China won’t allow foreign forces to interfere in HK, Macau: Xi
President Xi Jinping said on Friday China would not 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.
Australian leader curtails holiday as firefighters killed in huge blazes
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued a rare public apology as he cut short a Hawaiian vacation on Friday after two volunteer firefighters were killed battling blazes that are ravaging much of the country’s east coast.
China’s Xi says patriotism key for Macau’s success
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday Macau’s patriotism was the most important reason for the success of its “one country, two systems” formula of governance, in remarks appearing to draw a contrast with neighboring Hong Kong.
An orphanage called Hope: Indian couple rebuilds lives after losing own children to tsunami
Karibeeran Parameshvaran and his wife Choodamani contemplated suicide after losing three children to giant waves triggered by a 9.1-magnitude quake fifteen years ago.
China’s Xi celebrates ‘loving’ Macau’s anniversary with expected policy rewards
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to preside over a lavish ceremony in Macau on Friday marking the 20th anniversary of its hand-over to Chinese rule, and the swearing in of another Beijing-backed city government.
In rare move, U.S. and Iranian envoys talk after U.N. meeting on nuclear deal
The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations made a rare compassionate public gesture toward her Iranian counterpart in the Security Council chamber on Thursday, expressing condolences over the death of an Iranian toddler.
Mexico clears ally of president of wrongdoing after ethics probe
A Mexican government investigation cleared an influential ally of the president of any wrongdoing on Thursday, after critics alleged the head of the state power utility had hidden a vast real estate portfolio and conflicts of interest.
Doubts over success of firearm buybacks in New Zealand as amnesty ends
New Zealand’s ambitious firearm amnesty ends on Friday with questions over its success, as critics say the police only managed to collect about a third of the weapons that were outlawed after the Christchurch massacre.
U.S. to resume military training program for Pakistan: State Department
The Trump administration has approved a resumption of Pakistan’s participation in a coveted U.S. military training and educational program more than a year after it was suspended, the State Department said on Thursday.
Fishermen cry foul as China bids to fix drought-hit lake
After wading through mudflats, Fan Xinde, a 36-year-old fisherman, sifts old copper coins from the debris scooped from the bed of a dwindling river that feeds China’s biggest freshwater lake, the Poyang.
