Asia

North Korea claims success in launching first spy satellite

North Korea successfully placed its first spy satellite in orbit on Tuesday, its space agency said, defying international condemnation from the United States and its allies. Officials in South Korea…

Read More Here

Chinese financial watchdog warns of risks as Premier Li takes helm

China's Central Financial Commission (CFC), with Premier Li Qiang in place as its head, urged stronger supervision of risks in the multi-trillion dollar financial sector as China steps up the…

Read More Here

Philippines says at least six killed in Friday’s magnitude 6.7 quake

MANILA, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The death toll from a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in the southern Philippines has increased to six and authorities are searching for two missing people, local…

Read More Here

South Korea to ban eating dogs

By Ju-min Park SEOUL, Nov 17 (Reuters) - South Korea aims to ban eating dog meat and put an end to the controversy over the ancient custom amid growing awareness…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes Mindanao, Philippines region – GFZ

MANILA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.9 earthquake rattled the southern Mindanao region of the Philippines on Friday, German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said. The quake struck off…

Read More Here

North Korea vows more offensive response to US ‘threats’

SEOUL, Nov 16 (Reuters) - North Korea on Thursday criticised a recent visit to South Korea by top U.S. defence officials and vowed more "offensive" responses to what it called…

Read More Here

Chinese companies still see promise in EU despite de-risking – survey

Most Chinese companies operating in the European Union are feeling a pinch from the bloc's de-risking strategy, but still see more opportunity than challenge in Europe's green and digital transitions, according to…

Read More Here

Biden will push China to resume military ties with US, official says

U.S. President Joe Biden wants to re-establish military-to-military ties with China, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday, days before the president and the Chinese leader are…

Read More Here

Myanmar junta attacked on new fronts, thousands flee to India

Ethnic minority insurgent groups attacked security posts in Myanmar on Monday, residents, rebels and an official said, as fighting erupted on two new fronts, and thousands of people crossed into…

Read More Here

EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Keppel Terminal, Singapore

A container truck drives across the Port Authority of Singapore's Keppel Terminal (PSA) in Singapore. Via EPA-EFE/WALLACE WOON

Read More Here

Japan-led navy exercise starts with Philippines observing for first time

ABOARD USS CARL VINSON, (Reuters) - Japan's navy announced the start of a joint annual military exercise, with the Philippines observing the operations for the first time as the two…

Read More Here

Blinken says has profound concerns over Russia-North Korea military ties

By Soo-hyang Choi and Ju-min Park SEOUL, Nov 9 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday he and South Korea's foreign minister Park Jin share "profound"…

Read More Here

Taiwan monitors Chinese carrier group in sensitive Taiwan Strait

TAIPEI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Taiwan's military has sent forces to keep watch on a Chinese naval formation led by the aircraft carrier Shandong sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait,…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes Banda Sea region Indonesia -EMSC

An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck the Banda Sea region in Indonesia on Wednesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake was 370 km (229.9 miles) southeast of…

Read More Here

IMF upgrades China’s 2023, 2024 GDP growth forecasts

China's economy is set to grow 5.4% this year, having made a "strong" post-COVID recovery, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday, making an upward revision to its earlier forecast…

Read More Here

China, Australia agree to turn the page as tensions ease

By Ryan Woo BEIJING, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that a "healthy and stable" relationship with Australia served each country's interests, and that it…

Read More Here

Photo story: South Korea and Malta sign tourism MOU

South Korean Culture Minister Yoo In-chon (R) poses for a photo with Malta's Foreign Minister Ian Borg (L) after signing a memorandum of understanding on tourism cooperation between the two…

Read More Here

Japan PM Kishida: cooperating with Philippines, US to protect South China Sea

By Karen Lema MANILA, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Saturday his country, the Philippines and the United States were cooperating to protect the freedom…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Rescuers struggle to find Nepal quake survivors, deaths increase

By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Rescue workers in Nepal began digging through the rubble of collapsed houses with their hands on Saturday, searching for survivors after the…

Read More Here

China kicks off nationwide population survey amid declining birth rate

China will begin polling 1.4 million people on Wednesday in a survey on population changes, as authorities struggle to incentivise people to have more children amid a declining birth rate…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Filipinos visit cemeteries to mark All Saints Day

Filipinos visit their departed loved ones at a cemetery in Manila, Philippines, 01 November 2023. Filipinos flocked to cemeteries throughout the Philippines for the annual two-day event of remembering their…

Read More Here

Pakistan official: 104,000 undocumented Afghans returned to Afghanistan through Torkham border

PESHAWAR, Pakistan Nov 1 (Reuters) - More than 100,000 undocumented Afghan nationals have returned voluntary to Afghanistan through the northwestern Torkham border crossing in the last two weeks, a Pakistani…

Read More Here

North Korea closes multiple embassies around the world

By Hyonhee Shin North Korea is poised to close as many as a dozen embassies including in Spain, Hong Kong, and multiple countries in Africa, according to media reports and…

Read More Here

Air quality worsens in India’s capital despite government efforts

By Manoj Kumar NEW DELHI, (Reuters) - The air quality in India's capital worsened on Monday, with pollution levels rising to the highest this year, as low cool-season winds and…

Read More Here

Afghans return to Taliban rule as Pakistan moves to expel 1.7 million

As the clock ticked down to the Nov. 1 deadline Pakistan set for undocumented migrants to leave the country, Muhammad Rahim boarded a bus from Karachi to the Afghan border."We'd…

Read More Here

Xi says China’s women must start ‘new trend of family’

Chinese President Xi Jinping said women have a critical role and must establish a "new trend of family", as the nation grapples with an ageing population and record decline in…

Read More Here

US, South Korean warplanes kick off joint air drills

SEOUL, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The United States and South Korea began major air exercises on Monday, involving 130 warplanes from both countries to simulate 24-hour wartime operations. The annual…

Read More Here

China’s foreign minister suggests road to Xi-Biden summit will not be smooth

BEIJING, Oct 29 (Reuters) - China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the "road to the San Francisco summit will not be a smooth one", the foreign ministry said on Sunday,…

Read More Here

Bomb kills 1, hurts dozens at Jehovah’s Witnesses convention in India’s Kerala

By Jose Devasia and Maria Ponnezhath KOCHI, India, Oct 29 (Reuters) - One person was killed and dozens injured when at least one homemade bomb exploded at a convention centre…

Read More Here

27

Oct

India unlikely to join global cooling pledge at COP28

By Sarita Chaganti Singh and Gloria Dickie NEW DELHI/LONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - India is unlikely to sign onto a global pledge to reduce cooling-related emissions at the COP 28…

Read More Here

Malaysia names Sultan Ibrahim as next king

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Malaysia's royal families elected the powerful and outspoken Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar from the southern state of Johor to be the country's next king.…

Read More Here

China ex-Premier Li Keqiang, sidelined by Xi Jinping, dies at 68

By Laurie Chen and Yew Lun Tian BEIJING, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Chinese former Premier Li Keqiang died of a heart attack on Friday, just 10 months after retiring from…

Read More Here

Pakistan gives last warning to undocumented immigrants, many Afghan refugees, to leave

By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Pakistan on Thursday gave a last warning to all immigrants in the country illegally, including hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals, to…

Read More Here

Taiwan monitors Chinese carrier group in Pacific

TAIPEI, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Taiwan's military sent forces to keep watch on Thursday after a Chinese naval formation led by the aircraft carrier Shandong passed the island's south and…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Osprey hunting for fish

This composite photo shows an osprey swooping down to snatch a fish from a lake in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on South Korea's east coast. Designated an endangered species in South…

Read More Here

Photo story: Disaster response drill in South Korea

A firefighting service vessel (L) directs water at a pleasure boat on Soyang Lake in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, northeastern South Korea, 25 October 2023, in a drill that simulates a…

Read More Here

Photo Story: US, Japan and South Korea joint air drill

A handout photo made available by the US Air Force via South Korea Defense Ministry shows US Air force B-52H (C) and US Air Force F-16, South Korea Air Force…

Read More Here

UPDATED: China says outlook worrisome as conflict spreads in Middle East

BEIJING, Oct 23 (Reuters) - China views the situation in Gaza as "very serious" with the risk of large-scale ground conflict growing and because the conflict has begun to spill over in…

Read More Here

China ramps up yuan internationalisation under Belt and Road Initiative

SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China is using loans agreed through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to promote the yuan internationally, having already boosted the yuan's share of global payments to…

Read More Here

US encourages Afghanistan’s neighbours, including Pakistan, to accept refugees

By Simon Lewis and Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States "strongly" encouraged Afghanistan's neighbors, including Pakistan, to allow entry for Afghans seeking protection and urged them to uphold…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Durga Puja festival celebration in Dhaka

A man stands next to Goddess Durga's picture at a makeshift pandal of the largest Durga Puja festival of the Bengali Hindu community in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 21 October, 2023. The…

Read More Here

Taliban says plans to formally join China’s Belt and Road Initiative

By Joe Cash BEIJING, (Reuters) - The Taliban administration wants to formally join Chinese President Xi Jinping's huge 'Belt and Road' infrastructure initiative and will send a technical team to…

Read More Here

Pakistan’s three-time premier Nawaz Sharif expected home from exile

By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Pakistan's three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to arrive back home on Saturday after four years of self-imposed exile in London…

Read More Here

China, world’s top graphite producer, to curb exports of key battery material

By Siyi Liu and Dominique Patton BEIJING, Oct 20 (Reuters) - China will require export permits for some graphite products to protect national security, its commerce ministry said on Friday,…

Read More Here

North Korea’s Kim vows to ‘faithfully’ fulfil agreements made with Russia’s Putin

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL, Oct 20 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed his resolve to fulfil agreements made at his summit last month with Russian President Vladimir…

Read More Here

China willing to strengthen coordination with Egypt, Arab countries on Israel conflict

BEIJING, Oct 19 (Reuters) - China supports Egypt's efforts to open humanitarian corridors, and is willing to strengthen coordination with Egypt and Arab countries to promote an early, comprehensive and…

Read More Here

Putin praises ‘dear friend’ Xi, pitches Russia’s Northern Sea route

By Laurie Chen and Vladimir Soldatkin BEIJING, Oct 18 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and invited…

Read More Here

Russia’s Lavrov to arrive in North Korea as cooperation deepens

By Josh Smith SEOUL, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is due to arrive in Pyongyang on Wednesday for meetings seen as setting the stage for a…

Read More Here

India’s top court declines to legalise same-sex marriage

India's top court on Tuesday declined to legalise same-sex marriage and left it to parliament to decide, agreeing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government that the legislature is the right forum to…

Read More Here

EPA’s Eye In The Sky: C-Space Project, China

A picture taken with a drone shows an aerial view of the C-Space Project, a Mars simulation base in the Gobi Desert in Jinchang, Gansu Province, China. The C-Space Project…

Read More Here

Taliban to join China’s Belt and Road forum, elevating ties

KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban will attend China's Belt and Road Forum next week, a spokesman said, underscoring Beijing's growing official ties with the administration, despite its lack of formal…

Read More Here

Magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes western Afghanistan

Oct 15 (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 struck western Afghanistan on Sunday, killing one and injuring 35, the Herat governor's office said. Multiple earthquakes have struck in the…

Read More Here

Taiwan sets up task force to study Israel-Hamas war

By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard TAIPEI, (Reuters) - Taiwan has set up a task force to draw lessons from the surprise attack by Hamas on Israel, Defence Minister Chiu…

Read More Here

Afghanistan earthquakes a ‘disaster on top of a disaster’, World Food Programme says

By Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam KARACHI, Pakistan, (Reuters) - The World Food Programme called the recent Afghanistan earthquakes a 'disaster on top of a disaster,' urging the international community to provide…

Read More Here

North Korea denies its weapons used by Hamas against Israel

By Jack Kim and Josh Smith North Korea denied on Friday its weapons were used by Hamas in the attack against Israel, saying the claim made in some media reports…

Read More Here

Women, children among 29 killed as artillery hits Myanmar refugee camp – reports

An artillery strike that hit a refugee camp near Myanmar's border with China has killed at least 29 people, including women and children, media and sources said on Tuesday, in…

Read More Here

Losses from China disasters reach $42 bln in first nine months of 2023

BEIJING (Reuters) - China suffered direct economic losses of 308.29 billion yuan ($42 billion) over the first nine months of 2023, the government said, from natural disasters such as torrential…

Read More Here