South Korea probes if spies funded drones flown into North by student

By Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday ordered an investigation into claims that the country’s military intelligence command supported a civilian accused of sending drones into North Korea. The civilian at the centre of the allegations, a graduate student in his thirties identified only by his surname Oh, claims he flew […]

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Turkiye’s Kurdish party says Syria deal leaves Ankara ‘no excuses’ on peace process

ANKARA: Turkiye’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party said on Monday that the Turkish government had no more “excuses” to delay a peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) now that a landmark integration deal was achieved in neighboring Syria. On Sunday in Syria, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to come under the control of […]

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Don’t expect Greenland crisis to realign EU with China, former US diplomat says

By Zhao Ziwen While there may be hopes in Beijing that Washington’s attempt to acquire Greenland has strained transatlantic ties and might draw European countries closer to China, a veteran US diplomat said such a fundamental realignment was unlikely. The core task of the European Union’s foreign policy will remain navigating intensifying US-China rivalry while […]

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Iranian FM slams WEF’s ‘double standards’ after revoking his invite, but keeping Israeli president’s

DUBAI: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has criticized the World Economic Forum for rescinding his invitation to the annual meeting in Davos over his country’s crackdown on recent protests, accusing the forum of applying “blatant double standards” and succumbing to Western pressure. The WEF confirmed that Araghchi will not attend this year’s summit, running until […]

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Trump’s Gaza peace board charter seeks $1bn for extended membership, document shows

WASHINGTON: A draft charter sent to about 60 ​countries by the US administration calls for members to contribute $1 billion in cash if they want ‌membership ‌on his new Board of Peace to last more ‌than ⁠three ​years, ‌according to the document seen by Reuters. “Each Member State shall serve a term of no ⁠more […]

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Seoul takes aim at North Korea’s leadership bunkers with ‘monster missile’ Hyunmoo-5

By The Korea Times South Korea has begun deploying its most powerful conventional ballistic missile, the Hyunmoo-5 – dubbed the “monster missile” for its massive warhead – to frontline units, military officials said on Sunday, a move that underscores Seoul’s effort to strengthen deterrence against North Korea. The ground-to-ground missile, capable of carrying a warhead […]

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Why China may need to take the nuclear option for its next aircraft carrier

By Liu Zhen and Alcott Wei in Beijing China’s newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has significant design flaws that future carriers can overcome only by adopting nuclear power, according to a military magazine. The Fujian is the country’s first domestically designed aircraft carrier and was commissioned in November. With a displacement of over 80,000 tonnes, […]

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‘False pride’: Indonesia’s UN rights role clashes with its domestic record

By Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia begins its tenure as president of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) this month under a cloud of contradiction, with officials hailing the prestige of the largely ceremonial role even as activists raise uncomfortable questions about the country’s own rights record. The 47-member body, a subsidiary of the UN General […]

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Iran’s Khamenei says US, Israel links behind ‘thousands killed’ in protests

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says actors linked to the United States and Israel were responsible for killing “several thousands” of people during weeks of antigovernment protests in the country. “Those linked to Israel and US caused massive damages and killed several thousands” during the protests that convulsed Iran for more than two weeks, […]

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Vietnam’s To Lam eyes supreme power, seeks presidency at party congress

Agence France-Presse Vietnam’s leaders convene next week for a once-every-five-years congress, where General Secretary To Lam is looking to cement control over the Communist Party ruling one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies. The nation of 100 million people is both a repressive one-party state and a regional economic bright spot, with the party seeking to deliver […]

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