China

CHONBURI, Thailand — Only a month after Thailand’s adorable baby hippo Moo Deng was unveiled on Facebook, her fame became unstoppable both domestically and internationally. Zookeeper Atthapon Nundee has been posting cute moments of the animals in his care for about five years. He never imagined Khao Kheow Open Zoo’s newborn pygmy hippo would become an internet megastar within weeks. Cars started lining up outside the …

Bangkok — Thailand wants to work with warring sides in Myanmar to repair a key highway cutting through the conflict-ridden country as it seeks to stabilise borders areas and keep trade routes open, Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said on Thursday. Thailand has the support of the ASEAN regional bloc and India in the push to rebuild parts of the Asian Highway 1 (AH-1) that has …

BANGKOK — A new report from Burmese activist groups is calling on French-based airline manufacturer Airbus to use its influence with Aviation Industry Corporation of China, or AVIC, to pressure the Chinese firm to end its arms sales to the Myanmar junta. AVIC is one of the world’s biggest defense contractors, and the Chinese aviation firm supplies aircraft and weapons to Myanmar’s military junta that are …

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washington — President Joe Biden has made it a priority to elevate the relationship of the Quad, four countries touched by the Indo-Pacific region, the White House said, as he prepares to host the leaders of Japan, India and Australia on Saturday at his Delaware home. The region stretches from the U.S. West Coast to the shores of India to the northeast waters of Japan to …

washington — Iran’s efforts to upend U.S. politics ahead of November’s presidential election by targeting the campaign of former President Donald Trump went well beyond a standard hack-and-leak operation. According to U.S. intelligence officials, Tehran sought to ensnare the campaign of Trump’s then-opponent, incumbent U.S. President Joe Biden. Information released late Wednesday by U.S. intelligence officials indicates Iranian cyber actors not only tried to leak stolen …

state department — A senior U.S. State Department official said Wednesday that Beijing’s support for Moscow’s defense industry comes directly from the top leadership of the People’s Republic of China, or PRC. The official also pointed out that chips supplied by China have significantly bolstered Russia’s battlefield capabilities in its war against Ukraine. For months, U.S. officials have accused the PRC of actively aiding Russia’s war …

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Lebanese media report that at least three people were killed and dozens wounded in a second wave of explosions targeting the militant group Hezbollah. More electronic communications devices detonated Wednesday after exploding pagers killed at least 12 people and wounded almost 3,000 on Tuesday. Hezbollah has vowed revenge. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. …

Taipei, Taiwan — A recent attempt by a Chinese man to illegally enter Taiwan after crossing the 180-kilometer-wide Taiwan Strait in a rubber boat is raising concerns on the island about its coastal defense capabilities and overall preparedness amid rising tensions between Beijing and Taipei.  Last Saturday, a 30-year-old Chinese man surnamed Wang was spotted in a dinghy about 100 meters offshore near Taiwan’s northern Linkou …

Washington — The U.S., Canada and Australia hit a group of Iranian officials with sanctions Wednesday for their participation in suppressing protests and detaining people in relation to the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who died in the custody of Iran’s morality police two years ago for improperly wearing a mandatory headscarf. Amini, 22, died on Sept. 16, 2022, in a hospital after being …

A group of young activists in Turkey known as 1000 Youth for Palestine is posing a rare and potent challenge to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by using social media to expose Turkey’s ongoing trade with Israel. This, despite Erdogan’s public claims that he has imposed a strict trade embargo on Israel over the war in Gaza. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, the group’s …

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TOKYO/TAIPEI — A Chinese aircraft carrier entered Japan’s contiguous waters for the first time on Wednesday, Japan’s defense ministry said, the latest in a string of military maneuvers that has ratcheted up tensions between the neighbors. The carrier, accompanied by two destroyers, sailed between Japan’s southern Yonaguni and Iriomote islands, entering an area that extends up to 24 nautical miles from its coastline where Japan can …

BEIJING — Malaysia’s king Sultan Ibrahim will visit China starting Thursday, the first by a Malaysian monarch in a decade, where he will meet President Xi Jinping and likely seek support for projects boosting connectivity to neighboring Singapore. The ceremonial ruler from the southern state of Johor, will be accompanied by Malaysia’s transport and housing ministers, a statement from the country’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday. …

BEIJING — China’s decision to raise the retirement age will give a brief boost to its strained pension system but risks further discouraging weary young workers and cannot arrest long-term demographic decline, experts say. The ruling Communist Party last week announced a gradual increase in the statutory retirement age starting next year — rising from 60 to 63 for men, from 55 to 58 for white-collar …

PARIS — Almost 200 environmental activists were murdered last year, with the toll especially heavy in South America, according to rights group Global Witness. Here are the stories of three campaigners who have faced violence and repression trying to stop wildcat gold mining in Ecuador, illegal shrimp farming in Indonesia and a controversial oil project in Uganda. ‘We have a responsibility’ Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan has …

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SEOUL/TOKYO — North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles Wednesday that landed in the sea off its east coast, South Korea and Japan said. The missiles lifted off from Kaechon, north of the capital, Pyongyang, around 6:50 a.m. local time and flew in a northeast direction, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, without specifying how many were fired. “Our military is maintaining full readiness posture …

washington — At first glance, Noah R. Smith might seem like your typical social media user. His bio says he’s a father, a former “Track and Field representative,” and a current member of the PanAm Sports organization. On July 14, a day after the first assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Smith shared three posts from an account named “TRUMP WON.” One post declared, …

The Biden and Trump administrations have accused China of unfair trade practices and flooding international markets with artificially cheap goods. Analysts say both presidential candidates are using tariffs to counter China and encourage U.S. manufacturing jobs. Elizabeth Lee explains how this trade war could impact consumers. …

Human rights groups have urged Britain not to copy Italy’s approach in trying to reduce the number of migrants arriving on its shores. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer traveled to Rome this week to learn more about its success in tackling migration, as a surge of people arrive on small boats across the English Channel. Henry Ridgwell reports from London. …

Moscow — Iran’s president committed his country to deeper ties with Russia to counter Western sanctions on Tuesday, state media reported, amid U.S. worries that Tehran is supplying Moscow missiles to hit Ukraine. Russia’s top security official Sergei Shoigu arrived in the Iranian capital days after meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. More than two and a half years into its conflict with …