At least 13 feared dead in suspected arson at Japan animation studio
At least 13 people were feared dead and dozens more either unconscious, hurt, or missing in a suspected case of arson at an animation studio in the Japanese city of Kyoto on Thursday, the local fire department said.
Japan PM Abe: Kyoto fire incident ‘too appalling for words’
A fire caused by suspected arson in the Japanese city of Kyoto on Thursday was “too appalling for” words, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Twitter, offering condolences to the victims.
UK says rightly concerned about protecting goods in Strait of Hormuz
Britain is rightly concerned about protecting its goods in the Strait of Hormuz, defense minister Penny Mordaunt said on Thursday following tensions with Iran over the passage of vessels in the Gulf.
Three French soldiers killed by toxic fumes in Guyana illegal mine operation
Three French soldiers died from toxic fumes during an operation targeting illegal gold miners in French Guyana, the defense ministry said on Thursday.
Myanmar filmmaker charged over Facebook posts about military
A Myanmar judge on Thursday charged filmmaker Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi for Facebook posts he made about the powerful military, meaning he will stand trial despite concern over his health and an outcry from human rights groups.
League’s decision not to back von der Leyen risks isolating Italy: Deputy PM
The decision of Italy’s ruling League party not to back Ursula von der Leyen as the next European Commission president risks isolating the country, Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Thursday in the latest sign of coalition friction.
Mooncakes, hymns and post-it notes: the color of Hong Kong’s protests
Hong Kong’s protests have drawn millions of people to the city’s streets in recent months and thrown the former British colony into its biggest political crisis since it was returned to China in 1997.
Explainer: Japan’s Abe faces headache from U.S. plan for Mideast maritime coalition
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces a tough diplomatic challenge from an expected U.S. request to send its navy to join a military coalition to safeguard strategic waters off Iran and Yemen.
Asia-Pacific meth drug trade worth up to $61 billion, U.N. says
Transnational crime groups are trafficking vast quantities of methamphetamine made in Southeast Asia, the United Nations said on Thursday, putting the value of the Asia-Pacific market for the drug between $30.3 billion and $61.4 billion.
Ex-chairman of Vietnam’s BIDV bank dies in detention
A former head of Vietnam’s second largest listed bank, the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), died in detention on Thursday, state media and three sources with direct knowledge of the situation said.
