London, United Kingdom | AFP | The number of people crossing the Channel to the UK from northern France in small boats has hit a new high, the government in London said on Tuesday. Some 1,295 people were detected on Monday, beating the previous single-day record of 1,185 on November 11, 2021, the Ministry of Defence said. So far this year there have been some 22,670 crossings. At the same point in 2021, nearly 12,500 […]
Tag: aseaninfocus
Hong Kong sets up task force on Southeast Asian job scams
Hong Kong, China | AFP | Hong Kong law enforcement on Thursday announced a task force to track down and help trafficked residents ensnared by so-called “boiler room” scams in Southeast Asia that have become a growing scourge. In recent months, victims have reported being lured to countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos on false promises of romance or high-paying jobs, and then held against their will and forced to work, sometimes for […]
Indonesia leader says Putin and Xi to attend G20 summit: report
Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will attend the upcoming Group of 20 summit, the leader of host nation Indonesia said in an interview published Friday. The pair’s attendance would set the stage for showdown talks with US President Joe Biden at a time when Washington is at odds with both of the rival powers, particularly over crises in Ukraine and Taiwan. It has been unclear […]
WHO turns to public for monkeypox name change
by Nina LARSON The World Health Organization, which is looking to rename monkeypox, called Tuesday for help from the public in coming up with a less stigmatising designation for the fast-spreading disease. The UN health agency has for weeks voiced concern about the name of the disease that emerged onto the global stage in May. Experts warn the name can be stigmatising to the primates it was named after, but who play little role in […]
EU Ambassador Véron visits Siargao Island to monitor humanitarian aid and development projects
SIARGAO — H.E. Luc Véron, European Union Ambassador to the Philippines, is visiting Siargao Island from 15 to 18 August to monitor EU humanitarian aid and development projects and discuss the recovery with local officials and communities. This is eight months following typhoon Odette (Rai) and the fourth outreach mission of Ambassador Véron to see realities on the ground while observing health protocols. Since last year, he went to development programmes in the Cordillera Administrative […]
Vietnam readying for Kim train arrival next week: sources
Vietnamese authorities are preparing for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to arrive by train next week ahead of his summit with US president Donald Trump, several sources told AFP Friday. The leaders are slated to meet in Hanoi on February 27-28 to follow up on their first meeting last June in Singapore that ended with vaguely worded commitments on dismantling Pyongyang’s nuclear program. Sources told AFP that Kim was expected to arrive by train […]





