By Uditha Jayasinghe KANDY, Sri Lanka, Dec 5 (Reuters) – November to January are usually the busiest season for Herath Gedara Rohan Anil Kumara’s three-bedroom homestay in Sri Lanka’s hill country, famed for its tea plantations, historic sites and quaint villages. But after Cyclone Ditwah tore through the island last week, killing nearly 500 people, …
Deadly cyclone dents Sri Lanka’s peak tourism season Read More »
TAIPEI/TOKYO, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Taiwan and Japan voiced concern on Friday over Chinese military activities in the region, after Reuters reported that Beijing had deployed a large number of vessels across East Asian waters this week in its largest maritime show of force to date. Reuters exclusively reported on Thursday that China was deploying …
Taiwan, Japan voice concern over Chinese military movements Read More »
By Ajeng Ulfiana ACEH TAMIANG, Indonesia, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s military stepped up its relief efforts in three provinces on Sumatra island devastated by deadly floods and landslides, with many residents still stranded without access to government aid. The death toll from last week’s cyclone rose to 867 people on Friday evening with 521 …
Indonesian military steps up relief for flood-hit Sumatra; death toll above 860 Read More »
By Laurie Chen, Joyce Zhou and Jessie Pang HONG KONG, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Turnout is likely to be low for Hong Kong’s “patriots only” legislative election on Sunday with subdued campaigning as the population reels from the city’s deadliest blaze in decades, which has killed 159 people. Volunteers tentatively handed out flyers and hung …
Hong Kong faces low election turnout as residents mourn deadly fire Read More »
By Lucy Papachristou TBILISI, Dec 5 (Reuters) – A senior figure in the Armenian Church was placed in pre-trial detention for two months on Friday on charges of planting drugs on protesters seven years ago, his lawyer said, amid a widening church-state rift that has seen several clerics arrested this year. The government of Prime …
Armenian archbishop arrested on drug-related charges amid crackdown on clerics Read More »
By Joe Cash BEIJING, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Chinese leader Xi Jinping accompanied French President Emmanuel Macron to Chengdu on Friday, a rare gesture seemingly reserved for the head of Europe’s second-largest economy that highlights Beijing’s focus on Paris in its ties with the European Union. Even when U.S. President Donald Trump made a landmark …
Xi woos Macron with sightseeing trip, but little in the way of deals Read More »
By Uditha Jayasinghe KOTHMALE, Sri Lanka, Dec 4 (Reuters) – Residents of Kithulbadde village in central Sri Lanka say they have been left in the lurch after last week’s deadly cyclone and many are stuck in relief centres as damaged infrastructure has made them wary of returning home. About 479 people were killed in the …
Sri Lanka cyclone survivors afraid to go home, stuck in relief centres Read More »
NORTH ACEH, Indonesia, Dec 5 (Reuters) – For fisherman Effendi Basyaruddin, the deadly floods and landslides in Indonesia’s Aceh province over the past week have triggered traumatic memories of the day 21 years ago when he ran for his life as the ocean rose like a cliff face and smashed through his hometown. Nearly 200,000 …
Deadly Sumatra flooding triggers memories of Indian Ocean tsunami Read More »
SYDNEY, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles will travel to Japan on Saturday to meet his counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, and discuss deepening defence ties, his office said on Friday. Australia wanted to engage early with the new government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Australian officials said, noting the two countries had a …
Australian defence minister to visit Japan as ‘strategic alignment’ grows Read More »
TOKYO, Dec 5 (Reuters) – The Japanese embassy in China issued a safety advisory on Friday ahead of next week’s anniversary of “the Nanjing Incident”, or the Nanjing Massacre, which it said is considered particularly sensitive. Tensions have intensified since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament last month that a hypothetical Chinese attack on …
Japan issues safety advisory in China ahead of Nanjing Massacre anniversary Read More »
