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BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) – With the funeral of late king Bhumibol Adulyadej underway, his untested and unpredictable heir has taken center stage. King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 65, is leading the day-long ceremony on Thursday that culminates in the cremation of his father, who reigned for 70 years. Less than a year after taking the throne, the new sovereign (Rama X of the Chakri dynasty) has begun reshaping an enormously wealthy institution that sits at the head […]
COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AFP) – The lines on their foreheads tell more than the forced smiles on the faces of the Rohingya refugees photographed by AFP for a special series. All are among nearly one million of the stateless Muslim group now crowded into camps in Bangladesh after fleeing a military crackdown in neighboring Myanmar. More than 600,000 have arrived in the past two months alone. Many are emaciated. Some carry the trauma of attacks […]
by Ben Dooley Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — President Xi Jinping was formally reappointed head of the Communist Party Wednesday, commanding a new ruling council whose role will likely be eclipsed after he established himself as China’s most powerful leader in decades. In a highly choreographed event, Xi led the new members of the elite Politburo Standing Committee in front of television cameras at Beijing’s massive Great Hall of the People after their […]
by Abdul Hadi Habtor Agence France Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged a “moderate, open” Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, breaking with ultra-conservative clerics in favor of an image catering to foreign investors and Saudi youth. The Saudi strongman, 32, did not mince words in declaring a new reality for the kingdom, hours after announcing the launch of an independent $500 billion megacity — with “separate regulation” — along […]
by Ben Dooley Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China is set to unveil its new ruling council Wednesday after President Xi Jinping stamped his authority on the country by engraving his name on the Communist Party’s constitution. In a highly choreographed event, the members of the elite Politburo Standing Committee will appear in public at the palatial Great Hall of the People after they are selected by 204 party officials in conclave. Xi, 64, is certain to emerge […]
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — South Korea’s military said on Tuesday (October 24) that South Korea, the United States and Japan started a two-day missile tracking drill in preparation for any missile or nuclear threats from North Korea. Deputy spokesman for South Korea’s defense ministry, Lee Jin-woo, said that the exercises will be held in waters off the coasts of South Korea and Japan during a regular news briefing. The drills have been taking place […]
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) — US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was to arrive in Islamabad Tuesday as Washington turns up the heat on Pakistan for allegedly providing “safe havens” for Taliban militants. Tillerson’s visit, his first to Pakistan since becoming secretary of state, comes weeks after US President Donald Trump angrily accused the nuclear-armed country of harboring “agents of chaos” who can attack NATO-led forces in neighboring Afghanistan. It follows on the heels of an unannounced stop […]
SINGAPORE (AFP) — Singapore, one of the most expensive places in the world to buy a vehicle, has announced it will freeze the number of private cars on its roads from next year but vowed to expand public transport. The growth cap for all passenger cars and motorcycles will be cut from 0.25 percent a year to zero with effect from February, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said. The affluent city-state of 5.6 million people […]
by M Jegathesan Agence France-Presse SEPANG, Malaysia (AFP) —Two women on trial for murdering the North Korean leader’s half-brother have visited the Malaysian airport where they allegedly poisoned him, escorted by huge numbers of heavily armed police on Tuesday. Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, wearing bulletproof vests, were brought to Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s budget terminal along with the judge in the case, defense lawyers and prosecutors. About 200 police, many armed with […]
by Kyoko Hasegawa Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A powerful typhoon left five dead, one missing and scores injured in Japan Monday, moving northward off the Pacific coast after millions struggled to the polls for a national election. Authorities advised thousands living in coastal areas or near rivers to evacuate to shelters before Typhoon Lan, described as “very large and very strong”, hit Tokyo and surrounding regions early Monday morning. The typhoon […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s long-held dream to change the pacifist constitution got a big boost this weekend as his conservative coalition won a crucial two-thirds majority in a snap election. Nationalists like Abe dismiss the constitution as a humiliating relic imposed by US occupiers after Japan’s defeat in World War II, while North Korea’s recent firing of two missiles over the country in less than a month has focused minds on security. […]
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Iraqi federal and paramilitary forces on Sunday said they lost five men in last week’s clashes with Kurdish fighters, bringing the death toll for all sides to 31. On Friday, Iraq’s central government said its forces had taken back control from the Kurds of all disputed territory in the north of the country located outside the Kurdish autonomous region. The areas were captured as part of a sweeping operation by federal […]
