Tag Archives: Asia

Flash floods inundated swathes of Indonesia’s capital and nearby towns on the first day of the New Year after torrential rainfall overnight, killing at least nine people and forcing thousands of people to evacuate, authorities said on Wednesday. “As of 4 pm today, there are 19,079 displaced residents who have …

Hong Kong riot police have arrested at least 15 people in clashes with dozens of pro-democracy protesters who targeted a mall near the border with China to demonstrate against mainland tourists and shoppers. On Saturday afternoon, masked plain-clothed officers wielding batons arrested 14 people, including a 14-year-old girl, who were …

A passenger plane carrying nearly 100 people crashed soon after take-off near the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan on Friday, slamming into a house in an accident that killed 12 people and injured dozens. The Fokker 100 aircraft, operated by Bek Air, got into trouble shortly after departing from Almaty, …

Japan has hanged a Chinese man for the high-profile and brutal murder of a family of four, the first execution of a foreigner in 10 years. The man, Wei Wei, carried out the murders in 2003 with two accomplices. They fled to China, where one was executed in 2005 and …

Twenty-seven members of a peace group who were kidnapped as they traveled in western Afghanistan have been released, local media say. The People’s Peace Movement (PPM) disappeared after entering Farah province two days ago as part of a march demanding a ceasefire. The Taliban were suspected of being behind it. …

A typhoon that lashed the central Philippines on Christmas Day has killed at least 16 people and caused damage to homes and tourist areas. Typhoon Phanfone, known locally as Typhoon Ursula, first made landfall on Eastern Samar province on Tuesday, bringing heavy rain and storm surges. It hit as the …

Troops from India and Pakistan have exchanged heavy fire and mortar shelling along the restive Line of Control (LoC) that divides Kashmir between the two countries, with a total of six soldiers reportedly killed from both sides. The Pakistani armed forces said two of their soldiers were killed and one …

A lawmaker from Japan’s governing party has been arrested on suspicion of receiving 3.7m yen ($34,000) in bribes from a gambling operator. As a member of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet until October, Tsukasa Akimoto oversaw the government’s plan to introduce casinos. The 48-year-old denies wrongdoing and says he never …

At least 27 people have died and more than a dozen were injured after a bus plunged into a ravine in Indonesia, officials said Tuesday. The bus careered into a 150-meter (500-foot) ravine in South Sumatra province just before midnight (1600 GMT) on Monday and ended up in a river, …

The number of babies born in Japan fell an estimated 5.9% this year to fewer than 900,000 for the first time since the government started compiling data in 1899, the welfare ministry said on Tuesday. The dwindling number of births will put more strain welfare finances to support snowballing costs …

At least 11 people have been killed and more than 300 treated in hospital after drinking coconut wine in the Philippines, including some who were celebrating at a Christmas party, health and local authorities said on Monday. The poisoning occurred in Laguna and Quezon, two provinces south of Manila, and …

Seven men were sentenced to death Wednesday by a court in Bangladesh after being found guilty of helping to organize the country’s deadliest ever terrorist atrocity. One of the eight suspects charged was found not guilty, while the seven who face capital punishment can appeal. More than 20 people, including …

Voters have turned out in record numbers to cast their ballots in Hong Kong’s district council elections. By lunchtime, the number of voters had already surpassed the final total in the 2015 elections. The election is seen as a test of support for embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Pro-democracy protest …

Japan seized the last event of its G20 presidency on Friday to reject a South Korean warning about radiation from the ruined Fukushima nuclear plant as a dispute between the neighbors threatened to overshadow the meetings. Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) nations gathered in the central Japanese …

China won’t have to sacrifice economic growth or prosperity to go carbon neutral in the next few decades, according to a new report. The country could triple its economic output per person by 2050 while still reducing its carbon footprint, the Energy Transitions Commission said in the report, published on …

Two packed trains rammed into each other in Bangladesh on Tuesday, killing at least 16 people and injuring nearly 60 others, police said. Three coaches were sent crashing off the tracks at Mondobhag station in the town of Kasba when a Dhaka-bound train and a locomotive bound for Chittagong collided. …

Three judges and a court staffer were killed in Afghanistan on Thursday after Taliban militants stopped their car in the latest attack on the judiciary, officials said. Abdullah Hasrat, a spokesman for the governor in eastern Paktia province where the judges worked, told Reuters the incident took place in Mohammad …

Authorities in New Delhi declared a public health emergency on Friday and closed schools and all construction activity until next week as air pollution in the city hit its worst level this year. A thick haze has hung over the Indian capital this week caused by plumes of toxic smoke …

The death toll from torrential rains that caused flooding and mudslides in Japan climbed to 10 on Saturday, with three others missing, public broadcaster NHK reported, just two weeks after the region was hit by a powerful typhoon. Landslides ripped through waterlogged areas in Chiba and Fukushima prefectures, in eastern …

China has been developing Kenya’s rail service as part of the Belt and Road Initiative to connect Asia, Europe, and Africa. The railway is Kenya’s largest infrastructure project since its independence. The so-called Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project was launched in 2017. Trains operating on a daily schedule between the …