International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
BEIJING (AP) — The ruling Communist Party is tightening political control over China’s internet giants and tapping their wealth to pay for its ambitions to reduce reliance on U.S. and European technology. Anti-monopoly and data security crackdowns starting in late 2020 have shaken the industry, which flourished for two decades with little regulation. Investor jitters
Some 3,000 paedophiles have operated inside the French Catholic Church since 1950, the head of an independent commission investigating the scandal told AFP days ahead of the release of its report. The commission’s research uncovered between 2,900 and 3,200 paedophile priests or other members of the church, said Jean-Marc Sauve, adding that it was “a minimum estimate”. The commission’s report
Former President Donald Trump has asked a federal judge in Florida to force Twitter to restore his account, which the company suspended in January following the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol. Trump’s attorneys on Friday filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Miami seeking a preliminary injunction against Twitter and its CEO, Jack
AFP – Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, one of the world’s most active, has erupted but its lava so far is limited to its central crater and not threatening inhabited areas, authorities said Thursday. Lava fountains began appearing Wednesday on the surface of the crater’s lava lake and have reached the “height of a 5-story building,” the
(Reuters) As Myanmar’s economic slump deepens after February’s military coup and parts of its financial system freeze up, many in the strife-torn country are turning to online groups to bypass official channels to trade currencies. The fragility of the financial system was further exposed this week when the kyat currency sank to new lows after the central bank gave up
TOKYO (AP) — Japan fully came out of a coronavirus state of emergency for the first time in more than six months as the country starts to gradually ease virus measures to help rejuvenate the pandemic-hit economy as the infections slowed. At Tokyo’s busy Shinagawa train station, a sea of mask-wearing commuters rushed to their
CANBERRA, Oct 1 (Reuters) – Australia’s Minister for Trade Dan Tehan said on Friday talks with the European Union over a trade deal have been postponed, as a row over Canberra’s decision to cancel a $40 billion deal with France escalates. Australia last month cancelled a deal with France’s Naval Group to build a fleet
SEOUL (AP) — North Korea said Friday it had test-fired a newly developed anti-aircraft missile in the fourth round of weapons firings in recent weeks, even as it pushes to reopen dormant communication channels with South Korea in a small reconciliation step. In September, North Korea resumed its first missile tests in six months but
(AFP) – Chinese factory activity contracted in September for the first time since the height of its initial coronavirus outbreak in February 2020, official data showed Thursday, as it faces waves of power outages and fears for the real estate sector. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) — a key gauge of manufacturing activity in the
SEOUL, Aug 23 (Reuters) – The United States has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang and is open to meeting any time and any place, Washington’s special envoy for North Korea said on Monday during a visit to South Korea. Sung Kim arrived in Seoul on Saturday for a four-day visit. The visit comes as a
Los Angeles (AFP) – Britney Spears’ father was removed from his controversial role as his daughter’s guardian on Wednesday by a Los Angeles judge, ending a long and bitter legal battle by the pop princess. Jamie Spears was suspended with immediate effect and replaced with a temporary conservator “in the best interests” of the singer, said
GENEVA (Reuters) More than 80 aid workers including some employed by the World Health Organization (WHO) were involved in sexual abuse and exploitation during an Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, an independent commission said on Tuesday. The probe was prompted by an investigation last year by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and The New Humanitarian in which more than
