China urges U.S., North Korea to resume talks as tensions escalate
China on Thursday urged the United States and North Korea to resume dialogue and work to resolve disagreements as soon as possible amid renewed tensions between Washington and Pyongyang over the latter’s nuclear and missiles programs.
From housewives to hijab-clad students, women take center stage in Indian protests
(This Dec. 20 story has been refiled to remove an extraneous word “know” in paragraph 11.)
Curfew imposed in Indian city as two die in protests, internet shut in parts
Authorities shut down the internet in parts of northern India on Friday and imposed a curfew in a southern city after two people died in clashes between police and stone-throwing protesters angered by a citizenship law that discriminates against Muslim…
Rohingya weep in Myanmar court as they face charge of illegal travel
Dozens of Rohingya Muslims including children wept in a Myanmar court on Friday as they were brought in to face charges of illegally traveling without proper documents.
Russia plans ‘sovereign internet’ tests to combat external threats
Russia will carry out tests on Monday on the reliability of its domestic internet infrastructure in the event that the country is disconnected from the worldwide web, the communications ministry said.
Massive bushfires send Australia’s clean and green reputation up in smoke
Breathing masks are selling out in Sydney with the city enveloped in the smoke from bushfires sweeping across a large swath of Australia’s east coast, damaging the country’s clean and green reputation.
Australian PM apologizes for vacation as firefighters killed in huge blazes
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued a rare public apology on Friday and cut short a Hawaiian vacation in response to mounting public anger after two volunteer firefighters were killed battling bushfires sweeping the country’s east coast.
Philippine raid nabs 342 illegal Chinese gaming workers
Philippine authorities said on Friday they arrested 342 Chinese workers in a raid on an unlicensed gambling operation, part of a crackdown on illegal migration and an illicit gaming industry that is being fueled by mainland China’s appetite for betting…
China-Brazil satellite launched into space to monitor Amazon rainforest
An Earth observation satellite jointly developed by China and Brazil was launched into space on Friday under a bilateral programme seen as a template for broader cooperation among BRICS nations.
China won’t allow foreign forces to interfere in Hong Kong, Macau: Xi
President Xi Jinping said on Friday China would never allow foreign forces to interfere with its special regions of Hong Kong and Macau, as he swore in a new pro-Beijing government for the gambling hub of Macau.
