Asia

Abe targets N. Korea after storming to ‘super-majority’ vote win

by Richard Carter/ Miwa Suzuki  © Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stormed to a landslide “super-majority” in snap Japanese elections, near complete projections showed Monday, with the hardline nationalist immediately pledging to “deal firmly” with North Korea. Abe’s conservative coalition is on track to win at least 312 seats with only a handful left to call, according to public broadcaster NHK, giving him a coveted two-thirds majority in the lower house of […]

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No dialogue yet between rivals in Gulf crisis: Tillerson

DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday said talks between feuding Gulf states remained unlikely, as a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar nears its sixth month. “We cannot force talks among people who are not ready to talk,” Tillerson said at a press conference in Doha. “There is not a strong indication that parties are ready to talk yet,” he added. “We cannot and will not impose a solution on anyone.” […]

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Abe: Nationalist blueblood at home, shrewd diplomat abroad

by Shingo ITO Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Shinzo Abe, on course to become Japan’s longest-serving leader after Sunday’s election win, is seen as a pragmatic and canny diplomat who has cozied up to Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin while pushing a nationalist agenda at home. Groomed for power from birth, the 63-year-old is often viewed as arrogant but has also shown a self-deprecating sense of humour, dressing up as video game icon […]

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Two dead as typhoon slams into Japan after election day

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A powerful typhoon ripped into central Japan early Monday, leaving two dead and more than 10 injured, hours after millions struggled to the polls for a national election. Authorities advised thousands living in coastal areas or near rivers to evacuate to shelters as Typhoon Lan, described as “very large and very strong”, made landfall in Shizuoka southwest of Tokyo at around 3.00 am (1800 GMT Sunday). The storm, which had already […]

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Learning to fly: ex-flight attendant aims high in Japan vote

by Alastair HIMMER Agence France-Presse KOSHIGAYA, Japan (AFP) – An elderly woman hunched over a cane stares intently as Japanese political hopeful Asami Miwa greets locals in the rural voting district the former flight attendant is contesting in Sunday’s election. Waving her white-gloved hands and bowing to potential voters in drizzly Saitama, an hour north of Tokyo, the 30-year-old Party of Hope candidate is a welcome splash of color in a sepia-tinged world dominated by men in […]

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Heartbroken residents get glimpse of Raqa in ruins

by Maya Gebeily Agence France-Presse RAQA, Syria (AFP) – Tears streaming down her freckled face, 35-year-old Asya took in the shattered glass, gutted storefronts and crumbling cafes — all that remain of her favorite shopping street in Syria’s Raqa. “This was once the most beautiful city, my God,” said the woman in a mustard-coloured headscarf, gesturing out of the back seat of a car moving slowly down Raqa’s once-bustling Tal Abyad boulevard. “Now look around you. Look […]

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Abe in pole position as Japan vote enters home straight

by Richard Carter Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) – Candidates in Japan made a last-ditch plea to voters Saturday on the last day of campaigning before an election expected to return Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to power with a comfortable majority. Polls show Abe and his conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are clear favorites to win Sunday’s election, handing him a fresh mandate for his hardline stance on North Korea and “Abenomics” growth strategy. Abe’s coalition is […]

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Secret files show US knew about Indonesia purges of 1960s

by Harry Pearl Agence France-Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) – The US government was fully aware of a bloody anti-communist purge by the Indonesian army in the 1960s, with one diplomat at the time describing the bloodletting as “widespread slaughter,” recently declassified documents have revealed. The 39 US embassy documents cover the period from 1964-1968, at the peak of the Cold War, and uncover new details about one of the most tumultuous periods in modern Indonesian history. […]

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Rohingya man refugee again 40 years after leaving Bangladesh

by Alexandre Marchand Agence France-Presse KUTUPALONG, Bangladesh (AFP) – Nearly four decades ago Fazol Ahmed returned to his native Myanmar with his family under a Rohingya repatriation scheme. Now he is back in the teeming camps of Bangladesh with his wife and children, a refugee once again. Ahmed is among the hundreds of thousands of refugees who have crossed into Bangladesh since an upsurge in violence in neighboring Myanmar in August that the UN has said amounts […]

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Xi declares ‘new era’ for China as party congress opens

by Laurent Thomet and Joanna Chiu Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) – President Xi Jinping declared China is entering a “new era” of challenges and opportunities on Wednesday as he opened a Communist Party congress expected to enhance his already formidable power. Xi told some 2,300 delegates at the imposing Great Hall of the People that the party must “resolutely oppose” any actions that undermine its leadership as it steers a course through a high-stakes period in […]

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As Xi ascends, will economic reforms finally take off?

by Julien Girault Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — As Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares for a second five-year term, foreign investors will be watching for any sign that he finally intends to follow through on long-promised reforms to further open the world’s second-largest economy. Xi is expected to signal his future economic policies when he opens a five-yearly Communist Party congress on Wednesday that will renew his tenure as general secretary. While he […]

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US, Japan discuss trade, N. Korea ahead of Trump visit

WASHINGTON, United States (Reuters) — Vice President Mike Pence underscored U.S. support for Japan on the North Korea issue on Monday (October 16), as he met with Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso to try and find common ground on thorny trade issues, during their second round of bilateral economic talks in Washington. The U.S. delegation led by Pence has said his administration hopes the talks, which kicked off in April, will lead to negotiations on […]

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