MANILA (Reuters) – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Sunday he saw no reason why the Philippines should not have a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with Japan if it would boost maritime security and ensure greater protection for Filipino fishermen. Marcos, however, also told reporters he would exercise care in pursuing a potential pact with …
Philippines’ Marcos open to a troop pact with Japan Read More »
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the shutdown of one of the last independent local news organizations in the country on Sunday night, saying it had attacked him and his son and hurt the country. The Voice of Democracy, also known as VOD, will no longer have a license to publish …
Cambodia’s Hun Sen orders shutdown of independent local news outlet Read More »
(Reuters) – China should enhance incentives for people to build families and boost the birth rate as the country’s now-falling population could threaten the world’s second-biggest economy, a Chinese family planning expert said. Mainland China’s population fell by 850,000 last year, the first decline since 1961, to 1.42 billion, the government said last month, potentially …
China needs stronger family-focussed policies to spur births- Chinese expert Read More »
By David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken this month called off his trip to Beijing, he chose his words carefully. China’s launch of a spy balloon on a high-altitude journey over the United States was unacceptable and irresponsible, he said, but he was postponing – not …
Analysis-After spy balloon incident, can China and the U.S. talk again? Read More »
(Reuters) – Military-ruled Myanmar is set to allow civilians “loyal to the state” to apply for licences to carry firearms, according to media reports and an unverified government document. The leaked document, purported to originate from the home ministry, was reviewed by Reuters and other media. It set out criteria for those seeking a gun …
Myanmar junta to let ‘loyal’ civilians carry licensed arms -media, document Read More »
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A border gate between long-feuding Turkey and Armenia has been opened for the first time in 35 years to allow aid for victims of the devastating earthquakes in southern Turkey, state-owned Anadolu news agency and a diplomat said. Turkey’s special envoy for Armenia, Serdar Kilic, tweeted photos of trucks passing through the …
Turkey-Armenia gate opens for first time in decades to allow aid Read More »
By Mubasher Bukhari LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) – A mob in eastern Pakistan stormed a police station on Saturday and lynched a man under custody and accused of blasphemy, police said, in the latest incident of religion-linked violence in the Islamic republic. The country has seen numerous cases of vigilante action by mobs against people accused …
Mob storms Pakistani police station, lynches man accused of blasphemy Read More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – There were 912 COVID-related deaths at hospitals in China between Feb. 3 and Feb. 9, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday in a statement. (Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Mark Potter)
MANILA (Reuters) – Five soldiers were killed in a shooting at a military camp in the southern Philippines, including the shooter, the military said on Saturday. A soldier ran amuck after 1 a.m. on Saturday (1700 GMT on Friday), killing four service personnel at an army compound in Cagayan de Oro City, Major Francisco Garello, …
Five soldiers killed in shooting at Philippine military camp Read More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will return to work on Monday after his sinus surgery in a Tokyo hospital at the weekend proved uneventful, the Kyodo news agency said. Saturday’s procedure ran for about 3 hours and 40 minutes, the agency said, quoting government sources. Kishida will go to the hospital for …
Japan PM Kishida to return to work Monday after sinus surgery -Kyodo Read More »
