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by Francesco Fontemaggi Agence France Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday arrived in Riyadh, where he is set to ask Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to ensure the killers of journalist Jamal Khashoggi are held accountable. The top US diplomat, on an extensive Middle East tour, embarked on his second politically sensitive visit to Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi’s murder inside its Istanbul consulate sparked an international […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — The UN envoy to Yemen said he was “alarmed” over the escalation of violence after a rebel drone attack on the country’s largest airbase killed six loyalist soldiers. In tweets posted overnight, Thursday Martin Griffiths urged all parties to Yemen’s protracted conflict to exercise restraint. The Shiite Huthi rebels said they carried out the strike which hit a military parade at Al-Anad air base, in government-held Lahij province some […]
by Nabil Hasan Agence France Presse AL- ANAD AIR BASE, Yemen (AFP) — A rebel drone hit Yemen’s largest air base Thursday, killing six loyalist soldiers during a military parade in an attack which threatens to hamper UN-led peace efforts. At talks in Sweden last month, the UN-brokered several agreements between Huthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government seen as the best chance of ending nearly four years of devastating conflict. The Shiite Huthi rebels said they […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan said Friday it will have to amend its upcoming budget to fund compensation for people whose benefits were underpaid for years because of a scandal involving erroneous labour data. The labour ministry admitted this week that it has for years failed to collect complete data for its monthly employment report, which is closely watched as an indicator of wages and work hours. The data helps determine various government benefits, including […]
by Hiroshi HIYAMA / Sara HUSSEIN Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo prosecutors on Friday filed two new charges of financial misconduct against former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn, meaning the auto tycoon is unlikely to be leaving his jail cell soon. Lawyers for the former jet-setting executive immediately said they would file a bail application, but have acknowledged that he will probably be detained until a trial. Ghosn denies any wrongdoing and argued […]
by Laurent ABADIE Agence France-Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Standing in his garden in Kabul, Baz Mohammad Kochi oversees the drilling of a new well more than 100 meters deep after his first water reservoir dried up. He is not alone. A shortage of rain and snow, a booming population and wasteful consumption have drained the Afghan capital’s water basin and sparked a race to the bottom as households and businesses bore deeper and deeper […]
by Kang Jin-kyu Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un came away from his fourth meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping with his hand strengthened in nuclear talks with the US, analysts say, even as Seoul urged him to do more. Beijing is Pyongyang’s sole major ally and key provider of trade and aid, their ties forged in the blood of the Korean War. The relationship had soured […]
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia on Thursday awarded a contract to build a $500 million wind farm, a first for the world’s top oil exporter as it pushes to diversify its energy sector. A consortium led by France’s EDF and Abu Dhabi’s Masdar won the bid for the 400-megawatt Dumat al-Jandal wind project in the northern Al Jouf province, the Saudi energy ministry said. “The project will be Saudi Arabia’s first utility-scale wind farm,” […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan may have underpaid billions of yen in unemployment benefits after it emerged that the government has been incorrectly collecting labour market data for as long as 15 years. Officials are supposed to gather data from all firms with 500 or more employees but in Tokyo, only about one third of 1,400 such firms were surveyed, according to a civil servant at the labor ministry. Labour minister Takumi Nemoto has […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea needs to take “more bold, practical measures for denuclearisation” to ensure sanctions are lifted, the South’s President Moon Jae-in said Thursday with negotiations stalling between Pyongyang and Washington. “Corresponding measures must be devised in order to facilitate North Korea’s continued denuclearisation efforts,” he added, such as the US agreeing a “peace regime” and formally declaring an end to the 1950-53 Korean War. The North has repeatedly pledged to […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed “concern” about the deadlock in denuclearisation discussions in his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pyongyang’s state media reported Thursday. Kim “raised concern about the impasse created in the process of improving US-DPRK ties and in denuclearisation talks”, the official KCNA news agency said. Kim said Pyongyang’s “basic position of pursuing a peaceful resolution through dialogue remains unchanged”, it added. China is the […]
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia will slash its oil exports in January by 10 percent compared to November, its energy minister said Wednesday as producers move to shore up tumbling prices. Khalid al-Falih said the kingdom, the world’s top crude supplier, would cut its exports to 7.2 million barrels per day in January, down from 8.0 million bpd in November. He also announced a further 100,000 bpd cut in February. OPEC […]
