President Donald Trump announced that his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will take place in Hanoi, Vietnam, February 27 and 28.”I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim & advancing the cause of peace!” he tweeted.He later added, “North Korea, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, will become a great Economic Powerhouse. He may surprise some… Read more »
Thirteen gay couples on Thursday filed Japan’s first lawsuits seeking to force the government to recognize same-sex marriage, arguing that their constitutional right to equality had been violated. Holding banners saying “Marriage for All Japan,” six couples walked into Tokyo District Court to file their cases, with similar cases filed by three couples in Osaka, one in Nagoya and three… Read more »
Health officials in Japan are combating the country’s worst measles outbreak in years, with many infections clustered among attendees of a Valentine’s Day gift fair and a religious group that avoids vaccinations. A total of 167 cases were reported in 20 of Japan’s 47 prefectures as of Feb. 10, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases said, with the largest outbreaks… Read more »
Last Friday, four men were convicted in the killing of a prominent adviser to Myanmar’s leadership who was shot in the head while holding his infant grandson at Yangon International Airport in 2017. The killing of U Ko Ni, who was the adviser, is widely believed to have been a political assassination, but the supposed mastermind of the murder has… Read more »
Award-winning Philippine journalist Maria Ressa has been freed on bail, a day after her arrest on charges of “cyber-libel” drew international condemnation. Ms Ressa is CEO of Rappler, a news website critical of the government. She was arrested at its headquarters on Wednesday by agents from the National Bureau of Investigation. Press freedom advocates see this as a government attempt… Read more »
A Japanese spacecraft has touched down on an asteroid in an attempt to collect a sample of rock from the surface. The Hayabusa-2 probe was trying to grab the sample from a pre-chosen site on the asteroid Ryugu just before 23:00 GMT on 21 February. The spacecraft reached asteroid Ryugu in June 2018 after a three-and-a-half-year journey from Earth. It… Read more »
A former high-ranking Chinese general has been sentenced to life in jail for corruption, state media reports. Fang Fenghui, ex-chief of joint staff of the People’s Liberation Army, was found guilty of bribery and having huge wealth that he had been unable to account for, according to Xinhua. The 67-year-old accompanied President Xi Jinping in his first meeting with US… Read more »
In China, the government has started to crack down on Jehovah’s witnesses. Officially, China is a country with religious freedom; however, they have many laws put in place that restrict certain religious activities. Recently, Chinese police officers arrested and deported two Spanish missionaries who were practicing Jehovah’s witnesses. China is becoming a place for continuing persecution against certain religious groups…. Read more »
The two sisters using the aliases Reem and Rawan say Saudi officials kept them from traveling to Australia.3 hours ago MORE ON SAUDI ARABIA Saudi sisters stuck in Hong Kong months after fleeing kingdomtoday Saudi to free 850 Indian prisoners from its jailstoday China walks Saudi-Iran tightrope as MBS visitstoday Zarif decries ‘US hypocrisy’ over planned nuclear sale to Saudisyesterday Two… Read more »
Australian retailers are currently going under at the rate of about one a month, making everyone in the industry nervous. Over the last couple of years about two dozen chains have collapsed, with the makeup empire of Napoleon Perdis the latest in an increasingly long line of failures. It is not just Australian-owned retailers that are struggling, but also some established… Read more »