Taiwan passes defence budget after record delay, retains drone funding
Taiwan parliament ends deadlock, ensuring vital drone programme funding amid rising cross-strait tensions with Beijing.
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South Korea’s president proposes formal end to Korean war talks with North
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung proposed talks with North Korea to formally end the long-running Korean war, as Pyongyang deepens ties with Russia while asserting its status as an “irreversible” nuclear state. The two Koreas remain technically at war because their 1950-53 conflict, triggered by a North Korean attack, ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Lee made the proposal in...
At least 5 dead after powerful earthquake strikes Indonesia
Indonesian authorities issued, then lifted, a tsunami warning after the powerful earthquake hit Saturday morning.
'Begin discussions': South Korea's Lee Jae Myung calls for talks with North Korea
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung seeks peace talks to formally end the Korean War. He also wants to discuss North Korea's nuclear capabilities and reduce regional tensions. This proposal comes as North Korea strengthens its military ties with Russia. Annual US-South Korean military exercises are scheduled to begin soon. Lee also addressed improving relations with Japan and fostering prospe...
Europe's tallest Virgin Mary statue rises in Polish village
The village of Konotopie is home to tallest Virgin Mary statue in the whole of Europe.
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Iran says no decision yet on a return to talks with the US
FM Abbas Araghchi says Iran is working with Oman on routes, but Hormuz shipping depends on US meeting conditions.
What we know about the crisis aboard the USS Lincoln
The US President has brushed off reports of dire conditions and a mental health crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Five dead after 7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia
The earthquake struck off Flores island in the country's east early on Saturday morning.
Hong Kong’s biodiversity ‘richer than we know’ but many species lack protection
Hong Kong’s lush forests are teeming with more wildlife ranging from birds arriving from neighbouring regions to newly discovered reptile and insect species, experts have found, as they urge authorities to devise a conservation list to protect vulnerable local species. The call by the city’s conservationists to formulate a “red list” – a long-awaited measure since 2014 – coincided with National Ec...
How Vietnam’s ‘streamlining revolution’ may lead to uneven success
Third plenums are ordinarily the quiet part of Vietnam’s political calendar. Between its five-yearly congresses, the Communist Party of Vietnam governs through numbered plenums of its Central Committee (CC): the first two settle personnel decisions, and the third, six months on, usually does no more than ratify the term’s work programme. This time, the third plenum of the 14th CC, held from July 2...
Did the US really destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capability?
The US claims it destroyed Iran’s missile capability, but a former White House adviser calls that a “pipe dream".
India marks 80th Independence Day with military display
India marked its 80th Independence Day at Delhi’s historic Red Fort.
Truck driver flees after vehicle crashes and bursts into flames on Lantau highway
A truck driver has fled the scene after his vehicle crashed into roadside barriers and burst into flames on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island, with debris from the collision injuring a taxi driver and passenger travelling behind. The incident occurred at around 3.15am on Saturday during an amber rainstorm warning. A 16-tonne truck carrying electronic parts was heading towards the airport when it crashed o...
Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes off Indonesia; buildings toppled and 2 dead
A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake has struck off the coast of Indonesia, damaging buildings and homes, killing at least two people and causing panic in a region prone to deadly quakes
HRW says US civil rights enforcement reduced under Trump: What to know
A new report documents how federal agencies have reduced the number of civil rights cases they pursue as staffing falls.
Meet the Singaporean DJ taking local sounds to the global stage
At one of the world’s biggest electronic dance music festivals in Belgium, entranced revellers recently found themselves dancing to sounds more often heard on a Singapore commute than a Tomorrowland stage. They included the MRT warning to “Sila berhati-hati di ruang platform” (“Please mind the platform gap” in Malay), familiar to millions who ride the city state’s metro system, and the piercing, r...
Chinese magnetic sensor breakthrough may help smartwatch detect submarine 500 metres deep
Picture a fisherman hauling in his nets on a calm morning at sea, when his smartwatch suddenly vibrates with an alert: “Magnetic anomaly detected – possible submarine passing 500 metres below.” Far‑fetched as it sounds, Chinese scientists have just taken a decisive step towards making that scenario real. A team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science and the Ningbo Institute of Materials Tec...
At least 47 killed in Indonesia after magnitude 7.7 quake hits Flores region
A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, killing at least 47 people, collapsing buildings and homes as well as causing panic in a region prone to deadly quakes. Authorities said more than a dozen people were injured. Authorities issued a tsunami warning but later lifted it when Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said monitoring s...
At least 40 killed in Indonesia after magnitude 7.7 quake hits Flores region
A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, killing at least 40 people, collapsing buildings and homes as well as causing panic in a region prone to deadly quakes. Authorities said more than a dozen people were injured. Authorities issued a tsunami warning but later lifted it when Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said monitoring s...
At least 38 killed in Indonesia after magnitude 7.7 quake hits Flores region
A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, killing at least 38 people, collapsing buildings and homes as well as causing panic in a region prone to deadly quakes. Authorities said more than a dozen people were injured. Authorities issued a tsunami warning but later lifted it when Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said monitoring s...
At least 20 killed in Indonesia after magnitude 7.7 quake hits Flores region
A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, killing at least 20 people, collapsing buildings and homes as well as causing panic in a region prone to deadly quakes. Authorities said six people were injured, and two others were missing after a landslide triggered by the quake. Authorities issued a tsunami warning but later lifted it when Indonesia’s Meteorol...
At least 5 killed in Indonesia after magnitude 7.7 quake hits Flores region
A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, collapsing buildings and homes, killing at least five people and causing panic in a region prone to deadly quakes. The governor of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, told a press conference the five people died from collapsing rubble as they slept. Authorities issued a tsunami warning but l...
At least 2 killed in Indonesia after magnitude 7.7 quake hits Flores region
A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, collapsing buildings and homes, killing at least two people and causing panic in a region prone to deadly quakes. Authorities issued a tsunami warning but later lifted it when Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said monitoring showed no significant sea-level changes that would pose a threa...
At least two people killed after magnitude-7.7 earthquake strikes near Indonesia
A magnitude-7.7 earthquake hit off the coast of Indonesia in the eastern Flores region, according to the United States Geological Survey. At least two people were killed and others injured.
Mysterious elephant deaths in Kenya leave experts searching for answers
At least 19 elephants have died since June in a popular wildlife region of southern Kenya, with the local toll now reported at 20. Early tests have suggested cyanide poisoning from pesticides, but wildlife experts say the evidence does not fit all the symptoms they have observed.
US President Trump says he will declare Strait of Hormuz US territory
US President Donald Trump said he will “soon” declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory.
Venezuela says 131 political prisoners freed amid post-Maduro talks
As detainees granted 'alternative' to imprisonment, US welcomes release as crucial step for Venezuela's reconciliation.
7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes eastern Indonesia
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia, damaging buildings and sending residents to higher ground.
The US’ future policymakers are questioning the standard ‘China threat’ playbook
For years, the conventional wisdom in Washington was that America’s China policy was moving in one direction: tougher. But walk into a classroom at Georgetown, Rice or another US university where the next generation of diplomats and foreign-policy professionals is being trained, and the picture looks less settled. A generation that has grown up with China’s rise is increasingly sceptical of the id...