International

Video: Guam residents express confidence US military can intercept any missile near island

https://youtu.be/koxm-tgFlMM   Residents of Guam interviewed by Agence France Presse TV expressed confidence that the US military will be able to protect the island, and intercept any missile that would be launched by North Korea. Francis Abino, Guam resident, said “North Korea does not have a chance to penetrate any missiles into the Mariana Islands, to the Territory of the United States. Due to the fact that the military has major capabilities to intercept anything […]

Infographics: The THAAD missile defense system

Washington has already deployed a powerful anti-missile system, THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense), in the Asia-Pacific region, including South Korea, Japan and Guam itself. The system uses “hit-to-kill” technology, and it was successfully tested against an IRBM for the first time last month in Alaska. But it is designed to intercept a missile at the final “terminal” stage of its flight, so the South Korean- and Japanese-based batteries are unlikely to be effective. And […]

China urges US, North Korea to tone down rhetoric

  by Laurent Thomet Agence France Presse Beijing, China (AFP) — China pleaded with the United States and North Korea to tone down their fiery rhetoric on Friday as concerns grew that Pyongyang’s rogue arms program could trigger a catastrophic conflict. Beijing’s appeal followed an escalation of a war of words between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un’s nuclear-armed regime. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang called on both sides to avoid “going down the […]

Anger over calls to limit air-con for Hong Kong maids

  HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Calls to restrict air conditioning for Hong Kong’s domestic maids amid sweltering summer temperatures were dubbed inhumane by rights groups Friday, after a politician suggested helpers should get “used to the hot weather.” The southern Chinese city is home to over 340,000 migrant domestic workers mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, but concerns have grown over their welfare after several high-profile abuse cases. The maids are required by law […]

Video: South Koreans scared, nervous after Trump’s “provocative” remark on N. Korea nuke threat

video courtesy AFPTV South Koreans express fear and anxiety after US President Donald Trump declared that North Korea would face “fire and fury” the “likes of which the world has not seen before” that was followed by a warning from North Korea that it was prepared to strike near Guam by mid-August. “It’s [Trump’s ‘fire and fury’ remark] really scary personally, and obviously I think it’s bound to escalate things. Such a remark shouldn’t be […]

At least 36 killed in China bus crash

BEIJING, China (AFP) — At least 36 people were killed and 13 injured when a packed bus slammed into a wall at the mouth of an expressway tunnel in northern China, authorities said Friday. The coach crashed at the Qinling tunnel in Ankang, a city in Shaanxi province, on Thursday night, according to the State Administration of Work Safety. Photos published by the official Xinhua news agency show the front of the red bus pushed in by the […]

China protests after US warship sails near island

BEIJING, CHINA (AFP) — Beijing voiced displeasure on Friday after a United States warship sailed near an artificial island in the disputed South China Sea, an operation that prompted the Chinese navy to warn off the American destroyer. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the actions of the USS John S. McCain had violated Chinese and international law, “seriously” impairing the country’s sovereignty and security. “China is strongly dissatisfied with this,” Geng said in a […]

N Korea war would be ‘catastrophic,’ diplomacy bearing fruit: Mattis

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Thursday warned that war with North Korea would be “catastrophic” and said diplomatic efforts were yielding results. Speaking at an event in California, Mattis said his mission and responsibility was to have military options ready “should they be needed” but stressed the US effort is currently focused on diplomacy. “The American effort is diplomatically led, it has diplomatic traction, it is gaining diplomatic […]

Trump thanks Putin for expelling US embassy staff

BEDMINSTER, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for ordering the United States embassy in Moscow to slash its staff — boasting that this would cut payroll costs. Last month, the Kremlin demanded that Washington reduce its diplomatic footprint in Russia by 755 employees — both US diplomats and local staff — and close two compounds. This was seen as marking a historic new low in post-Cold war […]

US Navy sails close to artificial island in S. China Sea

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A United States warship on Thursday sailed close to an artificial island China has built up in the South China Sea, as part of a “freedom of navigation” operation, a US official said. The USS John S. McCain destroyer sailed within six nautical miles of Mischief Reef, part of the disputed Spratly Islands south of the Paracel Islands. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official told AFP a Chinese frigate […]

Possible scenarios for next stage of N. Korea crisis

by Thomas Watkins Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The crisis over North Korea’s nuclear program heated further Thursday, with President Donald Trump underscoring his threat to rain “fire and fury” on Kim Jong-Un, saying the stark warning maybe “wasn’t tough enough.” The latest escalation in the long-simmering stand-off has set the world on edge, with stock markets down and jittery observers now openly pondering whether the risk of nuclear conflict is real. […]