SEOUL, May 9 - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday reaffirmed his country's commitment to its mutual defence treaty with Russia, in a message to President Vladimir Putin congratulating Russia on the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two.
The robot pauses at the edge of the room as an engineer checks its sensors. Then, with a soft mechanical hum, this humanoid machine begins to move. It lifts a mannequin from a bed, slowly and carefully. The engineers hold their breath. I am in a robotics lab in Tokyo, Japan, as
WASHINGTON, May 8 - The U.S. Treasury on Friday announced sanctions against 10 individuals and companies, including several in China and Hong Kong, for aiding efforts by Iran's military to secure weapons and raw materials used to build Tehran's Shahed drones.
May 8 - Washington has revised its proposed U.N. resolution demanding Iran halt attacks and mining in the Strait of Hormuz but the changes are unlikely to avert Chinese and Russian vetoes, diplomats said on Friday.
“The Iran war weakens deterrence in Asia, undercuts confidence of US allies and partners, and makes conflict with China more likely.” That’s become an article of faith among those opposing the US fight with Iran. The US military – the navy in particular – is indeed smaller than
Russia’s inability to conquer Ukraine is spurring unusually harsh public complaints over both the lack of military progress and the growing economic costs of the war, a pair of failures being blamed on President Vladimir Putin’s leadership. The damage caused by bombardments by
The last record was in 2023 when 478 permits were issued in a post-pandemic rush on the mountains.
Experts say the runway and port expansions will increase readiness amid Chinese escalations in the South China Sea.
State-owned gas and oil company Pertamina said in April the price increase was necessary due to geopolitical conditions.
A panel of federal judges ruled Thursday that US President Donald Trump’s sweeping 10% tariffs on most imports are unlawful, another major legal blow to the centerpiece of the Republican president’s economic agenda – which has failed to produce the manufacturing boom he
The grouping had produced a declaration calling for the ratification of the ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement.
While authorities have warned people not to come within 4km of Mount Dukono’s crater, the lack of an official ban means many climbers still make the trek.
Nine Singaporeans were reportedly among the 20 hikers who were climbing Mount Dukono when the volcano erupted.
SAN JOSE, May 8 - Costa Rica's Laura Fernandez is set to be inaugurated president on Friday, with the right-wing politician vowing to wage a \"war without quarter\" on crime in the small Central American nation, long recognized as a bastion of peace and prosperity.
OSLO, May 8 - A Chinese woman suspected of complicity in espionage in Norway will be held in police custody for up to four weeks while the case against her is investigated, a Norwegian court ruled on Friday.
Two months into the war in Iran, the reasons the US gave for launching this conflict – and Washington’s minimum criteria for claiming success – now appear unintelligible. So much so that US officials are now arguing the war had actually ended in America’s favor almost a month
This sharpening convergence was on full display in early May, when the EU and Japan convened the 7th High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) in Brussels. The meeting reflected a notable hardening of language and intent. European and Japanese officials focused squarely on
Leaders proposed a regional fuel stockpile and a standby arrangement for food security at the 48th ASEAN Summit on Friday (May 8).
This follows the deaths of four intern doctors in just two months amid mounting scrutiny.
Their victims were mostly located in Europe and Vietnam, said the authorities.
The Mogok rubies are the most expensive in the world.
DUBAI, May 8 - Iran has seized the oil tanker Ocean Koi in the Gulf of Oman over an alleged attempt to disrupt Iran's oil exports, Iranian state media said on Friday, quoting an army statement.
MOSCOW, May 8 - Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to negotiate with \"everyone\", including the Europeans, the Kremlin said on Friday after the Financial Times reported that European Union leaders were preparing for potential talks.
The police said they obtained information indicating the suspect and victim had been on bad terms.
TOKYO – Indonesian officials are working overtime to dismiss any suggestion that Jakarta is catching a whiff of 1997 in the air. But the force of their interventions to steady the rupiah tells a very different story. Bank Indonesia is hemorrhaging currency reserves to put a
India’s poor air is driving much needed investment away from the country.
Officials had previously issued warnings on climbing the active volcano due to safety concerns.
His death comes as the authorities reopen an investigation into alleged bribery.
The result was announced by the parliamentary speaker after a final vote on the bill, which falls well short of the government's proposed budget of nearly US$40 billion.
In the uneasy politics of energy transition, few ideas are as seductive — or as risky — as compromise. Ammonia co-firing, now being advanced through Japan’s Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) at Indonesia’s Suralaya and Paiton coal plants, is one such compromise. It promises
The RTS Link is expected to ease congestion along the Causeway once operations begin.
Japan’s lifting of restrictions on arms exports marks a significant shift from its post-WW II pacifist defence policy.
A drought in Malaysia's “rice bowl” north has delayed planting of the staple crop and raised supply fears.
BEIJING, May 8 - China's foreign ministry confirmed on Friday that an oil products tanker carrying Chinese crew was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, and expressed deep concern about vessels affected by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
TAIPEI, May 8 - Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament approved extra defence spending of $25 billion on Friday, or just about two-thirds of the amount sought by the government to bolster the armed forces in the face of a rapidly modernising Chinese military.
The opposition-controlled Parliament approved two-thirds of the amount sought by the government.
The ship suffered an explosion and fire in the engine-room area on May 4 while anchored near the UAE.
Speaking to reporters on Friday (May 8), Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail also pledged that Malaysia will adopt a more “proactive approach” to ensure immigration glitches do not recur ahead of the Rapid Transit System (RTS) launch.
NAIROBI, May 8 - Shorn of influence in its former colonies in West Africa, France will seek to deepen ties elsewhere on the continent next week at an Africa summit in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, its first in an English-speaking country.
Police are investigating possible violations over unlicensed commercial operations.
Indonesian authorities say those rounded up are mostly Chinese nationals, with the rest from the Philippines and Vietnam. They were reportedly involved in illegal activities such as romance scams and phishing schemes.
Doctors are struggling to contain a surge in infections that have killed more than 300 children.
Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. Berlin faces a new test as the AfD moves closer to powerDiego Faßnacht reports that Germany’s September election in Saxony-Anhalt is emerging as a national stress test
Twenty hikers were on the slopes of the volcano when disaster struck, a local police chief told reporters.
After weeks of blockades by Iran and the United States in the Strait of Hormuz, it’s clear the narrow waterway is now pivotal to the outcome of the conflict. The US has begun to escort ships through the narrow passage, but behind the military manoeuvring lies a deeper
SEOUL, May 8 - South Korea's parliamentary speaker Woo Won-shik said on Friday that a bill to amend the constitution to tighten rules on martial law would not proceed to a plenary vote after a filibuster by the opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP).
The move came after South Korea was rocked by Yoon Suk Yeol’s imposition of martial law.
The Bridesmaids star claims an actress retracted a complaint about sexual harassment by a producer.
The charge comes nearly a year after he was investigated for graft.
Despite constitutional constraints on its armed forces, Japan has continued to move closer toward military normalization this year. Although it is controversial, most countries in the Asia-Pacific region should welcome this trend. In April, Japan’s cabinet approved revisions to