Asia

South Korean president seeks five-party talks on North’s nuclear program

South Korean President Park Geun-hye called on Friday (January 22) for a meeting of five countries, excluding North Korea, to discuss that country’s nuclear program alongside long-stalled “six-party talks” that include Pyongyang. Park’s comments on Friday come amid a flurry of diplomatic exchanges involving Washington and Beijing as the international community seeks to impose fresh sanctions on North Korea for its fourth nuclear test on January 6. “In the past, six-party talks had usefulness as […]

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American special forces arrive in Anbar to assist in war against I.S.

Special American forces arrived at Al Asad Airbase in Anbar on Wednesday (January 20) to aid Iraqi joint forces in the liberation of West Anbar from Islamic State. The arrival of the soldiers triggered mixed reaction from Iraqi politicians. Some were dismissive of the help, while others welcomed the arrival. “We welcome any international effort to liberate our areas and eliminate terrorism and ISIS. There is news of international forces landing at one of the […]

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Iraqi minister says “blackmail” behind kidnapping of US citizens

Iraq’s defence minister said on Thursday (January 21) the three Americans who went missing in Baghdad last week had been seized by an “organised gang that carries out abductions for blackmail”. In an exclusive interview with Reuters in Cairo, Khaled al-Obaidi did not elaborate. The three men are employed by a small company that is doing work for General Dynamics Corp, under a larger contract with the U.S. Army, according to a source familiar with […]

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Thai authorities arrest three activists, abduct student leader

Thai authorities arrested a group of activists wanted for attempting to demonstrate against the military last month, police said on Thursday, the latest arrest of dissidents in the junta-ruled country. Soldiers detained one student activist from the New Democracy opposition group late on Wednesday and police arrested a further three members of the group on Thursday (January 21). They were the latest arrests by the army, which took power in a May 2014 coup and […]

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Intensive military operations continue at Russian airbase in Syria

Military operations have been carried out continuously at Russia’s Hmeymim airbase in the Syrian city of Latakia, with the roar of aircraft a common occurrence since Russian forces arrived last September. With Mi-24 attack helicopters hovering over the airbase, fighter jets from the Sukhoi-designed fleet, including the Russian Air Force’s latest Su-34 model, have been taking off from the base to conduct airstrikes against terrorist targets in the war-stricken country. “The Russian air force has […]

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Syrians displaced by fighting returns home in south Damascus

Hundreds of Syrian families displaced by armed conflicts returned to their homes in south Damascus on Wednesday as part of a truce between the government and local rebels reached last year. About 4,000 residents of Qadam Municipality, who fled the fighting in the last three years, returned to their hometown on the buses provided by the government. “I feel so happy. How I wish that all Syrians could go back to their homes and that […]

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6.4-magnitude earthquake jolts NW China

  AN earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale hit Menyuan county of Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China’s Qinghai province at 1:13 a.m. on Thursday. As of now, no causalities have been reported, but, 40 buildings were destroyed. The epicenter was at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). An aftershock, measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale, was reported minutes after the initial quake. Tremors have also […]

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Tension rises as Russia’s rouble falls further

Russians gathered outside banks and closed restaurants on Wednesday (January 20) demanding foreign currency mortgages to be restructured and salaries paid, as the national currency hit the new record low. Employees flocked to the closed doors of the Sbarro pizza restaurant, holding flags and banners calling on the owners to pay them. Sergei, one of the protesters, explained that he and his colleagues have not received money for their work in a while. “The salary […]

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1 killed, 3 missing in fireworks plant blasts in east China province

One person was killed and three others remained missing after blasts swept a fireworks plant in east China’s Jiangxi Province early on Wednesday, according to local authorities. The first blast ripped through a workshop of Hongsheng fireworks factory in Kunshan village, Guangfeng district, Shangrao city at around 00:30 Wednesday, said the city’s emergency management office. Several blasts followed. One of the missing people died after emergency treatment failed. Rescuers managed to pull out 21 people […]

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Demand for women-only motorcycle taxis soars in Indonesian capital

Indonesia’s capital Jakarta is seeing a growing number of transportation services catering exclusively to women, offering better security and comfort in the Indonesian capital of 10 million people. Ladyjek, one of the most recent entrants to the female-only taxi services, has seen business take off less than four months after starting operations in the predominately Muslim nation. The company’s motorcycle drivers, sporting bright pink helmets, can easily be ordered using a mobile app. Uki Pratiwi, […]

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Gunmen attack university in northwest Pakistan

A group of militants stormed a university in volatile north-western Pakistan on Wednesday, police said, with firing inside the campus still going on and at least two explosions heard. Two of the gunmen were killed by security forces after the army moved into the university, Deputy Inspector General Saeed Wazir told Reuters, but other attackers were believed to be at large on the second and third floors of the campus buildings. Three security guards, one […]

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Non-Proliferation talks in Tokyo highlight terrorism, North Korea

Government representatives from 17 nations met in Tokyo for the 12th Asian Senior-level Talks on Non-Proliferation (ASTOP-XII), where they are expected to discuss North Korea’s recently claimed hydrogen bomb test, along with the attacks in Jakarta, Indonesia. “North Korea issues, is the issues that the international community, particularly countries in this region, needs to tackle and take united immediate action,” Ambassador and Director General for Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department of the Ministry of Foreign […]

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