By Kiyoshi Takenaka TOKYO (Reuters) – The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low of 720,988 in 2024 for a ninth consecutive year of decline, the health ministry said on Thursday, underscoring the rapid ageing and dwindling of the population. Births were down 5% on the year, despite a range of …
By Panu Wongcha-um and Devjyot Ghoshal BANGKOK (Reuters) – An ongoing effort targeting scam compounds along Thailand’s border with Myanmar has led to only a small proportion of workers there being pulled out, a top Thai opposition lawmaker said, calling for more comprehensive measures to stomp out a booming illegal industry. Thailand – backed by …
Thailand’s scam centre crackdown not enough, top lawmaker warns Read More »
By Laurie Chen BEIJING (Reuters) -Recent unprecedented live-fire drills by China’s navy in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand were “totally in line with international law”, a spokesperson for its defence ministry said on Thursday. The comment by the spokesperson, Wu Qian, followed concerns voiced by both countries’ officials that they did not …
China says Tasman Sea navy firing drills ‘in line’ with international law Read More »
By Laurie Chen and Yimou Lee BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) – China’s defence ministry said on Thursday that drills which had alarmed Taiwan off its coast were “routine” and the island should stop complaining, as Taipei reported a surge in Chinese military activity, although no live-fire exercises. Democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, …
China says Taiwan drills ‘routine’, as Taipei details surge in military activity Read More »
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) -Two young Indonesian men convicted of having a same-sex relationship were publicly caned on Thursday in Aceh province, prompting calls by Amnesty International for the government to put an end to the practice. While homosexuality is frowned upon in Muslim-majority Indonesia and members of the LGBTQ community face legal challenges, Aceh …
Indonesia’s Aceh province publicly canes two men for same-sex relationship Read More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s commerce ministry has been maintaining communication with its U.S. counterparts, a ministry spokesperson told a press conference on Thursday, when asked about a possible trade deal with Washington. (Reporting by Joe Cash and Xiuhao Chen)
(Reuters) – A court in Vietnam on Thursday sentenced a former journalist to 30 months in prison after finding him guilty of “abusing democratic freedoms” for posts on social media, state media reported. Truong Huy San, 63, whose pen name is Huy Duc, was convicted for posting 13 articles on Facebook which caused “a negative …
Vietnam jails former journalist for 30 months over Facebook posts Read More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Certain political forces have been “spreading lies” concerning the Chinese northwestern region of Xinjiang to disrupt order, China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday. People of all ethnic groups including Uyghurs enjoy socio-economic and political rights and interest as citizens, ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said when asked about 48 Uyghur activists believed were …
China says certain political forces ‘spreading lies’ about Xinjiang to disrupt order Read More »
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Forty Chinese citizens who entered Thailand illegally after being “bewitched by criminal organisations” and were stranded in the Southeast Asian country were repatriated to China on February 27, the official Xinhua news agency said on Thursday. (Reporting by Farah Master and the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States imposed sanctions on six entities based in Hong Kong and China on Wednesday that it accused of being involved in an Iranian drone procurement network, as the Trump administration implements its “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran. The U.S. Treasury Department said the entities engaged in the procurement of unmanned aerial …
US targets firms in China, Hong Kong over alleged role in Iranian drone procurement Read More »
