International

20 dead, 26 injured after shooting at Walmart store in Texas

  EL PASO, United States (AFP) — A gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire on shoppers at a packed Walmart store in El Paso, Texas on Saturday killing 20 people, and wounding 26 in the latest mass shooting in the United States, authorities said “On a day that would have been a normal day for someone to leisurely go shopping turned into one of the most deadly days in the history of Texas,” […]

US wants to quickly deploy new missiles in Asia, says US Defense Secretary

  by Sylvie LANTEAUME Agence France Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Washington wants to quickly deploy new intermediate-range missiles in Asia, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday in a move likely to anger China. The new Pentagon chief said the US was now free to deploy the weapons following its withdrawal Friday from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia. “Yes I would like to,” Esper said when asked if the US was […]

Hong Kong protesters defy China warnings with weekend rallies

  HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Anti-government protesters in Hong Kong kicked off a new mass rally on Saturday as they defy increasingly stern warnings from China over weeks-long unrest that has plunged the city into crisis. The semi-autonomous southern Chinese financial hub has seen two months of protests and clashes triggered by opposition to a planned extradition law that quickly evolved into a wider movement for democratic reforms. Authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing […]

One dead, several injured after powerful 6.9 magnitude undersea quake rocks Indonesia

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — At least one person died and several were injured after a powerful undersea earthquake rocked Indonesia’s heavily populated Java island, triggering a brief tsunami warning, officials said Saturday. The 6.9 magnitude quake on Friday evening sent residents fleeing to higher ground, while many in the capital Jakarta ran into the streets. Officials from Indonesia’s national disaster agency warned the quake could generate a tsunami as high as three metres (10 […]

Demise of US-Russia nuclear treaty fuels fears of new arms race

  by Sebastian Smith / with Anna Smolchenko in Moscow and Francesco Fontemaggi in Bangkok Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States vowed to upgrade its cruise and ballistic missile capability as the collapse Friday of a Cold War nuclear pact with Russia triggered fears of a new arms race. As Washington placed the blame firmly on Moscow over the demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, President Donald Trump […]

Indonesia hit by 6.9 magnitude quake; tsunami warning lifted

  by Ganis Bungsu Agence France Presse BANTEN, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian authorities lifted a tsunami warning late Friday after a powerful earthquake earlier struck off the southern coast of heavily populated Java island. The 6.9 magnitude quake registered at a depth 52.8 kilometres (33 miles), some 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Labuan, southwest of the capital Jakarta, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Panicked residents fled their homes as the quake hit, […]

Following bombings amid ASEAN meet, PHL Embassy urges Filipinos in Thailand to take extra precautions

(Eagle News)–The Philippine Embassy in Bangkok on Friday, Aug. 2, urged Filipinos there to take extra precautions following the “bombings” that ripped across the capital as it hosted a regional summit. In a statement,  the embassy also urged Filipinos to cooperate with authorities “as they implement heightened security measures.” Earlier in the day, several small bombs exploded across Bangkok, while the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers meeting also attended by US Secretary of […]

Japan-S. Korea row escalates as relations hit new low

  by Miwa SUZUKI Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan and South Korea Friday rescinded each other’s favoured export partner status in an escalating row as relations between the US allies hit a new low. The two countries — both of them democracies and market economies — are mired in long-running disputes over the use of forced labour during World War II. But Tokyo, which made the first move despite US calls for […]

S. Korea to remove Japan from export ‘white list’: finance minister

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea will remove Japan from its “white list” of trusted trading partners, Seoul’s finance minister said Friday, reciprocating just hours after a similar move by Tokyo. The Japanese government’s decision “fundamentally destroys the relations of trust and cooperation that the two countries established” in the past, said Hong Nam-ki. “For this, we express our strong protest and deep regret, and urge Tokyo to immediately withdraw its vengeful trade measures.” […]

Japan hangs two for murder, first executions in 2019

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan on Friday hanged two men convicted of murder, the justice ministry said, the first executions this year after 15 death row inmates were executed in 2018. With more than 100 inmates on death row, Japan is one of the few developed nations to retain the death penalty, and public support for it remains high despite international criticism, including from rights groups. “I ordered the executions after very careful consideration,” Justice […]

S. Korea’s Moon condemns Japan’s ‘reckless’ trade decision

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday condemned Japan’s decision to remove his country from a “white list” of favored trading partners, calling it a “reckless” move and threatening unspecified countermeasures. Tokyo’s “selfish act will inflict tremendous damage on the world economy by disrupting global supply chains”, he said in remarks to a cabinet meeting called at short notice and televised live. “Japan should withdraw its unilateral and unfair measures as […]

Japan to remove Seoul from favored export partner ‘white list’

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan on Friday said it will remove South Korea from a “white list” of favored export partners, a move that Seoul has warned will have “grave consequences” for security ties between the US allies. “The government at a cabinet meeting today approved a revision to the export control law… South Korea, the only Asian nation on the list, will be removed,” Japan’s Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko told reporters. The measure, which […]