China

Tokyo — A typhoon that blasted parts of Japan with more than 200-kph winds moved out to sea on Saturday, mostly sparing the capital and allowing trains and some flights to resume. Tokyo and its surrounding areas had been on high alert Friday for Ampil’s approach, with transport services, trips, events and school classes canceled en masse. The storm was packing wind gusts of 216 kph …

Beirut — Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli air strike on Saturday in southern Lebanon killed nine people, as the Israeli military reported hitting weapons stores of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. The toll from the strike in the Nabatieh area is one of the largest in southern Lebanon since Hezbollah and Israeli forces began exchanging near-daily fire over their border after war in the Gaza Strip …

BANGKOK — Southeast Asia is among the regions most prone to natural disasters, but a new analysis released Thursday shows its people also feel the best equipped to deal with them. It seems logical that the countries in and around the Pacific Ring of Fire, vulnerable to earthquakes, typhoons, storm surges and other dangers, are also the best prepared, but the survey by Gallup for the …

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CAIRO — A trove of artifacts from Egypt’s last dynasty has been discovered in 63 tombs in the Nile Delta area, and experts are working to restore and classify the finds, an official with the country’s antiquities authority said Monday.  The artifacts include gold pieces and jewelry dating to Egypt’s Late and Ptolemaic periods, and some items could be displayed at one of the country’s museums, …

taipei, taiwan — China warned Japan on Friday that it should be prepared “to pay a heavy price” if it interferes with Beijing’s plans for Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing considers a breakaway province that must one day reunite with the mainland, by force if necessary. China’s embassy in Tokyo issued the warning after a visit to Taiwan this week by a bipartisan group of …

washington — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s freedom-based approach toward unifying the two Koreas could chart a bold path signaling a departure from the policies of his predecessors, experts in Washington said.    In a speech commemorating South Korea’s Liberation Day on Thursday, Yoon introduced the “August 15 Doctrine,” his vision for achieving a “freedom-based unification” of the Korean Peninsula. Made up of incremental strategies, …

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London — China has increased high-level diplomatic engagement with Myanmar’s military government over the past week as rebel groups continue to make gains in the northern part of the country, where Beijing has huge economic and geostrategic interests. Some analysts say recent trips by top Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi and China’s special envoy to Myanmar, Deng Xijun, reflect Beijing’s attempt to stabilize the …

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BEIJING — China urged neighboring countries to help war-torn Myanmar advance its peace and reconciliation process as its foreign minister met counterparts from Laos, Myanmar and Thailand on Friday.  Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi called the situation in Myanmar “worrying,” and he suggested neighboring countries should promote cooperation with Myanmar to help it create economic and social conditions that prevent conflict.  Earlier, Wang told a news …

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Indirect Gaza cease-fire talks resumed Thursday in Doha, Qatar although Hamas said it would not attend the discussions. Many in Israel say this might be the last chance for an agreement that would bring home the 115 hostages Hamas is still holding in Gaza following its surprise raid on southern Israel October 7. But significant gaps between the two sides remain. Linda Gradstein reports for …

DOHA/CAIRO — Negotiators were to meet in the Qatari capital of Doha again Friday in an effort to hammer out a Gaza cease-fire agreement as Israel continued to slam targets in the Palestinian enclave. Gaza health officials reported separately Thursday that the death toll there had surpassed 40,000 people after more than 10 months of fighting. This round of negotiations opened Thursday, and the talks would …

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Dozens of Israeli settlers, some wearing masks, attacked a Palestinian village near the city of Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank, burning cars and killing at least one person, authorities said on Thursday. The Palestinian health ministry said one Palestinian was killed and another critically wounded by Israeli settlers’ gunfire during the incident in the village of Jit, the latest in a …

TOKYO — Flights and trains in the Tokyo area were canceled Friday, and people were warned of strong winds, heavy rains and potential flooding and mudslides as a typhoon swerved near Japan on its way further north in the Pacific Ocean. Typhoon Ampil was forecast to reach the waters near Tokyo in the evening then continue north, bringing stormy conditions to the northern Kanto and Tohoku …

washington — As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un struggles to cope with devastating floods in his country, his recent brash words have exposed his fear of South Korean influence over his people, analysts in Seoul said. During a visit to a flood-stricken area last week, Kim slammed South Korean news reports about the flooding, claiming media outlets were producing fake news stories about the damage …

washington — As Indonesia gears up to participate in U.S.-led joint military exercises this month, it agreed at a meeting this week to hold military training with China, a move analysts say points to Indonesia’s nonalignment stance regarding the U.S.-China rivalry. The Indonesian military is preparing to host Super Garuda Shield exercises led by the U.S. with participation by dozens of countries, including Japan, Australia, South …

taipei, taiwan — A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck 34 kilometers (21.1 miles) off Taiwan’s eastern city of Hualien on Friday, the weather administration said, with no immediate reports of damage from what was the second strong tremor to hit the island in less than a day.   The quake also shook buildings in the capital, Taipei. Authorities said subway services in the city continued at lower …

As an “extreme heat epidemic” grips the planet, a study by the International Labor Organization estimates that about 93% of Africa’s workforce faces hazardous temperatures on the job. Around heatwave-ridden Cairo, the continent’s third largest city. …

Bangkok — Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the heir of Thailand’s most powerful political dynasty, is tipped to become the kingdom’s youngest leader in a parliament vote on Friday after a top court ousted a prime minister this week.  Her Pheu Thai party selected the 37-year-old to be its candidate in the vote to replace Srettha Thavisin, who was dismissed on Wednesday for appointing a cabinet minister with a …

Washington  — Landlocked between Russia and China, analysts say Mongolia is finding ways to balance its outreach to Western democratic nations without alarming it neighbors to the north or south. Although Mongolia regards China and Russia as its top foreign and economic priorities, with most of its trade transiting the two, it has also committed to deepening and developing relations with the United States, Japan, the …

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BANGKOK — Thailand’s ruling party met to choose a new prime minister candidate Thursday after Srettha Thavisin was removed from office because of what a court called an “ethical violation.” The vote for a new prime minister is set to be held on Friday in parliament. Paetongtarn Shinawtra, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is a potential Pheu Thai candidate for the top post, …