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TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday announced plans to seek the first-ever changes to Japan’s post-war pacifist constitution and said he wants the revisions to take effect in 2020. The changes, which would spell out the status of the nation’s “self-defense” military forces, were announced as Japan marked the 70th anniversary of the constitution written by American occupiers. The charter, which renounces Japan’s right to wage war, has been championed by […]
KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) — A suicide bombing near the U.S. embassy in Kabul on Wednesday (May 3) killed four people and wounded at least 22, Afghan officials said, in an attack on a convoy of armored personnel carriers used by the NATO-led Resolute Support mission. The blast hit the NATO coalition convoy during the morning rush hour in one of the busiest areas of Kabul. There was no immediate word on whether any foreign troops […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China called Tuesday for the immediate suspension of a controversial missile defense system hours after Washington confirmed the shield was now operational in South Korea. “China’s position is clear-cut and firm. We oppose the deployment of the (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system in (South Korea) and urge relevant sides to immediately stop the deployment. We will firmly take necessary measures to uphold our interests,” foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at […]
OSAN, South Korea (Reuters) — Two U.S. B-1B bombers were deployed over the Korean peninsula on Monday (May 1) during a joint drill with South Korea’s air force, South Korea’s ministry said. South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told a briefing that the deployment of U.S. bombers was part of efforts to deter provocation by North Korea and respond to threats posed by the North’s nuclear and missile programs.
by Jan Dörner Agence France Presse SOCHI, Russia (AFP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel will Tuesday meet President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in her first visit to Russia since 2015, signalling renewed dialogue between Berlin and Moscow. The Russian and German leaders have scaled back links as Moscow’s ties with the European Union have plunged to a post-Cold War low. Merkel has strongly backed European Union sanctions on Moscow for seizing Crimea […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States-led strikes aimed against the Islamic State group have “unintentionally” killed 352 civilians since the offensive began in 2014, according to the US military. The tally from the Combined Joint Task Force did not include findings from an investigation the coalition said it had launched into one allegedly particularly deadly strike on March 17 in west Mosul. US General Stephen Townsend had said coalition forces “probably had a role […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea warned Monday that it will carry out a nuclear test “at any time and at any location” set by its leadership, in the latest rhetoric to fuel jitters in the region. Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been running high for weeks, with signs that the North might be preparing a long-range missile launch or a sixth nuclear test — and with Washington refusing to rule out a […]
by Elaine Yu Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China — Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo was greeted by a mixture of celebration and protest in Hong Kong Sunday with calls to improve working conditions for the city’s army of foreign maids. There are around 170,000 Indonesians living in Hong Kong, many of them employed as domestic helpers, and concern over exploitation is growing after a string of abuse cases. In a rock concert atmosphere, Widodo was […]
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AFP) — Swiss climber Ueli Steck, one of the most feted mountaineers of his generation and famed for his speed ascents of iconic Alpine routes, has died on Everest, officials said. “Today morning, he had an accident on the Nuptse wall and died. It seems he slipped,” Ang Tsering Sherpa, head of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, told AFP. Steck, 40, was on Everest to acclimatize before attempting to summit the world’s tallest peak […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — At least 11 people were killed Sunday when a bus rammed into several other vehicles in Indonesia’s West Java province after a suspected brake failure, police said. The bus hit four cars and motorbikes before tumbling down a slope. The bus driver and some of the motorists were among the dead. The accident in Cianjur district, 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Jakarta, also injured nearly 50 people. Transport accidents are […]
NAGASAKI, Japan (Reuters) — The French naval ship Mistral arrived at Japan’s southern city of Nagasaki on Saturday (April 29) to participate in a four-nation military drill by Japan, the U.S., the U.K., and France. A welcoming ceremony was held by Japanese Self Defence force personnel, where the captain of Mistral Stanislas De Chargeres gave a speech. Children performed a traditional Japanese dance called Yosakoi to welcome the French officers. Just hours before the Mistral’s […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile Saturday in apparent defiance of a US push for tougher international sanctions to curb the Asian country’s nuclear threat. “North Korea fired an unidentified missile from a site in the vicinity of Bukchang in Pyeongannam-do (South Pyeongan Province) early this morning,” the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, adding that the missile “is estimated to have failed.” A US defense official confirmed North Korea […]
