Tag Archives: Asia

At least 12 people have been killed and around 50 injured after a series of explosions at a chemical factory in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, hospital officials and police say. An official at Shirpur sub-district hospital in Dhule district said that 12 people had died in the explosion. …

Indonesian government has called for calm following violent protests, including in Papua Province, over racial discrimination. “Why must we kill each other because we’re offended?” Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto said at a joint news conference with several Papuan figures in the capital, Jakarta, on Friday. …

Thousands of Chinese troops streamed into Hong Kong in the small hours of Thursday morning, prompting alarmed witness reports after weeks of threats from Beijing to intervene militarily in the city’s protest crisis. Chinese state media later described the move as an “annual… routine” rotation of Hong Kong’s permanent garrison. …

Indonesia’s capital city is to be relocated to the province of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, President Joko Widodo has said. The current capital, Jakarta, home to more than 10 million people, sits on swampy land. Parts of the city are sinking by as much as 25cm (10in) …

Police and protesters got up close and personal on Hong Kong streets, a newly posted video shows, and protesters looked like they meant business, appearing to be armed on a par with the city’s law enforcement. The footage shows the police in full riot gear battling protesters who themselves were …

A group of Indian opposition party leaders who had traveled from New Delhi to Indian-controlled Kashmir on Saturday was refused entry into the regional capital on Saturday. The delegation of opposition leaders, led by the Indian National Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, said they were flying to the territory’s capital to “assess …

Clash in Baramulla the first to be reported by officials since India revoked the region’s autonomy and imposed a curfew. Two people, including a police official and a rebel, have been killed in a gun battle in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said. The clash in Baramulla district’s Ganie-Hamam area on Wednesday …

At least 63 people have been killed after a powerful blast rocked a wedding reception in the western part of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul. Nearly two hundred people have been injured. The explosion that ripped through the wedding hall bustling with guests claimed 63 lives, Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahim confirmed …

A massive fire has swept through a slum in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, leaving 50,000 people homeless. About 15,000 homes were destroyed in the Chalantika slum late on Friday. Many homes had plastic roofs, which helped the flames to spread. No deaths have been reported, although several people were …

At least seven people, including children, have been killed and four remain missing after a ship caught fire in waters near Southeast Sulawesi province in Indonesia, the head of communication for media at the national search and rescue office Yusuf Latief told Xinhua News Agency on Saturday. “The incident started …

An Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet has crashed during a routine training mission, the IAF said, noting that both pilots ejected before the plane hit the ground and burst into flames. The incident happened shortly after takeoff from Tezpur air-base at 8:00 pm local time Thursday. Both pilots …

An earthquake of 5.7 magnitudes has rocked Turkey’s southwestern city of Denizli, the country’s monitoring agency said on Thursday. The city’s mayor said there were no immediate reports of casualties, Reuters reports. The Kandilli observatory had initially said the tremor measured 6.5 in magnitude. The earthquake occurred 8km (5 miles) …

Special forces have arrested Kyrgyzstan’s former president Almazbek Atambayev at his mansion, in an operation in which gunfire could be heard. He was previously stripped of immunity over corruption accusations. Armed troops in body armor stormed the residence in the village of Koi-Tash late on Wednesday. Atambayev’s supporters started tossing …

Mount Asama is sending a column of smoke and fire up to the sky as the Japan Meteorological Agency has issued warnings to the public to maintain a safe distance from the volcano. Smoke spewed from the crater of the volcano, reaching an altitude of about 1,800 meters. A level …

Pakistan says it’s going to downgrade diplomatic relations with India and suspend trade with the neighbor state, Reuters reported. The move comes after New Delhi revoked the autonomous status of the disputed Kashmir region. The statement by the Pakistani government vowed that the country will take the Kashmir issue to …

A national dengue epidemic has been declared in the Philippines, where 622 people have died of the mosquito-borne disease since January and millions more are at risk. From the start of the year to July 20, there have been more than 146,000 cases recorded — a 98% increase from the …

Fifty-seven people have died and more than 18,000 have sought hospital treatment since July 29, when Japan was blanketed by an extreme and unrelenting heatwave. The government announced the startling figures on Tuesday, revealing that the number of people hospitalized has tripled from the previous week. Those aged 65 and …

Article 370 of the Indian Constitution gives special status to the State of Jammu and Kashmir. India controls the southern portion of Kashmir, a region that has historically been hotly contested between India and Pakistan. The Indian government has moved to scrap Article 370 of the national constitution, which grants …

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the United States has not requested to deploy intermediate-range missiles in his country, stressing that such a request will be met with rejection. “It’s not been asked to us, not being considered, not been put to us. I think I can rule a line …

A powerful blast targeting a senior police officer in Pakistan’s Balochistan province has killed at least five people and injured a further 38, six of whom are in serious condition. Two security personnel died in the blast, which also left numerous women and children injured. It remains unclear whether it …