Tag Archives: Asia

Japan’s foreign minister promised his country would bolster its military to help the United States maintain regional security during a visit on Saturday to a U.S. aircraft carrier patrolling Asian waters. “Today I was able to experience firsthand the frontline of national security,” Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on the hangar …

Two children were injured in a bomb blast in the fifth security district of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The Interior Ministry of the Taliban interim government said in a statement on Thursday that two children were injured in an explosion in the fifth security district of Kabul. According to …

Weapon launch, supervised by Kim Jong Un, comes as the US and South Korea warn that North Korea could soon resume nuclear testing. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has observed the test-firing of a “new type of tactical guided weapon” aimed at boosting the country’s nuclear capabilities, according to …

Protesters share milk rice and oil cakes to celebrate the traditional new year near Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office, where they have camped out for six days. Sri Lankans have shared milk rice and oil cakes to celebrate their traditional new year opposite the president’s office, where they have camped out for …

Sri Lanka’s prime minister offered talks on Wednesday with protesters calling for the government to step down over its handling of an economic crisis as the opposition threatened to bring a no-confidence motion against it in parliament. The island nation of 22 million people is in the throes of its …

Rescuers hampered by mud and rain on Tuesday used their bare hands and shovels to search for survivors of landslides that smashed into villages in the central Philippines, as the death toll from tropical storm Megi rose to 42. Tens of thousands of people fled their homes as the storm …

A US nuclear-powered carrier strike group has been deployed to the waters off the Korean peninsula for the first time since 2017 amid rapidly escalating tensions with North Korea over its missile tests. Reports quoted a US official as saying on Tuesday that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group …

Indonesian police fired tear gas and water cannon on Monday to disperse hundreds of university students protesting high cooking oil prices and a mooted extension of President Joko Widodo’s stay in office. Crowds of demonstrators were seen running away from the scene outside parliament in the capital Jakarta, according to …

Pakistan’s parliament on Monday elected Shehbaz Sharif prime minister after a week-long constitutional crisis that climaxed on Sunday when his predecessor Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote. Shehbaz, 70, who has a reputation domestically as an effective administrator more than as a politician, is the younger brother of three-time prime …

Japan and the Philippines agreed Saturday to start talks toward a possible defense agreement that would allow closer cooperation between their militaries amid regional tensions with China and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and their Philippine counterparts, Teodoro Locsin and Delfin …

Imran Khan had tried to sidestep a no-confidence vote, saying it was a foreign conspiracy. The supreme court has said the vote must proceed. Imran Khan again faces being turfed out of power after the nation’s supreme court ruled Pakistan’s parliament should be restored so that he can face a …

Sri Lanka’s main opposition party on Friday asked the government to take effective action to resolve an economic crisis or face a no-confidence motion, as business leaders from garments, tea and other industries warned exports could fall 20 to 30 percent this year. The heavily indebted country has little money …

At least 40 people died and over 150 others were injured after a ferry caught fire on the Sugandha river in Bangladesh’s Jhalakathi district. At least 40 people died and over 150 others were injured early Friday after a packed three-story ferry carrying around 800 passengers caught fire on the …

The death toll in the strongest typhoon to batter the Philippines this year has reached at least 146, and the governor of an island province especially hard-hit by Typhoon Rai said there may be even greater devastation that has yet to be reported. Gov. Arthur Yap of Bohol province in …

Islamic countries pledged on Sunday to set up a humanitarian trust fund for Afghanistan as, with millions facing hunger and a harsh winter setting in, Pakistan’s prime minister warned of chaos if the worsening emergency was not urgently addressed. The crisis is causing mounting alarm but the international response has …

Torrential rains in Malaysia have caused flooding that has driven more than 11,000 people from their homes, closed dozens of roads, and disrupted shipping, authorities said on Saturday. More than 66,000 personnel from the police, army, and fire department have been mobilised nationwide to help rescue people stranded by floodwaters …

At least 27 people were feared dead after a fire swept through a psychiatry clinic in the Japanese city of Osaka on Friday, and police were investigating possible arson after reports a man had spilled liquid that fuelled the blaze. The fire broke out at the clinic on the fourth …

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has officially withdrawn his candidacy for senator in Halalan 2022, local media reported, citing Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez. Duterte withdrew his candidacy on Tuesday hours after Senator Christopher “Bong” Go pulled out of the presidential race, as per the report.

Myanmar anti-coup demonstrators staged a “silent strike” Friday, closing businesses and emptying the streets of cities and towns across the country to protest against military rule. The Southeast Asian nation has been in turmoil since the February coup, with the economy in tatters and more than 1,300 people killed by …

Five people were killed and at least 15 arrested after Myanmar security forces in a car rammed into an anti-coup protest on Sunday morning in Yangon, local news portal Myanmar Now reported. Witnesses on the scene told Reuters dozens had been injured. Photos and videos on social media show a …