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MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — China and the Philippines agreed to conduct a joint inquiry over the sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese vessel in disputed waters, President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman said Saturday. The June 9 incident, when the two boats collided in the South China Sea, has sparked public outrage. Manila has accused the Chinese trawler of abandoning the vessel’s 22 Filipino crew members — later rescued by Vietnamese fishermen — […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States will start removing “millions” of illegal migrants next week, President Donald Trump said Monday, adding that Guatemala is preparing to sign a safe third country deal. “Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they come in,” Trump said on Twitter, referring to […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States said Monday it has approved the deployment of 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East, against the backdrop of soaring tensions with Iran. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said in a statement the troops were being sent “for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East.” “The United States does not seek conflict with Iran,” the statement said, adding that the deployment […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing reiterated its backing of Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam on Monday after a massive demonstration demanding her resignation over a controversial extradition bill. Protest organisers said some 2 million people choked Hong Kong’s streets on Sunday — despite Lam’s decision to indefinitely suspend passage of the bill a day earlier. Critics fear the Beijing-backed law will entangle people in China’s notoriously opaque and politicised courts and damage the […]
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — China ignored Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s personal request for dialogue to end a spiralling diplomatic row, his office revealed Wednesday. Trudeau requested the call in January with Premier Li Keqiang so he could “personally advocate” for the immediate release of two Canadians detained a month earlier and for clemency in the case of another Canadian who would later be sentenced to death for drug trafficking, his spokeswoman Chantal Gagnon said […]
SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Huawei will sell its majority share in a submarine cable unit, the stake’s buyer announced Monday, amid a US-led drive to isolate the Chinese telecom giant from global information networks over spying fears. US President Donald Trump has attacked Huawei in recent months, urging allies to boycott its products and blacklisting the Chinese firm from buying some US software. Undersea cables are vital to global internet traffic. The 51 percent stake […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Monday warned students and academics on the “risk” of studying in the United States, citing an uptick in visa denials and delays amid a trade war and other tensions. The education ministry in a statement urged students to “strengthen risk assessment… and make relavent preparations”. The ministry said Chinese students and academics have experienced visa restrictions, delays in obtaining them, and visas with shorter duration. China is the […]
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada announced Sunday it was temporarily shutting its embassy in Venezuela, blaming President Nicolas Maduro for refusing to accredit diplomats critical of his regime. At the same time, Ottawa is reviewing the status of Maduro envoys to Canada. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement that “the regime has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela, particularly those advocating for the restoration of […]
by Martin ABBUGAO Agence France Presse SINGAPORE (AFP) — The United States warned China on Saturday against threatening its neighbours’ sovereignty and said Washington is investing in new military technology to defend its Asian allies. Washington and Beijing have been vying for influence in the region, which hosts potential flashpoints such as the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait. Ties between the two powers are once again taking centre stage […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s military has confirmed that Navy pilots were targeted with lasers during flights in the hotly contested South China Sea, with informal Chinese militia vessels believed to be behind the attacks. Beijing has become more assertive in the area, stoking tensions with rival claimants in Southeast Asia as well as Canberra and Washington — traditionally the dominant naval and air power in the Asia-Pacific region. The Australian Defence Force said “assets […]
by Brendan Smialowski, with Sebastian Smith in Tokyo TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday used the backdrop of a US naval ship in Japan to tout America’s “fearsome” power in the Pacific, wrapping up a visit where he became the first foreign guest of Japan’s new emperor. Addressing more than 800 uniformed service members in the belly of the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship at the Yokosuka US naval base, Trump […]
by Sebastian Smith The big men of Japanese sumo met their match Sunday in the form of an even bigger star: Donald Trump. Trump was the first US president to attend a tournament in sumo’s hallowed Ryogoku Kokugikan arena and when he entered, the crowd of more than 10,000 cheered and whistled. The president, on a feel-good visit to Japan that peaks Monday when he becomes the first foreign leader to meet with newly enthroned […]
