At least 30 people were killed in an air strike during a concert held by an ethnic minority group in conflict with the ruling military, opposition groups, residents and media said on Monday (Oct 24). The air strike late on Sunday in the northern state of Kachin, which the militaryContinue Reading
BANGKOK: Myanmar military air strikes on a concert held by a major ethnic rebel group killed around 50 people and wounded 70, the rebels said on Monday (Oct 24). “Around 8.40 pm on Sunday, two Myanmar military jets attacked” a ceremony the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) was holding, Colonel NawContinue Reading
TOKYO: A Japanese minister resigned on Monday (Oct 24) following allegations over his ties to the Unification Church, which is under renewed scrutiny after the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe. Daishiro Yamagiwa, minister for economic revitalisation, said he did not want the allegations to “affect the parliamentary debate”,Continue Reading
“FEELING UNWELL” China’s only comment came in a pair of tweets in English late on Saturday by its official Xinhua news agency saying that Hu had been feeling unwell, an explanation that has been met with scepticism by some China-watchers. Twitter is blocked in China, and there has been noContinue Reading
BEIJING: China’s exports to North Korea rose at a slower pace in September, but shipments of masks and other COVID-related items surged as the isolated country stepped up its battle against possible COVID-19 flare-ups, Chinese customs data showed on Monday (Oct 24). Pyongyang declared victory over COVID-19 in August, whileContinue Reading
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s food and drugs agency on Monday (Oct 24) said it may pursue criminal action against two pharmaceutical firms that made products linked to acute kidney injury (AKI), amid a spike in cases and deaths among children this year. Indonesian authorities have temporarily banned sales of some syrup-based medicationsContinue Reading
The son of a poet revered by former communist leaders, 65-year-old Ai is perhaps China’s best-known modern artist and helped design the famous Bird’s Nest stadium for Beijing’s 2008 Olympics. But he fell out of favour after criticising the Chinese government and was imprisoned for 81 days in 2011. HeContinue Reading
ZERO COVID Xi will also need to decide the future of China’s strict zero-Covid policy – and whether the country is now ready to open up to the outside world after two years of closed borders and strict quarantines. The policy is dragging on the economy, with officials this weekContinue Reading
NEW DELHI: Many Indians are delighted at the prospect of Rishi Sunak becoming the first person of Indian origin to become British prime minister on Monday (Oct 24), just as Hindus across the world celebrate Deepavali. Boris Johnson pulled out of the prime ministerial race late on Sunday, boosting Sunak’sContinue Reading
“NO WORK LEFT” Many of the flood-displaced in southern Sindh province have sought shelter in urban centres, including tens of thousands recorded at relief camps and many more in the homes of relatives or rental properties. With homes and livelihoods washed away, some are expected to abandon their rural lives,Continue Reading