Tag: Asia
Biden’s US revives support for WHO, reversing Trump retreat
GENEVA (AP) — The United States will resume funding for the World Health Organization and join its consortium aimed at sharing coronavirus vaccines fairly...
US military moves to try Bali bomb suspects at Guantanamo
WASHINGTON (AP) — After an unexplained delay, the Pentagon announced plans Thursday to move ahead with a military trial for three men held at...
Experts: 15 more days to reach trapped China mine workers
BEIJING (AP) — It will take at least 15 more days to get through a massive amount of debris and reach miners already trapped...
Chinese Embassy Twitter account locked for “dehumanization”
WASHINGTON (AP) — Twitter locked the account belonging to the Chinese Embassy in Washington after a tweet stated that Uighur women in Xinjiang have...
Pakistan seeks to block US-based website of minority Ahmadis
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has ordered a U.S.-based website propagating the faith of Pakistan's minority Ahmadis shut down over allegedly blasphemous content, one of...
NATO warns against nuclear pact expiry days before deadline
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called Thursday on the United States and Russia to extend a major nuclear arms agreement before it...
China hopes for cooperation, better relations under Biden
BEIJING (AP) — China on Thursday expressed hope the Biden administration will improve prospects for people of both countries and give a boost to...
Asia Today: Sri Lanka reopens to tourists after 10 months
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka reopened to foreign tourists on Thursday after a nearly 10-month pandemic closure that cut deeply into the...
Fire hits building at Indian producer of COVID-19 vaccines
PUNE, India (AP) — A fire broke out Thursday at a building under construction at Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer,...
EXPLAINER: What’s next for WHO after US takes steps to stay
GENEVA (AP) — The Biden administration has taken quick steps to keep the United States in the World Health Organization and reinforce financial and...
China hits Trump officials with sanctions on their way out
WASHINGTON (AP) — China imposed sanctions on nearly 30 former Trump administration officials moments after they left office on Wednesday.
...
The Latest: Sri Lanka reopens tourism after 10-month closing
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka is welcoming tourists again after keeping the doors closed to visitors for nearly 10 months due to the...
Indian village cheers for Harris during swearing-in as US VP
THULASENDRAPURAM, India (AP) — With chants of “Long live Kamala Harris,” fireworks and prayers, residents of a tiny Indian village celebrated her inauguration as...
Asian shares rise on optimism for more stimulus from Biden
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares rose Thursday on optimism over the new U.S. administration that earlier set off a rally on Wall Street.
...
Albanian soldier dies in Afghanistan peacekeeping mission
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday reported the death of a soldier in Afghanistan, the second from the tiny Western Balkan...
Turkish pilots, official face 12 years jail for Ghosn flight
ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish prosecutors on Wednesday sought the maximum possible 12 years in prison each for a Turkish private airline official and two...
Asia Today: China records new cases, defends response
BEIJING (AP) — China’s capital, Beijing, recorded seven more coronavirus cases on Wednesday amid a lingering outbreak in the country’s north.
...
China labels Pompeo ‘doomsday clown’ over genocide claims
BEIJING (AP) — China’s Foreign Ministry described outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday as a “doomsday clown” and said his designation...
India starts supplying COVID-19 shots to neighboring nations
NEW DELHI (AP) — India began supplying coronavirus vaccines to its neighboring countries on Wednesday, as the world’s largest vaccine making nation strikes a...
Businesses reopen as searchers dig in Indonesia quake rubble
MAMUJU, Indonesia (AP) — Grocery stores, gas stations and other shops were reopening Wednesday in a quake-hit Indonesian city where debris still covered streets...
Pompeo says China’s policies on Muslims amount to ‘genocide’
WASHINGTON (AP) — On his way out the door, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lashed out anew at China on Tuesday by declaring that...
Jack’s back: Chinese e-tycoon ends silence with online video
BEIJING (AP) — China’s highest-profile entrepreneur, Jack Ma, appeared Wednesday in an online video, ending a 2 1/2-month absence from public view that prompted...
Biden charts new US direction, promises many Trump reversals
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stop. Stabilize. Then move — but in a vastly different direction.
...
Biden’s nominees promise fresh approach on national security
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden’s nominees to lead his national security team promised a turnabout from the Trump administration’s approach on the world...
Japan shares fall on pandemic worries as rest of Asia rises
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Wednesday, ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration as U.S. president. Japan's benchmark lost early gains as worries...
The Latest: Hawaii says scarcity hinders vaccination efforts
HONOLULU — Hawaii’s leaders say limited supply is the main thing constraining distribution of the coronavirus vaccine in the state.
...
Washington state nixes methanol plant meant to supply China
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Officials in Washington state denied a key permit for a large proposed methanol plant Tuesday, saying the project that aims...
Thai court gives record 43-year sentence for insulting king
BANGKOK (AP) — A court in Thailand on Tuesday sentenced a former civil servant to a record prison term of 43 years and six...
India’s homegrown vaccine developer warns some to avoid shot
NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s homegrown coronavirus vaccine developer Bharat Biotech on Tuesday warned people with weak immunity and other medical conditions including allergies,...
The Latest: Hawley blocks quick confirmation of DHS nominee
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Senate confirmation hearings for President-elect Joe Biden’s nominees for his administration (all times local):
...
UK: ‘Genocide’ clause to China trade deals narrowly defeated
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson narrowly avoided a defeat in Parliament on Tuesday after lawmakers voted against a controversial proposal seeking...
Panel: China, WHO should have acted quicker to stop pandemic
GENEVA (AP) — A panel of experts commissioned by the World Health Organization has criticized China and other countries for not moving to stem...
Thai leader threatens punishment for false vaccine news
BANGKOK (AP) — Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha warned Tuesday that his government will prosecute anyone who shares false information about coronavirus vaccines in...
Asia Today: China sees virus outbreaks across its northeast
BEIJING (AP) — China was dealing with coronavirus outbreaks across its frigid northeast on Tuesday, prompting additional lockdowns and travel bans ahead of next...
Group: Billion in aid needed to help Afghan kids in 2021
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Some 10 million children in war-ravaged Afghanistan are at risk of not having enough food to eat in 2021, a...
Tokyo Olympics Q&A: 6 months out and murmurs of cancellation
TOKYO (AP) — The Tokyo Olympics are to open in six months on July 23 and organizers have no public program planned to mark...
Profit at Chinese state industry rises with virus recovery
BEIJING (AP) — Profit at state-owned companies that dominate China’s banking, oil and most other industries rose by as much as 25% last year...
Workers trapped week in China mine ask for pickles, porridge
BEIJING (AP) — Workers trapped for more than a week in a Chinese gold mine asked for pickles and porridge to be dropped to...
After seeing floods, Indonesian leader visits quake zone
MAMUJU, Indonesia (AP) — Relief workers worked to clear up rubble of collapsed buildings Tuesday on an Indonesian island where a deadly earthquake left...
The Latest: China grapples with virus outbreaks in northeast
BEIJING — China is now dealing with coronavirus outbreaks across its frigid northeast, prompting additional lockdowns and travel bans.
...
Japan urges South Korea to drop wartime compensation demands
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's foreign minister accused South Korea on Monday of worsening already strained ties by making “illegal” demands for compensation for the...
Harris prepares for central role in Biden’s White House
WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris will make history on Wednesday when she becomes the nation’s first female vice president — and the first Black...
Xi, Modi expected for ‘virtual’ Davos in era of pandemic
GENEVA (AP) — World Economic Forum organizers are expecting leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel...
World shares subdued despite strong growth data from China
Stock markets got off to a slow start for the week despite news that the Chinese economy grew 2.3% in 2020 after a sharp...
Asia Today: Philippine cases hit 500K amid vaccine struggles
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Coronavirus infections in the Philippines have surged past 500,000 in a new bleak milestone with the government facing criticism for...
Aid effort intensifies after Indonesia quake that killed 84
MAMUJU, Indonesia (AP) — Aid was reaching the thousands of people left homeless and struggling after an earthquake that killed at least 84 people...
China economy grows in 2020 as rebound from virus gains
BEIJING (AP) — China eked out 2.3% economic growth in 2020, likely becoming the only major economy to expand as shops and factories reopened...
N. Korea’s parliament rubber stamps new development plans
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament has passed decisions made by a major ruling party meeting where leader Kim Jong Un...
SKorean court gives Samsung scion prison term over bribery
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Billionaire Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong was sent back to prison on Monday after a South Korean court handed him...
Moon urges Biden to learn from Trump’s N. Korea diplomacy
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's president on Monday urged the incoming Biden administration to build upon the achievements and learn from the...
12 workers trapped week ago in China mine blast are alive
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media say 12 out of 22 workers trapped for a week by an explosion in a gold mine are...
The Latest: Slovakia wants tests for nearly all in nine days
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia is launching a project to test almost all citizens for the coronavirus in nine days.
...
Indonesian teams find more bodies, clear roads after quake
MAMUJU, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian rescuers on Sunday retrieved more bodies from the rubble of homes and buildings toppled by a strong earthquake, raising...
Official: Gunmen kill two women judges in Afghan capital
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Gunmen fired on a car in northern Kabul on Sunday, killing two women judges who worked for Afghanistan's high court...
Vaccine skepticism hurts East European anti-virus efforts
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Vaccines from the West, Russia or China? Or none at all? That dilemma faces nations in southeastern Europe, where coronavirus...
Chinese city reports coronavirus found on ice cream
BEIJING (AP) — The coronavirus was found on ice cream produced in eastern China, prompting a recall of cartons from the same batch, according...
Four-time champ Chen wins short program with ease
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nathan Chen doesn't miss.
...
The Latest: China reports a few new cases of COVID-19
BEIJING — China on Sunday reported 109 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, two-thirds of them in a northern province that abuts Beijing, and no deaths.
...
Damaged roads, lack of gear hinder Indonesia quake rescue
MAMUJU, Indonesia (AP) — Damaged roads and bridges, power blackouts and lack of heavy equipment on Saturday hampered rescuers after a strong earthquake left...
Semeru volcano on Indonesia’s Java island spews hot clouds
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Mount Semeru, the highest volcano on Indonesia’s most densely populated island of Java, spewed hot clouds as far away as...
India starts world’s largest COVID-19 vaccination drive
NEW DELHI (AP) — India started inoculating health workers Saturday in what is likely the world's largest COVID-19 vaccination campaign, joining the ranks of...
China builds hospital in 5 days after surge in virus cases
BEIJING (AP) — China on Saturday finished building a 1,500-room hospital for COVID-19 patients to fight a surge in infections the government said are...
California COVID-19 benefits fraud could reach $9.8 billion
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California may have paid out nearly $10 billion in phony coronavirus unemployment claims — more than double the previous estimate...
Trump’s presidency not just a blip in US foreign policy
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to scrap President Donald Trump’s vision of “America First” in favor of “diplomacy first” will depend on...
China strips license of lawyer for Hong Kong activist
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A Chinese lawyer who represented a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist was stripped of his license amid efforts by Beijing to...
The Latest: Mexico hits another record for COVID-19 cases
Mexico posted a record spike in coronavirus cases on Friday, with 21,366 newly confirmed infections, about double the daily rate of increase just a...
US blacklists Xiaomi, CNOOC, Skyrizon, raising heat on China
HONG KONG (AP) — The U.S. government has blacklisted Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp. and China’s third-largest national oil company for alleged military links,...
Pompeo offers burst of actions, attacks before leaving State
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mike Pompeo isn't quietly fading away. In his final days as secretary of state, he's issuing orders that have caused international...
‘This is not a game’: Global virus death toll hits 2 million
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The global death toll from COVID-19 topped 2 million Friday, crossing the threshold amid a vaccine rollout so immense but...
Global death toll from COVID-19 tops 2M amid vaccine rollout
The global death toll from COVID-19 topped 2 million Friday as vaccines developed at breakneck speed are being rolled out around the world in...
Xi asks Starbucks’ Schultz to help repair US-China ties
BEIJING (AP) — President Xi Jinping is asking former CEO Howard Schultz of Starbucks to help repair U.S.-Chinese relations that have plunged to their...
At least 42 dead as Indonesia quake topples homes, buildings
MAMUJU, Indonesia (AP) — A strong, shallow earthquake shook Indonesia's Sulawesi island just after midnight Friday, toppling homes and buildings, triggering landslides and...
Pentagon says US has dropped to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military has met its goal of reducing the number of troops in Afghanistan to about 2,500 by Friday, a...
Asia Today: China’s COVID-19 hospitalizations, cases rise
BEIJING (AP) — China says it is now treating more than 1,000 people for COVID-19 as numbers of cases continue to surge in the...
China builds new quarantine center as virus cases rise
BEIJING (AP) — A city in northern China is building a 3,000-unit quarantine facility to deal with an anticipated overflow of patients as COVID-19...
Swiss supreme court details anti-China bias of Sun judge
GENEVA (AP) — The Swiss supreme court explained Friday why it has ordered a retrial for Olympic swimming champion Sun Yang in a doping...
Japan minister says ‘anything can happen’ with Tokyo Games
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese cabinet minister Taro Kono has said “anything can happen” in regard to the postponed Tokyo Olympics, raising more doubts about...
N.Korea holds huge military parade as Kim vows nuclear might
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea displayed new submarine-launched ballistic missiles under development and other military hardware in a parade that underlined leader...
AP Interview: Arrested US lawyer says HK courts face choice
HONG KONG (AP) — An American lawyer who became the first foreigner arrested under Hong Kong's national security law said Friday that the courts...
Asian shares mixed following Biden speech, Wall St retreat
Asian shares were mixed on Friday after a late slide in several Big Tech stocks left major indexes lower on Wall Street.
...
EXPLAINER: What WHO researchers in Wuhan are trying to learn
WUHAN, China (AP) — The WHO team of international researchers that arrived in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday hopes to find...
The Latest: China says COVID-19 hospitalizations above 1,000
BEIJING — China says it is now treating more than 1,000 people for COVID-19 as numbers of cases continue to surge in the country’s...
MIT professor charged with hiding work for China
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor was charged Thursday with hiding work he did for the Chinese government while he was...
US imposes new sanction on Beijing over South China Sea
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday imposed new sanctions on Chinese officials over Beijing's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea. The...
Turkmenistan, Afghanistan open new infrastructure projects
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — The leaders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan on Thursday launched three new infrastructure projects intended to boost economic ties between the...
WHO team arrives in Wuhan to investigate pandemic origins
WUHAN, China (AP) — A global team of researchers arrived Thursday in the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic was first detected to conduct...
Asia Today: China virus cases spike as WHO researchers visit
BEIJING (AP) — China is seeing a new surge in coronavirus cases in its frozen northeast as a World Health Organization team arrived to...
Hong Kong internet firm blocked website over security law
HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong internet service provider on Thursday said it had blocked access to a pro-democracy website to comply with...
Lawyer, others arrested by Hong Kong national security unit
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police on Thursday said they arrested 11 people on suspicion of assisting offenders who are believed to be...
China demands US lift Xinjiang cotton, tomato import ban
BEIJING (AP) — China on Thursday demanded Washington drop a ban on cotton and tomato imports from its Muslim northwest over complaints they are...
Indonesian health workers receive COVID-19 vaccination
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia started vaccinating health workers and public servants for COVID-19 on Thursday, a day after President Joko Widodo received the...
S. Korean court upholds prison term for ex-president Park
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 20-year prison term for former President Park Geun-hye over bribery and...
China 2020 exports up despite virus; surplus surges to $535B
BEIJING (AP) — China’s exports rose in 2020 despite pressure from the coronavirus and a tariff war with Washington, boosting its politically volatile trade...
Asian shares mixed after lackluster day on Wall Street
Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Thursday after a lackluster day on Wall Street, where major indexes spent the day drifting up and...
Japan widens virus emergency to 7 more areas as cases surge
TOKYO (AP) — Japan expanded a coronavirus state of emergency to seven more prefectures Wednesday, affecting more than half the population amid a surge...
Managers detained as 22 trapped in China mine for 3rd day
BEIJING (AP) — Authorities have detained managers at a gold mine in eastern China where 22 workers have been trapped underground following an explosion...
The Latest: Coronavirus cases surging in northeast China
BEIJING — China is seeing a new surge in coronavirus cases in its frozen northeast, and has reported its first death attributed to COVID-19...
Olympian Keller charged with taking part in US Capitol riot
Five-time Olympic swimming medalist Klete Keller was charged Wednesday with participating in a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol after video emerged that appeared...
US to block cotton from China region targeted in crackdown
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government announced Wednesday that it will halt imports of cotton and tomatoes from the Uighur region of China in...
Demoted? Pushed aside? Fate of Kim Jong Un’s sister unclear
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — What has happened to Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s influential sister?
...
