About 2.3 million people have been displaced, according to the United Nations, while efforts by Myanmar’s Southeast Asian neighbours to initiate dialogue have seen no progress, with the junta refusing to negotiate with what it calls “terrorists”. The extension of emergency rule came on the eve of the third anniversaryContinue Reading
BEIJING: China and Nauru formally re-established diplomatic relations on Wednesday (Jan 24), after the tiny South Pacific nation cut ties with Taiwan. Officials from the two countries held a signing ceremony in Beijing, state news agency Xinhua said. In a post-election blow to Taiwan, Nauru unexpectedly announced last Monday that itContinue Reading
BUDAPEST: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday (Jan 23) he had invited his Swedish counterpart to visit and negotiate his country joining the NATO military alliance, a process that Hungary and Türkiye have delayed. Asked about the invitation, a spokesperson for Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said inContinue Reading
BEIJING: China’s top court has pledged to “deepen judicial disclosure” after its plan to curtail access to court decisions faced unusual public criticism from lawyers and legal experts. The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) announced in December it would create a new database of over 2,000 cases accessible to scholars, lawyersContinue Reading
SEOUL: Russian President Vladimir Putin showed his intention to visit Pyongyang soon, North Korea’s state media KCNA reported on Sunday (Jan 21). Putin also thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for his invitation to visit as he met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui who visited Russia lastContinue Reading
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
Meetings between US Treasury and Chinese financial officials in Beijing this week concluded with both sides agreeing to continue to meet regularly, the Treasury Department said on Friday (Jan 19). US officials also indicated that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen looked forward to a return visit to China at an “appropriateContinue Reading
MANILA: The Philippines and Canada signed a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation on Friday (Jan 19), a move which Manila’s defence minister said could later lead to a troop pact between the two countries. “I’m glad to hear that there is a strong intention on both sides to deepenContinue Reading
BEIJING: China’s commerce ministry has said it is closely following developments in the Red Sea, state media reported, after attacks by Houthi rebels on ships in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. “It is hoped that the relevant parties will proceed from the overall interests of regional security and stability asContinue Reading
SEOUL: The nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States, and Japan condemned North Korea for its recent missile tests, arms trade with Russia and increasingly hostile rhetoric at a meeting in Seoul on Thursday (Jan 18). Pyongyang’s transfer of short-range ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia for useContinue Reading