International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
China and the United States agreed on Monday to stabilize their intense rivalry so it does not veer into conflict, but failed to produce any major breakthrough during a rare visit to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed “progress” after shaking hands with Blinken at the Great Hall of the People, a grand venue usually reserved for greeting heads of
Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian the army accused of throwing petrol bombs near the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem late Monday, Palestinian officials said. Zakaria Mohammed al-Zaoul, 20, was “martyred by live occupation (Israeli) bullets to the head, in the town of Husan”, the Palestinian health ministry said. The Israeli military said troops
India’s prime minister has a reputation of casting himself as an ascetic. So when Narendra Modi leads foreign dignitaries and bureaucrats in a session for International Yoga Day on Wednesday at the United Nations’ Secretariat in New York, millions of Indians will take note. Yoga, an ancient discipline first practiced by Hindu sages, is now
A rescue operation was underway deep in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean on Monday in search of a technologically advanced submersible vessel carrying five people to document the wreckage of the Titanic, the iconic ocean liner that sank more than a century ago. The vessel was reported overdue Sunday night about 435 miles (700
The UN rights chief raised concern Monday on attempts by several countries to silence human rights defenders and other civil society members, including those who cooperate with his office. “I am profoundly concerned about this strangulation of civil society in several countries,” Volker Turk told the United Nations Human Rights Council. In his opening address
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday he agreed with China’s leadership on the need to “stabilise” relations but that he was “clear-eyed” on vast disagreements. “In every meeting, I stressed that direct engagement and sustained communication at senior levels is the best way to responsibly manage differences and ensure that competition does not
Tens of thousands of South Korean nurses went on strike on Friday (May 19) after President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed a law to improve their pay and working conditions. The bill passed the opposition-led parliament last month, prompting protests from some from doctors and nursing assistants who said the new law would open the door
Group of Seven (G7) leaders on Friday said they had ensured that Ukraine had the budget support it needs for this year and early 2024 as they renewed their commitment to provide financial and military support in its fight against Russia. “Today we are taking new steps to ensure that Russia’s illegal aggression against the sovereign state of Ukraine
Thailand remains in Tier 2 of the latest Trafficking in Persons report (2023 TIP Report), published by the U.S. State Department earlier today (Friday), along with other 104 out of the 188 countries and territories assessed around the world. The report grades countries on how well or poorly they are doing in combating human trafficking,
China has intensified efforts to clean up the internet from false news and rumours, closing more than 100,000 online accounts over the past month that misrepresented news anchors and media agencies, its cyberspace regulator said. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) launched a special campaign to clean up online information, focusing on social media accounts that disseminate “fake news” and impersonate
The United States deployed a nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying about 150 Tomahawk missiles to South Korea on Friday, a day after North Korea resumed missile tests in protest of the U.S.-South Korean live-fire drills. The USS Michigan’s arrival in South Korea, the first of its kind in six years, is part of a recent
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez filed to run for US president on Wednesday, according to Federal Electoral Commission documents, joining a crowded Republican field hoping to upset former president Donald Trump’s dominance. Suarez, 45, is expected to make an official announcement on Thursday in a speech promised to his supporters. He joins some dozen candidates, all
