Asia

Hanoi to ban motorbikes by 2030 to curb pollution, traffic

  by Tran Thi Minh Ha Agence France Presse Officials in Vietnam’s traffic-choked capital Hanoi vowed on Tuesday to banish motorbikes by 2030 to ease environment and congestion woes, a decision that swiftly divided a city where two-wheelers are the main means of transportation. Hanoi is famed for legions of motorbikes — sometimes stacked with entire families or overloaded with deliveries — that clog roads in a fast-growing city with limited public transportation. There are […]

Featured video: North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un excitedly watches latest missile test

North Korea says it has successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile — a watershed moment in its push to develop a nuclear weapon capable of hitting the mainland United States. The video also shows photos of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un excitedly cheering while watching the missile test. North Korean state TV  declared the ICBM test-firing a success. A news presenter announced, “Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-14 test firing, success!” as the Korean Central […]

US-backed forces breach IS defences in heart of Syria’s Raqa

  by Layal Abou Rahal with Ahmad Mousa in Mosul Agence France Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — United States-backed forces have penetrated the heavily fortified heart of jihadist bastion Raqa for the first time, in a key milestone in the war against the Islamic State group in Syria. Air strikes by the US-led coalition battling IS punched two holes in the mediaeval wall surrounding the Old City of Raqa, allowing fighters of the Syrian Democratic […]

N. Korea fires ballistic missile that ‘could reach Alaska’

by Sebastien Berger Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea launched a ballistic missile Tuesday as the United States prepared to mark its Independence Day, triggering a Twitter outburst from President Donald Trump who urged China to “end this nonsense once and for all.” Analysts said the rocket could bring Alaska within range of the North’s devices. The launch was the latest in a series of provocations that have ratcheted up tensions […]

Trump urges China to get ‘heavy’ with North Korea

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States President Donald Trump urged China to take decisive action against North Korea Monday after its latest ballistic missile launch, urging Beijing to “end this nonsense once and for all.” “Does this guy have anything better to do with his life?” Trump said of his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-Un after South Korea’s military reported that a ballistic missile had come down in the Sea of Japan. The US […]

N. Korea fires ballistic missile: South’s military

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea launched a ballistic missile Tuesday, the South’s military said, just days after Seoul’s new leader Moon Jae-In and United States President Donald Trump focused on the threat from Pyongyang in their first summit. The launch, which comes as the US prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, was the latest in a series of provocations that have ratcheted up tensions over the nuclear-armed North’s weapons ambitions. The […]

Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi meet in Kremlin

MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) — Chinese President Xi Jinping, in Russia for an official visit,  met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Monday (July 3). The two leaders are expected to hold talks on Tuesday (July 4) before Xi heads for Germany where he will take part in G20 summit in Hamburg. Xi arrived in Moscow on Monday, embarking on his second state visit to Russia since taking office in 2013. In a […]

16 dead, 10 missing after flood hits Guangxi

GUANGXI ZHUANG, China (CCTV) — Rain-triggered floods have killed 16 people and left 10 missing in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said Monday. Heavy rain started to pound parts of Guangxi on Saturday, forcing the relocation of 91,600 residents as of 14:30 Monday, according to the regional civil affairs department. The disaster wreaked havoc on the lives of 1.05 million people, inflicting direct economic losses worth nearly 2.9 billion yuan (428 million […]

Tougher fighting, more suicide attacks as IS hits back in Mosul

by Emmanuel Duparcq and Ahmad al-Rubaye Agence France Presse MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) — Iraqi forces are facing increasingly difficult fighting and a rising number of suicide attacks, including some by female bombers, in the final stages of the battle for Mosul, commanders said Monday. Following recent suicide bombings by two girls, security forces in the Old City were seen ordering civilians to remove some of their clothing before approaching to guard against the threat. More […]

Qatar responds to demands after deadline extended

by Omar Hasan with David Harding in Doha Agence France Presse KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AFP) — Qatar on Monday responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies after they agreed to give a defiant Doha another 48 hours to address their grievances. Details of the response were not immediately available, but a Gulf official told AFP that Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani had delivered it during a short […]

North Korea crisis could ‘get out of control’: China’s UN envoy

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — China’s United Nations ambassador on Monday warned of “disastrous” consequences if world powers fail to find a way to ease tensions with North Korea which he said could “get out of control.” Ambassador Liu Jieyi made the remarks a day after United States President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the threat posed by North Korea’s missile and nuclear tests. “Currently tensions are high […]

Deadly floods hit central, southern China

BEIJING, China (AFP) – Rainstorms have triggered floods across central and southern China, forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and leaving more than two dozen dead or missing, state media reported Monday. At least eight people were killed and a further nine were unaccounted for in the southern Guangxi region as of Sunday, Xinhua news agency said, citing local authorities. Thousands of hectares of cropland were inundated and 600 houses collapsed in […]