Asia

Strong quake shakes Indonesia’s capital; no tsunami alert

Editorial Bureau January 14, 2022

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A powerful earthquake shook parts of Indonesia’s main island of Java on Friday, causing buildings in the capital to sway, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties. Officials said there was no danger of a tsunami. The U.S. Geological Survey said

Asia

South Korea gets first supply of Pfizer’s COVID-19 pills

Editorial Bureau January 14, 2022

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Thursday received its first supply of Pfizer’s antiviral COVID-19 pills to treat patients with mild or moderate symptoms. Health officials have described the Paxlovid pills as a potentially important tool to suppress hospitalizations and deaths, as the country braces for another possible surge in infections driven by the […]

Asia

NKorea warns of ‘stronger’ action following new US sanctions

Editorial Bureau January 14, 2022

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Friday berated the Biden administration for imposing fresh sanctions against the country over its latest missile tests and warned of stronger and more explicit action if Washington maintains its “confrontational stance.” In a statement carried by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, an unidentified Foreign Ministry

Asia

Why didn’t China send troops to aid Kazakhstan?

Editorial Bureau January 14, 2022

BEIJING — China gave strong verbal backing to Kazakhstan’s leader for his deadly crackdown to quell violent unrest, but stood aside as Russia sent in special forces troops. Resource-rich Kazakhstan, on China’s western border, has economic and strategic importance for Beijing and is an important link in its “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative to expand […]

Asia

Rat who detected land mines in Cambodia dies in retirement

Editorial Bureau January 13, 2022

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A land mine-detecting rat in Cambodia who received a prestigious award for his life-saving duty has died in retirement, the charity for which he had worked has announced. Magawa, an African giant pouched rat, passed away last weekend, said an announcement on the website of APOPO, a Belgium-headquartered non-profit group. The […]

Asia

Hong Kong ‘patriots only’ legislature convenes first session

Editorial Bureau January 13, 2022

HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s legislature convened Wednesday for the first time since elections last month that were held under new legislation ensuring that only “patriots” who have proven their loyalty to Beijing could run as candidates. The 90-seat Legislative Council, known as LegCo, is now completely dominated by Beijing’s allies. Leading opposition figures are […]

Asia

Indian, Chinese army commanders discuss border impasse

Editorial Bureau January 13, 2022

NEW DELHI — Indian and Chinese military commanders met Wednesday to discuss withdrawal of troops from a key area of their contested border to ease a 20-month standoff. The 14th round of talks is being held on China’s side of the Moldo meeting point and is likely to conclude late Wednesday or Thursday, the Indian […]

Asia

SKorean rescuers locate man at collapsed construction site

Editorial Bureau January 13, 2022

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean rescue workers at a collapsed construction site in the southern city of Gwangju located a man amid a pile of debris and broken concrete on their third day searching for six missing construction workers, officials said Thursday. Crews are trying to clear out the rubble to reach the man, […]

Asia

US hits NKorean officials with sanctions after missile test

Editorial Bureau January 13, 2022

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Wednesday slapped sanctions on five North Korean officials in its first response to Pyongyang’s latest ballistic missile test. The Treasury Department announced it was imposing penalties on the officials over their roles in obtaining equipment and technology for the North’s missile programs. In addition, the State Department ordered

Asia

Indonesia starts COVID boosters for elderly, others at risk

Editorial Bureau January 12, 2022

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia kicked off a COVID-19 booster campaign for the general public on Wednesday, prioritizing third shots for the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. The government hopes to provide 21 million booster shots in January to people who received their second jabs at least six months ago. Some 117 million people […]