, state media said, completing his marathon journey through China after his Hanoi summit with US President Donald Trump ended without a nuclear deal. Kim’s return to Pyongyang marked the end of an epic 4,000-kilometre (2,500-mile) journey — on board his olive green armoured train — from Vietnam, where his much-hyped second summit with Trump came to an abrupt halt last […]

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Trump: Ending SKorea war games not concession to Kim

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Monday denied that he ordered an end to major US-South Korean military exercises as a concession to North Korea’s totalitarian leader Kim Jong Un. The previously annual, large-scale maneuvers — meant to keep troops ready in case of conflict with North Korea — were shelved shortly after Trump’s summit last week with Kim in Hanoi. Trump denied there was any link. “The military drills, or […]

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