Asia

Volcano Shinmoe erupts, spewing ash and smoke in southern Japan

KIRISHIMA, Japan (Reuters) — Shinmoe volcano erupted, spewing smoke and ash and affecting residents in the Kirishima area in southwestern Japan on Wednesday (October 11). Video on social media showed thick smoke rising from the volcano. Photographer Naoto Yoshidome had been monitoring the volcano’s activity since Wednesday morning and was documenting the eruption in a live stream. This is the first time in about six years that Shinmoe volcano erupted. It sits as part of […]

US bombers overfly Korean peninsula in show of force

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The US has flown two supersonic heavy bombers over the Korean peninsula in a show of force against Pyongyang, staging the first night-time joint aviation exercises with Japan and South Korea. Two B-1B Lancers based in Guam flew a mission in the vicinity of the Sea of Japan late Tuesday, the US Pacific Air Forces said in a statement. “Flying and training at night with our allies in a safe, […]

Parts of north, northwest China experience heavy snows, low temperatures

CCTV — Parts of north and northwest China have experienced heavy snows and low temperatures in the past few days. A heavy snow hit Jingtai County in northwest China’s Gansu Province on Sunday and Monday, disrupting normal life and causing losses to farmers. The temperature plummeted eight to ten degrees Celsius as accumulated snow reached 25 centimeters in the county. “The snow came earlier this year. It was very heavy. You can see it has […]

N. Korea hacked Seoul’s war plan: report

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean computer hackers have stolen hundreds of classified military documents from South Korea including detailed wartime operational plans involving its US ally, a report said Tuesday. Rhee Cheol-Hee, a lawmaker for the ruling Democratic party, said the hackers broke into the South’s military network in September last year and gained access to 235 gigabytes of sensitive data, the Chosun Ilbo daily reported. Among the leaked documents was Operational Plans […]

Kim Jong-Nam had VX on face and clothes, trial hears

SHAH ALAM, Malaysia — Only a small amount of nerve agent — but more than enough to kill him — was found on the face of the North Korean leader’s half-brother after he died in agony following an airport attack, a court heard Tuesday. Kim Jong-Nam had 0.2 milligrams of VX per kilogram of body weight on his facial skin, well above the typical lethal dosage, chemist Raja Subramaniam told the trial of two women accused of […]

Thai junta chief vows elections in November 2018

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand will hold elections in November 2018, junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha said Tuesday, a date that will fall more than four years after he seized power in a coup. Immediately after his 2014 putsch Prayut promised to return power to civilians within 18 months. But that date has repeatedly slipped, and even after the vote critics say there will be limits on democracy. “In November 2018 there will be an election. Is it clear?” the […]

Mass cholera vaccinations begin in Rohingya camps

by Alexandre Marchand Agence France-Presse THANKHALI, Bangladesh (AFP) – The United Nations launched one of its biggest ever cholera vaccination drives in the vast refugee camps of southeast Bangladesh Tuesday amid fears of an outbreak among nearly a million Rohingya now living there. Thousands of Rohingya men and women lined up in intense heat at makeshift health centers on Tuesday, many with young children in their arms, to receive the oral vaccine against the disease. The […]

Gloves off as Japan election campaign starts

by Hiroshi Hiyama Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo’s popular governor Yuriko Koike launched a bitter attack on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Tuesday as the gloves came off for the official start of a snap election campaign in the world’s third-largest economy. Conservative premier Abe, 63, is facing an unexpected and fierce challenge from the media-savvy Koike, who has upended the sleepy world of Japanese politics with her upstart “Party of Hope.” Addressing hundreds of commuters at […]

Rescuers search for survivors in Idlib after deadly air strikes – amateur videos

IDLIB, Syria (Reuters) — A man and a child were pulled from under the rubble in Idlib on Sunday (October 8) following an air strike said to be carried out by the Syrian regime targeting the city of Maarat al Numan, amateur videos posted online purported to show. The Syrian Civil Defence, better known as the White Helmets rescue workers, said on its Twitter account that jets it believed to be from the Syrian military […]

First snow of this fall hits northwest China

Jinchang City, Gansu Province, China (CCTV) — Affected by a cold front, cities of Jinchang and Jiayuguan saw heavy snow on Sunday night, which has brought temperature down to minus four degree Celsius. The residents wore heavy coats when doing outdoor activities, while wet and slippery roads slowed down the cities’ traffic. The meteorological authorities said the chilly weather will last three to five days.

Kim Jong-Nam murder trial visits lab to view tainted clothes

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia (AFP) — The trial of two women accused of murdering the North Korean leader’s half-brother moved Monday to a high-security Malaysian laboratory to view clothing worn by the defendants and contaminated by a nerve agent. The visit to the government lab near Kuala Lumpur came after a chemist last week testified there were traces of VX on the women’s clothes. Raja Subramaniam’s testimony was the first evidence directly linking the women to the poison […]

North Koreans celebrates election anniversary of late Kim Jong Il

PYONGYANG, North Korea (Reuters) — Thousands of North Koreans gathered at Kim Il Sung square on Sunday (October 8) to mark the 20th anniversary of late leader Kim Jong Il’s election as General-Secretary of the Workers’ Party. Video provided to Reuters by North Korea’s state news agency KCNA, which could not be independently verified, showed people attending an outdoor rally and dance celebrating the anniversary. Kim Jong Il, who died of a heart attack on […]