Reuters Asia Top

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea’s position as a nuclear weapons state will remain an undeniable reality as it builds up its forces until military threats from the United States and its allies are eliminated, state news agency KCNA said on Friday. It was quoting comments by North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui …

North Korea criticises G7 over call for denuclearisation Read More »

MUMBAI (Reuters) – India’s parliament, not a court of law, is the best place to debate the issue of same-sex marriage, an influential government minister said on Friday, as the country’s top court heard appeals asking for such unions to be recognised. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has already opposed these appeals, some from gay …

Parliament, not courts, best place to debate same-sex marriage, India minister says Read More »

WASHINGTON/MANILA (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will meet his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr at the White House on May 1 to discuss economic cooperation and the Indo-Pacific region, Manila and Washington said on Friday. The treaty allies have enjoyed warmer ties since Marcos took office last June, reversing his predecessor’s anti-U.S. stance. Next …

Biden to meet Philippine President at White House on May 1 Read More »

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand’s last exports of livestock by sea have been completed and live exports have ceased, its agriculture minister said on Friday, as it fully implemented a ban on export shipments of animals on the grounds of their welfare. The government announced in 2021 that shipping animals offshore, largely …

New Zealand ships its last livestock as ban takes effect Read More »

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Friday that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to China, and that it is right and proper for China to uphold its sovereignty. Qin made the remarks at the Lanting Forum in Shanghai, where he discussed a wide range of topics from debt, the global …

China’s foreign minister: Both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to China Read More »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Two dozen arms control advocates have urged President Joe Biden to use next month’s G7 summit in Hiroshima, which was hit by the first U.S. atomic bombing of World War Two, to reaffirm a U.S. commitment to nuclear disarmament and readiness for arms control talks with Russia and China. The advocates, including several …

Biden urged to deliver ‘historic’ arms control speech at G7 summit in Japan Read More »

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – A U.N.-convened meeting on Afghanistan next month will not focus on the possible international recognition of the Taliban administration, a U.N. spokesperson stressed on Thursday after comments by the deputy U.N. chief sparked concern and confusion. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to host a closed-door gathering in …

Taliban recognition not a focus of Afghanistan meeting, says UN Read More »

By Michael Martina WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. congressional war game simulating a Chinese invasion of Taiwan showed the need to arm the island “to the teeth,” the chair of a committee on China said on Thursday, after the exercise indicated the U.S. must boost production of long-range missiles and businesses must brace for economic …

US war game on Taiwan shows need for ‘decisive action’ to boost arms Read More »

By Ariba Shahid and Mubasher Bukhari KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) – Retail sales in Pakistan have witnessed a sharp drop compared to previous years in the run up to the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, retailers say, as shoppers feel the pinch of decades-high inflation. The lead up to Eid al-Fitr, expected to fall on Saturday …

Eid shopping sees sharp drop as Pakistanis feel inflation pinch Read More »