Tag Archives: asia

North Korea issues nuclear 'warning signal' to US, South Korea

North Korea’s missile test on Monday was in fact a drill to test nuclear force preparedness, according to local media. The incident raised alarms around the region after several short-range ballistic missiles were launched near Pyongyang and flew approximately 185 miles before falling in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The drill’s main purpose, however, was to “demonstrate …

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4 dead, 10 missing as torrential rains drench southern China

Heavy rainstorms that swept across southern China over the weekend killed at least four people in riverside cities, while a search was underway for 10 others missing, state media said Monday. The official Xinhua news agency said three people died in Zhaoqing city while one rescuer died in Shaoguan city. It didn’t say when or how they died. WWIII COULD …

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Chinese military leader takes harsh line on Taiwan, other disputes at international naval event

One of China’s top military leaders took a harsh line on regional territorial disputes, telling an international naval gathering in northeastern China on Monday that the country would strike back with force if its interests came under threat. The 19th biennial meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium opened in Qingdao, where China’s northern naval force is based, providing a …

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Burma’s vice president steps down for unspecified health reasons

Burma’s Vice President Henry Van Thio, who served in the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and then continued in the position after the military ousted her to seize power in 2021, is stepping down for unspecified health reasons, state media said Monday. State television MRTV announced on Monday night that 65-year-old Van Thio had been allowed to retire …

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India's Modi poised for victory as 6-week general election begins in world's largest democracy

CHENNAI -Close to 970 million Indians start voting today as India holds its general election with polls suggesting that incumbent Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will win a third term in the world’s largest democracy. “Many Indians view Modi as a ‘strongman figure’. None of the opposition parties can field a candidate with equal charisma. Also, they have no coherent strategy …

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Japanese autoworkers narrowly escape suicide bomber in Pakistani port city

A suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden vest near a van carrying Japanese autoworkers in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi on Friday, police said. They narrowly escaped the attack but three bystanders were wounded. Separately, an Afghan Taliban religious scholar was killed in an attack in the southwest of Pakistan the previous day. The attack on the van happened when it …

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Armenian victims group asks International Criminal Court to investigate genocide claim

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A human rights organization representing ethnic Armenians submitted evidence to the International Criminal Court on Thursday, arguing that Azerbaijan is committing an ongoing genocide against them. Azerbaijan’s government didn’t immediately comment on the accusations. The neighboring countries have been at odds for decades over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and are already facing off in …

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Burmese military government moves deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest due to heat

Burma’s jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved from prison to house arrest as a health measure due to a heat wave, the military government said as it freed more than 3,000 prisoners under an amnesty to mark this week’s traditional New Year holiday. Those released included several political prisoners, including a member of the Kachin minority …

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11,000 ordered to evacuate as volcanic eruptions, tsunami warnings rock Indonesian island

Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami alert Wednesday after eruptions at Ruang mountain sent ash thousands of feet high. Officials ordered more than 11,000 people to leave the area. The volcano on the northern side of Sulawesi island had at least five large eruptions in the past 24 hours, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation said. Authorities raised their …

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Russia begins withdrawing peacekeeping forces from Karabakh, now under full Azerbaijan control

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian forces are being withdrawn from Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region, where they have been stationed as peacekeepers since the end of a war in 2020, officials of both countries said Wednesday. In a conference call with journalists, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed reports of the withdrawal but did not give further details. Hikmet Hajiyev, the head of foreign …

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