Asia

Photo Story: U2 performs in Seoul

A handout photo made available by Live Nation Korea shows Irish rock band U2 performing during its first South Korean concert at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, 08…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Qinglong Gorge, China

An aerial view of the reservoir in the Qinglong Gorge tourist area near Beijing. Qinglong Gorge is around 60km from downtown Beijing and attracts many visitors weary of city life…

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Photo story: Indian Army passing out parade in Srinagar

Civilians react as their relatives graduate to become part of the Jammu Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment (JKLIR) at the end of a passing out parade on a foggy day at…

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Indian woman set on fire on way to court rape hearing dies

An Indian woman who was set on fire on her way to testify against her alleged rapists has died of her injuries. The 23-year-old died late on Friday after suffering…

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In rare legal test, Myanmar faces genocide hearings at The Hague

Lawyers pressing a case against Myanmar for alleged genocide against its Muslim Rohingya minority will next week ask U.N. judges at The Hague to order immediate action to protect them…

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Japan plans to send 270 sailors to Middle East to guard ships

Japan is working on a plan to send about 270 seamen to the Middle East to guard ships supplying Japan under a law that allows military deployments for research and…

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Gunmen kill head of Japan aid agency in Afghanistan

Gunmen killed six people, including the head of a Japanese aid agency, on Wednesday in an attack on their vehicle in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan, officials said. The ambush comes…

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Hyundai Motor to invest $52 billion over six years

Hyundai Motor said on Wednesday it planned to invest $51.81 billion ( 61.1 trillion won) between 2020 and 2025. The South Korean carmaker unveiled a “Strategy 2025” roadmap that…

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Photo Story: Mercury plummets in Kashmir

The region of Kashmir in India is currently caught in a wave of extreme cold weather. In the photo a man fishes in nearly frozen waters after temperatures plummeted overnight,…

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Photo Story: World AIDS Day in Taiwan

A handout photo made available by Taiwan Centers for Disease Control shows people standing together to form the Red Ribbon - symbol of AIDS awareness - in Taipei, Taiwan, ahead…

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China accuses UN rights chief of inflaming Hong Kong unrest

China has accused the UN high commissioner for human rights of emboldening “radical violence” in Hong Kong. Michelle Bachelet wrote in an opinion piece in the South China Morning Post…

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China due to introduce face scans for mobile users

People in China are now required to have their faces scanned when registering new mobile phone services, as the authorities seek to verify the identities of the country's hundreds of…

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Nestlé Japan launches KitKat with cocoa fruit chocolate

Nestlé has just launched the KitKat Chocolatory Cacao Fruit Chocolate, the first product to use a unique chocolate made entirely from the cocoa fruit. The iconic crispy KitKat wafer is…

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Hong Kong set for fresh protests as police end university siege

Hong Kong police on Friday ended their two-week siege of a university campus that became a battleground with pro-democracy protesters as activists vowed to hold fresh rallies and strikes in…

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Trump makes surprise visit to Afghanistan

President Donald Trump made a surprise Thanksgiving visit to U.S. troops in Afghanistan on Thursday and said he believed Taliban insurgents would agree to a ceasefire in America’s longest war.…

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Japan’s former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone dies aged 101

Japanese former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone speaks during a press conference for the 28th Praemium Imperiale award in Tokyo, Japan, 17 October 2016 (reissued 29 November 2019). Japan's NHK television…

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North Korea fires more missiles

North Korea fired at least one unidentified projectile on Thursday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. No other details were immediately available, including how many projectiles were fired…

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Trump signs law backing Hong Kong protesters

Donald Trump has signed into law legislation effectively backing civil rights protesters in Hong Kong. The bill is bound to antagonise Beijing at a time when the president is trying…

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Bangladesh Islamists sentenced to death for 2016 cafe attack

Seven Islamists have been sentenced to death for a 2016 attack on a cafe in the Bangladeshi capital in which 22 people, mostly foreigners, were killed. The attack on the…

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Japan and South Korea scramble planes to shadow Russian bombers

Japan and South Korea scrambled jets to shadow two Russian strategic bombers over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, Russian news agencies…

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Warning shots fired toward North Korean merchant vessel

South Korea’s military fired warning shots toward a North Korean merchant boat with engine trouble that violated their sea border on Wednesday, South Korean officials said. The vessel was detected…

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Photo Story: Pope Francis in Japan

Pope Francis (R) gives his blessings to a baby as he arrives at Tokyo Dome prior to celebrating a Holy Mass in Tokyo, Japan, 25 November 2019. The pope is…

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British national and Filipino wife rescued from Abu Sayyaf bandits

A handout photo made available by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) shows British national Allan Arthur Hyrons (L) and his Filipino wife Wilma Paglinawan-Hyrons (C)…

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The last Sumatran rhino in Malaysia dies, less than 80 left in the world

Wildlife officials in Malaysia are mourning the death of Iman, the country's last Sumatran rhino. The female rhino, who was estimated to be about 25 years old, died Saturday at…

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Photo Story: Cremation ceremony of a princess in Cambodia

A royal carriage carries the coffin of Princess Norodom Buppha Devi, one of late King Norodom Sihanouk's daughters, during her funeral ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 25 November 2019. Thousands…

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Pope voices concern over future energy as he comforts victims of Fukushima disaster

Pope Francis expressed concern about future energy sources as he comforted victims of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster on Monday, noting a call by Japan’s Catholic bishops to abolish…

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Pro-democracy groups make big gains in Hong Kong elections

Hong Kong's opposition pro-democracy movement has made unprecedented gains in the Chinese territory's district council elections, early results show. A record 4.1 million people had registered to vote - more…

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Photo Story: High rise buildings illuminated in cricket pink in India

High rise buildings and a sphere representing a cricket ball are illuminated with pink lights in Kolkata, Eastern India, on the evening of Friday 22 November 2019. As West Bengal's…

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Hong Kong local elections to proceed as more protesters emerge from Polytechnic campus

Police will be out in force at polling stations in Hong Kong this weekend as keenly contested local elections take place amid ongoing anti-government protests. On 24 November 4.13 million…

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US president says he asked China not to send in the military to crush protests in Hong Kong

Donald Trump has claimed he stopped Hong Kong from being "obliterated in 14 minutes" by China over pro-democracy protests in the city. The US president said Chinese leader Xi Jinping…

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Pope Francis to visit Japan from Saturday

Pope Francis ended his visit in Thailand and is set to arrive in Japan on Saturday to spread his message of peace. He will be the first head of the…

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Photo Story: Pope Francis celebrates a Holy Mass at Assumption Cathedral in Bangkok

People join their hands for prayers as Pope Francis celebrates a Holy Mass at Assumption Cathedral in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday 22 November 2019. Pope Francis is in Thailand for…

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EU-China landmark agreement against imitations and counterfeiting

The European Union (EU) and China have concluded negotiations on a bilateral agreement to protect 100 European Geographical Indications (GI) in China and 100 Chinese GI in the EU against…

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Photo Story: Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger visits Beijing

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) greets former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (R) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Kissinger, 96, said the U.S.…

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Pope Francis, in Bangkok, urges respect for prostitutes, victims of human trafficking

Pope Francis, speaking before a packed stadium of devoted followers in a Bangkok stadium, urged the international community to respect women and children who have been forced into prostitution or…

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North Korea releases stamps on 100 anniversary of Red Cross, Red Crescent founding

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 21 November 2019 shows a sheetlet issued in the DPRK. The stamps were issued to mark the…

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Photo Story: 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau official release in Japan

People raise their glasses filled with 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau wine, as they bathe in a 'wine bath', coloured hot water, on the day of the Beaujolais Nouveau official release, at…

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Magnitude 6.1 quake rattles Thailand and Laos

A shallow magnitude 6.1 earthquake hit northwestern Laos near the Thai border early on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey reported. There were no immediate reports of damage after the earthquake…

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Pope Francis begins three-day visit to Thailand

Pope Francis has begun his three-day visit to Thailand, which runs from 20 to 23 November 2019. It will mark the 350th anniversary of the founding of the 'Mission de…

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EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) comes into effect

The flag of the European Union (C) is seen flying in Singapore, 20 November 2019. The European Union-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) will come into effect on 21 November and…

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Protests in New Delhi

Security personnel detain an Indian Youth Congress (IYC) activist during a protest at Raisina road in New Delhi, India. Hundreds of IYC workers protested after Indian Government has downgraded the…

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Outrage in London at ‘torture’ of ex-Hong Kong consulate employee

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Wednesday condemned China’s treatment of a former employee of Britain’s Hong Kong consulate who told a newspaper Chinese secret police beat him as they…

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Photo Story: Special welcome by his cousin on Pope’s arrival in Thailand

Pope Francis (R) walks with his cousin Ana Rosa Sivori (L) as he arrives at Military Air Terminal of Don Muang Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, 20 November 2019. The plane…

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Photo Story: Lamborghini Day in Seoul

Models show off a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ roadster at the 2019 Lamborghini Day Seoul 20 November 2019. Only 800 units of the limited-edition automobile were produced. Photo: EPA-EFE/YONHAP

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Last campus protesters hold out as Hong Kong schools reopen

Hong Kong schools reopened Wednesday after a six-day shutdown but students and commuters faced transit disruptions as the last protesters remained holed up on a university campus. City officials tried…

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Pope heading to Thailand

Pope Francis is heading to Thailand to encourage members of a minority Catholic community in a Buddhist nation and highlight his admiration for their missionary ancestors who brought the faith…

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Abe becomes Japan’s longest serving PM

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became Japan’s longest-serving premier on Wednesday, a remarkable feat for a leader who once quit in humiliation, but the day was marred by questions about possible…

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Pope Francis’ cousin to be official translator of Pope’s apostolic visit to Thailand

Sister Ana Rosa of the Congregation of the Salesian Sisters, is Pope Francis' second cousin and lives and work in Thailand. Fluent in Thai, she will oversee the translations during…

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Preparations underway for Pope Francis’ apostolic visit to Thailand

The silver chalice, which Pope Francis will use at mass during his visit, is displayed at the Assumption Cathedral in Bangkok, Thailand. Pope Francis' apostolic visit to Thailand, which is…

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Life taking ‘toll on my health’: Philippines’ Duterte

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted that life is taking its "toll on my health", as speculation swirls over the 74-year-old's prolonged absences from the public eye. Duterte cut short…

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Photo Story: Sunday in Hong Kong

Photos from the streets of Hong Kong as protesters and police clashed once more. A Hong Kong police officer was shot with an arrow on Sunday during the siege of…

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Hong Kong protesters hurl petrol bombs in fresh clashes, schools to stay closed on Monday

Fresh violence erupted around a besieged Hong Kong university campus on Sunday morning, as protesters braced for a possible final police push to clear them after fiery clashes overnight. The…

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Sri Lanka’s Premadasa accepts defeat at presidential poll

Sri Lanka’s ruling party presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa on Sunday accepted defeat in the presidential poll and congratulated his rival former wartime defense chief, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. “It is my privilege…

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Photo Story: Taipei lights up 3D Christmas tree

A 3D Christmas tree shines in Banciao, New Taipei City, Taiwan. The 36-meter tree will be lit up every evening until the end of the year with a 3D projection…

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Vote counting begins in presidential election in Sri Lanka, various violent incidents reported

Vote counting began in Sri Lanka after polls closed on Saturday for 16 million eligible voters looking to choose their new president. Polls closed at 5 p.m local time (1130 UTC)…

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French tourist dies while taking selfie at Thai waterfall

A French tourist has died after falling from a waterfall while trying to take a selfie in Thailand. The accident happened Thursday afternoon on the island of Koh Samui, popular…

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China condemns ‘appalling’ attack on Hong Kong official in UK

China has condemned what it called an "appalling attack" by protesters on Hong Kong's justice secretary in London on Thursday evening. Teresa Cheng (photo) fell and was treated for an…

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