Philippines mulls pullout of Syria peacekeepers The Philippine foreign secretary says he is recommending to President Benigno Aquino III to pull out all Filipino U.N. peacekeepers from the Golan Heights following the abduction of four by Syrian rebels. More
8 die in clothing factory fire in Bangladesh as Rana Plaza toll passes 900 Eight people were killed when a fire swept through a clothing factory in Bangladesh, police and an industry association official said on Thursday, as the death toll from the collapse of another factory building two weeks ago climbed above 900. More
American gets 15 years of hard labor in North Korea for 'hostile acts' An American tour operator has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea for alleged “hostile acts” against the repressive regime, according to its official state news agency. Kenneth Bae, who is in his mid-40s and lives in Washington state, has been described by friends as a devout Christian who took tourists on trips to North Korea, The Associated Press reported. More
Porn and movies, not tech secrets, found on Chinese spy suspect's NASA laptop The Chinese national taken into custody on an airplane waiting to take off for home had pornography and illegally downloaded movies on his NASA computer, not government secrets, reports say. He is now set to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of violating NASA computer rules. More
The Players: Rory McIlroy's hopes fade despite late birdie burst in third round at TPC Sawgrass A bit of band aid going on, trying to play with a fade that worked well for him on the first day. "His faults were exposed the last couple of days, with water balls off the tee in particular ... 03/17/2024 - 12:36 am | View Link
HK stocks extend gains even as rate cut hopes fade Hong Kong stocks opened on the front foot Monday, extending gains at the end of last week, even after a strong US jobs report dampened hopes for an interest rate cut. The Hang Seng Index rose 0.38 ... 03/10/2024 - 10:46 pm | View Link
Italy 31-29 Scotland: Azzurri claim their first home Six Nations win in NINE YEARS after surviving late onslaught Like much of the architecture and landmarks dotted around this ancient city, Scotland’s Six Nations campaign is in ruins. Crashing to a disastrous defeat against Italy at a raucous Stadio ... 03/9/2024 - 2:09 am | View Link
Hopes Fade of Gaza Cease-Fire Before Ramadan After Failed Talks (Bloomberg) -- Efforts to secure a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war before the expected start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Sunday appear to be failing, frustrating the delivery of ... 03/7/2024 - 1:17 am | View Link
Asian Shares Mostly Lower As China Stimulus Hopes Fade (RTTNews) - Asian stocks ended mostly lower on Tuesday as China's week-long annual session of parliament commenced without any big-ticket stimulus plans to prop up the struggling economy. 03/4/2024 - 7:40 pm | View Link
Bus drivers in South Korea’s capital launched their first strike in more than a decade, which halted almost all city buses Thursday morning, after wage negotiations with management failed to narrow gaps.
Commuters looked for alternatives after some 7,000 buses among 7,382 registered with the city were out of service due to the strike, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said.
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Back in January, the International Court of Justice responded to a petition asking it to rule that Israel’s campaign in Gaza amounted to genocide. To the disappointment of the petitioner, South Africa, the court appeared to conclude that Israel’s campaign was not inherently genocidal, essentially affirming the principle of Israel’s right to military engagement for aims such as self-defense, the pursuit of terrorists, and hostage rescue.
A new study from the World Inequality Lab finds that the present-day golden era of Indian billionaires has produced soaring income inequality in India—now among the highest in the world and starker than in the U. S., Brazil, and South Africa. The gap between India’s rich and poor is now so wide that by some measures, the distribution of income in India was more equitable under British colonial rule than it is now, according to the group of economists who co-authored the study, including the renowned French economist Thomas Piketty.
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The current total number of billionaires in India is peaking at 271, with 94 new billionaires added in 2023 alone, according to Hurun Research Institute’s 2024 global rich list published Tuesday.
Someone recently asked me why it was important to protect the Amazon rainforest from oil drilling. The question made me angry. Can you imagine being questioned about the importance of protecting your home from being destroyed in a fire? Or about protecting your home, your extended family’s homes, and all your people’s homes from demolition?
Thailand’s lawmakers passed a legislation to recognize same-sex marriage, paving the way for the country to become the first in Southeast Asia to guarantee marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.
The 500-member House of Representatives voted to pass the so-called “marriage equality” bill, technically an amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code, in a final reading on Wednesday.
For years, China has been testing the limits of its aggression in the South China Sea to see how much it can push before someone, meaningfully, pushes back. It’s a dangerous game that recently left three Philippine Navy personnel injured after their resupply ship to the Second Thomas Shoal—an atoll at the center of disputes over rival territorial claims of the all-important waterway through which a third of the world’s trade passes—was surrounded and fired upon with a water cannon by Chinese coast guard and militia vessels.
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In video of the March 23 incident, crew members could be heard shouting as jets of water pummeled the Philippine ship, which sustained heavy damage.
CAUGHT ON CAM: A GMA Integrated News Exclusive: “Tama na, Lord!” Horror as China Coast water cannons Philippine resupply ship @24OrasGMA @gmanews pic.twitter.com/rUIKi8ws8O— Joseph Morong 🇵🇭 (@Joseph_Morong) March 25, 2024
It’s not the first such attack by Chinese forces on Philippine sailors, nor is it likely to be the last.