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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan said Wednesday it would exercise its right to self-defence and “counter-attack” if Chinese fighters and warships were to enter its territorial space, in the wake of Beijing’s huge military drills around the island. The self-ruled, democratic island lives under constant threat of an invasion by China, which claims it as part of its territory to be seized one day — by force if necessary. Tensions in the Taiwan Strait […]
by Guillaume Decamme Agence France-Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Iraqi supporters of powerful cleric Moqtada Sadr withdrew Tuesday from Baghdad’s Green Zone after he demanded an end to fighting between rival Shiite forces and the army that left 30 dead and hundreds wounded. The clashes that erupted on Monday pitted Sadr loyalists against Shiite factions backed by neighboring Iran — violence that prompted Iraq’s president to push for early elections and the prime minister to […]
by Jim Watson with Frankie Taggart in Washington Agence France-Presse WILKES-BARRE, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden touted his plans to curb gun crime and framed Trumpist Republicans as a threat to the rule of law Tuesday on the first of multiple visits to the key swing state of Pennsylvania. The Keystone State — which is hosting Biden three times over the coming days, including for a rare prime-time address to the nation […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union who played a major role in ending the Cold War, died in Moscow on Tuesday aged 91. World leaders were quick to pay tribute to the man who oversaw the collapse of the USSR, a pivotal turning point in world history. – Russian President Vladimir Putin – Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin expressed his “deep sympathies” over Gorbachev’s death, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov […]
Beijing, China (AFP) by Laurie CHEN China’s ruling Communist Party will begin its 20th Party Congress on October 16, state media reported Tuesday, a landmark meeting at which President Xi Jinping is expected to be anointed as the country’s most powerful leader in decades. The meeting in the capital Beijing is widely expected to see Xi reinstated as president for an unprecedented third term. It will also see the unveiling of a new top leadership […]
by Guillaume Decamme Agence France-Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Fighting between rival Iraqi forces raged for a second day Tuesday with rocket fire echoing from Baghdad’s Green Zone where 23 supporters of powerful Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr have been shot dead, medics said. Tensions have soared in Iraq amid a political crisis that has left the country without a new government, prime minister or president for months, and escalated sharply after Sadr’s supporters on Monday […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taipei and Beijing have traded barbs over a recent string of drone sorties that have flown from the Chinese mainland to an outlying Taiwanese island, some surveilling military outposts. Photos and video taken by Chinese drones of the Kinmen islands have been circulating on both Taiwan and Chinese social media, with one video showing Taiwanese soldiers hurling rocks at one to drive it off. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said […]
by Guillaume Decamme Agence France-Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Shelling targeted Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone Monday, a security source said, after Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr said he was quitting politics, sparking chaos in which 15 of his supporters were killed. Tensions have soared in Iraq amid a political crisis that has left the country without a new government, prime minister or president for months, and escalated sharply after Sadr’s supporters stormed the government palace following […]
Hong Kong, China (AFP) An unarmed Hong Kong man who was shot by police during democracy protests three years ago was convicted on Monday of multiple charges — including trying to steal the firearm that struck him. Chow Pak-kwan, 23, was shot at point-blank range by a traffic officer outside a subway station in November 2019 when protesters had called a citywide strike. The shooting was captured on a live Facebook broadcast. It showed the […]
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AFP) Malaysia’s jailed former prime minister Najib Razak returned to court Thursday to face more charges linked to a multi-billion-dollar financial scandal at state fund 1MDB, two days after he began serving a 12-year prison term. Najib, 69, was sent to prison Tuesday after the Federal Court, Malaysia’s highest tribunal, upheld his sentence in the initial batch of charges linked to the scandal that brought down his government in 2018. Najib was […]
Taipei, Taiwan (AFP) Taiwan announced plans for a record increase to its defence budget on Thursday after huge military drills by China earlier this month sent tensions between the two to their highest in decades. Taipei has proposed a defence budget of Tw$415.1 billion ($13.7 billion) for next year, up 13 percent year-on-year, pending parliamentary approval. An additional special budget will also be created specifically to acquire new fighter jets and other projects to boost […]
Islamabad, Pakistan (AFP) by Zain Zaman JANJUA Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan accused the government Thursday of trying to score a “technical knockout” against him, after being granted bail on charges brought under the country’s anti-terrorism act. Khan’s court appearance is the latest twist in months of political wrangling that began when he was ousted by a vote of no confidence in the national assembly in April. The former cricket star retains widespread support, […]
