Asia

South Koreans protest unauthorized transport of THAAD launchers

(Reuters) – South Korea’s civil society groups gathered outside the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in Seoul on Wednesday to protest the unauthorized transportation of components of the United States Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system into the country. Four mobile launchers were brought into the ROK in addition to two units that had been deployed as part of the THAAD system recently, which failed to be reported to […]

Japan, US conduct joint naval drill off Korean peninsula

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A pair of US aircraft carriers and Japanese naval vessels conducted a joint drill in waters off the Korean peninsula Thursday, in an apparent show of force days after the latest North Korean ballistic missile test. The strike groups of USS Carl Vinson and USS Ronald Reagan joined Japanese destroyers Hyuga and Ashigara for the exercise in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), where Monday’s missile landed. The drills came as […]

Five things to know about the Japanese royals

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan has paved the way for its first imperial abdication in two centuries, with a parliamentary bill on Friday that will allow 83-year-old Emperor Akihito to step down. Here are five things to know about Japan’s royals: Ancient history The Japanese imperial family is believed to be the world’s oldest, with a myth-filled history that dates back more than 2,600 years. Akihito is the 125th emperor since Emperor Jimmu, said to […]

Global outrage after ‘barbaric’ Kabul truck bomb kills 90

    KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — President Donald Trump has condemned the “barbaric” truck-bombing in Kabul in a phone call with his Afghan counterpart, as global outrage swells over the massive blast that ripped through the diplomatic quarter, killing at least 90 and injuring hundreds. No group has so far claimed the attack, launched from a sewage tanker packed with explosives, which tore a massive crater in the ground and blew out windows across the […]

Malaysia Airlines plane turns back after ‘bomb threat’

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — A Malaysia Airlines flight was forced to return to Melbourne airport Wednesday after a passenger tried to force his way into the cockpit claiming he had a bomb, officials said. Malaysian Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said the passenger, whom he identified as a Sri Lankan national, appeared to have been drunk and was overpowered by the plane’s crew. He was later arrested by airport security in Melbourne. “It is […]

Seven Kenyan police, civilian killed by IED: police

NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — Seven police officers and a civilian were killed when an armored vehicle drove over a roadside bomb in southeastern Kenya, a week after 14 others died in similar attacks claimed by Shabaab Islamists, a police source said Wednesday. “It’s unfortunate, we lost all the seven officers who were in the vehicle,” a senior police officer in the coastal Lamu district near the Somali border, told AFP. “All the bodies were found scattered […]

Kabul blast toll leaps to 49 dead, more than 300 wounded: officials

by Emal Haidary Agence France Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — At least 49 people were killed and hundreds wounded Wednesday when a massive truck bomb ripped through Kabul’s diplomatic quarter, shattering the morning rush hour and bringing carnage to the streets of the Afghan capital. Bodies littered the scene and a towering plume of smoke rose from the area, which houses foreign embassies, after the blast blew out the windows in several missions and residences […]

N. Korea prepared for new ICBM test: state media

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea warned Wednesday it was prepared to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) at any time, as the United States successfully tested a system designed to intercept them. The fresh saber-rattling from Pyongyang appeared to up the stakes as the Pentagon announced Tuesday it had intercepted a mock-up of an ICMB in a first-of-its-kind test. The success of the test is a watershed moment for the US military’s effort to […]

At least 40 people killed or wounded in Kabul blast: interior ministry

KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — At least 40 people were killed or wounded Wednesday as a massive blast ripped through Kabul’s diplomatic quarter, shattering the morning rush hour and bringing carnage to the streets of the Afghan capital. Bodies littered the scene and a huge plume of smoke rose from the area which houses foreign embassies. However, it was not immediately clear what the target was. Witnesses described dozens of cars choking the roads as wounded survivors […]

Baghdad blasts kill 27 as Iraq forces battle IS in Mosul

by Salam Faraj and W.G. Dunlop with Simon Valmary in Mosul Agence France Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 27 people in Baghdad, officials said on Tuesday, as Iraqi forces fight to retake the last jihadist-held areas in Mosul. In the deadlier of the two attacks, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at a popular ice cream shop around midnight (2100 GMT Monday), killing […]

“Shocked” South Korea leader Moon orders probe into US THAAD additions

  SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) – South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered a probe into the introduction of four additional anti-missile launchers to the two deployed by the United States military before his election, his spokesperson said on Tuesday (May 30). Moon was “shocked” to hear that the four additional Terminal High Altitude Area Defense launchers deployed to counter the North Korean missile threat, were brought in without this being reported to the new government […]

British journalist carrying flak jacket plates charged with arms possession in Bangkok

SEMUTPRAKAN, Thailand – A British journalist was charged with arms possession on Tuesday (May 30) after he was arrested at an airport in the Thai capital for checking in body armor plates and gas masks as load luggage. Anthony Cheng, 46, had been detained at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Monday (May 29) night for carrying three gas masks and four plates for safety vests, said Somchart Maneerat, a police investigator at the airport. Thailand’s Arms Control […]