A bomb exploded at a bank in northern Myanmar on Wednesday, killing at least two people and wounding 22 others, military officials said. The explosion occurred in the often lawless city of Lashio, in northern Shan State, which has been torn apart by ethnic strife and battles to control smuggling networks. One of Myanmar’s largest commercial banks, confirmed that two of… Read more »
Oily matter that reached two islands in southern Japan is highly likely to come from a sunken Iranian tanker, given its similarity to oil floating near the tanker and a lack of other oil spills in the area, the Japan Coast Guard said on Thursday. The coast guard said seawater samples from 14 different locations in offshore southern Japan detected no… Read more »
A scheme is being trialled in China’s capital city Beijing that asks people to pay in order to ride elevators, it’s reported. According to the Beijing Daily newspaper, at least eleven lifts are being installed in old residential buildings that previously only had stairs in the city’s southern Daxing district. Beijing Daily says that the new lifts work “like passengers… Read more »
Myanmar and Bangladesh announced a repatriation agreement last year (CNN) Myanmar and Bangladesh have agreed to resettle as many as 6,000 Rohingyas who are trapped in “no man’s land” between the two countries. Bangladesh had argued that Myanmar should take them back as they hadn’t yet crossed the border after fleeing violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. “After Tuesday’s meeting, the… Read more »
Japan’s ambassador to Britain said Thursday that Japanese businesses in the U.K. expect continued access to the European Union market after Brexit. Koji Tsuruoka said Japanese firms “have a high stake” in the outcome of divorce negotiations between Britain and the EU. Speaking after a meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May and Japanese business leaders at 10 Downing St., Tsuruoka… Read more »
The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un told officials in the South that she was pregnant during a recent visit to the Winter Olympics, South Korean media report. There has been no confirmation from the South of Kim Yo-jong’s reported comments, which are attributed to unnamed government sources. But the intense speculation highlights the fascination with the North’s opaque… Read more »
North Korea and the the rest of the world, especially the United states, have had ongoing issues in the past year. North Korea and the United States have threatened each other on multiple occasions. One time being when President Donald Trump stated that his “Nuclear Button is much bigger”. North Korea moved their military parade to the day before the… Read more »
North Korea has held a military parade and rally on Kim Il Sung Square, marking 70 years since the Korean People’s Army was founded, a day before South Korea holds the opening ceremony for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The nuclear-armed North is on an Olympics-linked charm offensive — sending a troupe of performers, hundreds of female cheerleaders, and the sister… Read more »
A rare invitation to Pyongyang for the South Korean president marked Day Two of the North Korean Kim dynasty’s southern road tour Saturday, part of a new and accelerated diplomatic warming between the two countries. Nothing has been settled on any trip north by South Korean President Moon Jae-in. But the verbal message to come at a “convenient time” from… Read more »
North Korea has no intention to meet US officials during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the South, Pyongyang’s state media said Thursday — but did not rule it out. “We have no intention whatsoever to meet US authorities during our visit to the South,” Cho Yong-Sam, a senior foreign ministry official, was quoted as saying by the North’s official KCNA… Read more »