asia
Hong Kong protests flare anew after demands unmet
Hong Kong, Jun 21 (AP/UNB) — Several hundred mainly student protesters have gathered outside Hong Kong government offices, with some blocking traffic on a major thoroughfare and others occupying the lobby of a government tax office.
Fears for elephants facing 1,900 mile train journey in India
Delhi, Jun 21 (UNB) - Animal rights activists in India have criticised a plan by the Assam state government to send four elephants on a perilous train journey of more than 3,100km (1,926 miles) to participate in a temple ritual. They say the long journey could be dangerous for the animals and may even kill them, writes the BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi.
Death toll rises to 43 as bus falls into gorge in India
New Delhi, June 21 (Xinhua/UNB) -- The death toll has risen to 43 as a bus fell into a gorge in India's Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, while 35 others were injured, official said.
Protesters gather again outside Hong Kong government offices
Hong Kong, Jun 21 (AP/UNB) — Several hundred mainly student protesters gathered outside Hong Kong government offices Friday morning after a deadline passed for meeting their demands related to controversial extradition legislation that many see as eroding the territory's judicial independence.
India creates new ministry to tackle growing water crisis
New Delhi, Jun 20 (AP/UNB) — India's government has created a new ministry to respond to a growing water crisis, with more than 60% of the country's 1.3 billion people dependent on farming and favorable monsoon rains.
Malaysia: 'No proof' of Russian involvement in MH17 downing
Putrajaya, Jun 20 (AP/UNB) — Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday rejected the implication that Russia may have been involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, after international prosecutors charged with murder four men — three of them Russians with military or intelligence backgrounds — in the 2014 missile attack that killed all 298 people aboard.
China’s Xi arrives in North Korea for talks with Kim Jong Un
Beijing, June 20 (AP/UNB) — Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived Thursday morning for a two-day state visit to North Korea, where he’s expected to talk with leader Kim Jong Un about the stalled negotiations with Washington over North Korea’s nuclear weapons.
UN aid chief says 'humanitarian disaster' unfolding in Idlib
United Nations , Jun 19 (AP/UNB) — The U.N. humanitarian chief declared Tuesday that "a humanitarian disaster" is unfolding in Syria's last rebel-held territory where Bashar Assad's forces have launched an offensive, ending a cease-fire negotiated by Turkey and Russia in September.
Pakistani army helicopter saves 6 climbers hit by avalanche
Islamabad, Jun 19 (AP/UNB) — A Pakistani army helicopter rescued on Tuesday four Italian and two Pakistani climbers stranded at an altitude of around 5,300 meters (17,390 feet) in the country's north, after an avalanche struck the team the previous day, a mountaineering worker said. A Pakistani member of the team was killed.
More than 100 children die in India in encephalitis outbreak
Patna, Jun 19 (AP/UNB) — More than 100 children have died in an encephalitis outbreak in India's eastern state of Bihar, authorities said Tuesday.