LISBON: Tens of thousands of teachers took to Lisbon’s streets on Saturday (Feb 11) in one of the biggest protests in Portugal in recent years as the Socialist government faces a wave of discontent over the cost of living crisis. “(We) have been badly treated for a long time,” saidContinue Reading
HONG KONG: A Chinese health official has urged local governments to take “bold” steps to lower the cost of having babies and raising children to reduce the burden on families and boost fertility, a state-backed publication reported on Friday (Feb 10). China’s population fell last year for the first timeContinue Reading
HONG KONG: A Chinese health official has urged local governments to take “bold” steps to lower the cost of having babies and raising children to reduce the burden on families and boost fertility, a state-backed publication reported on Friday (Feb 10). China’s population fell last year for the first timeContinue Reading
SYDNEY: The Australian government on Thursday (Feb 9) said it had acknowledged the decision by international prosecutors to suspend their investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over Ukraine in 2014. MH17 was shot down by a Russian BUK missile system as it flew over eastern UkraineContinue Reading
BEIJING: China’s commerce minister Wang Wentao said talks held on Monday (Feb 6) with Australian counterpart Don Farrell were a key step toward bringing bilateral economic and trade ties back on track, with relations improving after being strained in recent years. The virtual meeting came after Chinese officials relaxed importContinue Reading
SHANGHAI: China said on Saturday (Feb 4) that mutual political trust with Russia has continued to deepen after Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu visited the country this week and met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. China is willing to work with Russia to implement their strategic partnership and promoteContinue Reading
WASHINGTON: South Korea Foreign Minister Park Jin said after meeting US top diplomat Antony Blinken on Friday (Feb 3) that Seoul and Washington were committed to strengthening “extended deterrence” in relation to North Korea. South Korea has sought assurances over extended deterrence, referring to the ability of the US military toContinue Reading
SEOUL: The United States and South Korea staged drills for the second time in a week on Friday (Feb 3) with some of their latest warplanes, despite North Korean complaints that the exercises were increasing tensions on the peninsula. The two countries conducted a joint air exercise over the seaContinue Reading
The new administration of Ferdinand Marcos has been keen to reverse that. Beijing’s growing assertiveness on Taiwan and its building of bases in the disputed South China Sea have given fresh impetus to Washington and Manila to strengthen their partnership. Given the Philippines’ proximity to Taiwan and its surrounding waters,Continue Reading
The Indonesian government has strongly condemned the burning of the Quran by Paludan and summoned Swedish Ambassador Marina Berg last week, said Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah. “This act of blasphemy has hurt and tarnished religious tolerance,” the ministry said in a statement on Jan 22. “Freedom of expressionContinue Reading