North Korea foreign minister says ‘ready to greet’ Putin

SEOUL: North Korea’s top diplomat said her country is “ready to greet” Russian President Vladimir Putin, state media reported Sunday (Jan 21), in the latest sign of deepening ties between the two authoritarian states. Traditional allies Russia and North Korea have recently boosted ties, with Pyongyang’s leader Kim Jong Un makingContinue Reading

Pakistan hits ‘terrorist hideouts’ in Iran after Tehran strikes

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday (Jan 18) it carried out strikes against militant targets in Iran, with Tehran reporting a death toll of seven civilians after staging its own air raid in Pakistan earlier this week. Nuclear-armed Pakistan and neighbouring Iran are both battling simmering insurgencies along their sparsely populated borderContinue Reading

Indonesia presidential hopefuls pledge to boost troubled anti-graft agency

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s presidential candidates have pledged to strengthen the government’s anti-corruption agency, laying out their plans ahead of the country’s Feb 14 election, to counter pervasive graft in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The candidates’ promises, made at a dialogue late on Wednesday (Jan 17), come as experts bemoan a slowdownContinue Reading

US relists Houthis as terrorists in response to Red Sea attacks

WASHINGTON: The Biden administration on Wednesday (Jan 17) returned the Yemen-based Houthi rebels to a list of terrorist groups, US officials said, in the latest attempt by Washington to stem attacks on international shipping. Officials said the “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” (SDGT) designation, which hits the Iran-aligned group with harshContinue Reading