By AFP and published by Channel NewsAsia Berlin – Germany votes today (Sept. 26) in one of the most unpredictable elections in its recent history, with Angela Merkel’s conservatives and the centre-left Social Democrats in a tight race for her crown as she prepares to leave the political stage. The epochal election ushers in
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Myanmar town near India border sees exodus as thousands flee fighting
By Reuters and published by Channel NewsAsia MOST of the population of a Myanmar town near the Indian border have fled after buildings were set ablaze by artillery amid fighting between militia forces opposed to military rule and the army, according to residents and media reports. About 10,000 people normally live in Thantlang in Chin
Read moreMyanmar’s Suu Kyi has ‘no comment’ on call for war against junta
By AFP and published by The Straits Times Yangong – Toppled Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has “no comment” on a declaration of war against the junta by a shadow government dominated by lawmakers from her party, her lawyer said on Monday (Sept. 20). Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted Suu
Read moreTwo junta soldiers, including a major, killed in Yangon bomb attack
By Myanmar Now and AFP published by ChannelNewsAsia TWO soldiers including a major were killed in the guerilla bomb attack against a military vehicle in Yangon’s Sanchaung Township on Thursday, it has emerged. Several junta troops were riding in a truck near the intersection of Bargaryar and Baho roads at around 4 p.m. when
Read moreFrance slams US, Australia over cancelled $60 billion submarine deal
By New York Times and published by The Straits Times Washington – The United States and Australia went to extraordinary lengths to keep Paris in the dark as they secretly negotiated a plan to build nuclear submarines, scuttling France’s largest defence contract and so enraging President Emmanuel Macron that on Friday (Sept 17) he
Read moreAustralia at centre of Indo-Pacific alliances to counter China
By Reuters and published by Swissinfo.ch Sydney – Australia finds itself as the common link in a new mesh of global alliances centred on the Indo-Pacific that are all but in name aimed at countering China’s rising military power and economic clout. Canberra’s 70-year-old defence alliance with Washington already commits Australia to act in response
Read moreMyanmar cell towers attacked after shadow government ‘war’ call
By AFP and published by Channel NewsAsia Yangon – Protesters have destroyed around a dozen military-owned communications towers in Myanmar, witnesses and reports said today (Sept. 8), after the country’s self-proclaimed shadow government issued a call for a “defensive war” against the junta. The country has been in chaos since the military seized power in
Read moreTaliban eases stance as Iran condemns offensive in Panjshir
By AFP, published by The Straits Times Kabul – The Taliban today (Sept. 6) called on former members of the Afghan forces to integrate with the new hardline rulers, as Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the group’s military offensive in the holdout Panjshir Valley. “The Afghan forces who were trained in the past 20 years will
Read moreMalaysia to probe claims of people bribing doctors for Covid vaccination certs
By Channel NewsAsia Kuala Lumpur – The chief of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Azam Baki has pledged to investigate claims of doctors receiving bribes from those refusing Covid-19 vaccines in exchange for vaccination certificates. In a statement today (Aug 31), Azam said there were claims from the public that doctors or other parties
Read moreLive updates: A powerful explosion near Kabul airport, believed to be a rocket
By Business Insider, published by MSN News A “POWERFUL EXPLOSION” was heard in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, whilst Reuters report that the US has carried out an airstrike in the Afghan capital. It has not been confirmed if the two events are linked. A Taliban spokesperson told AP news that the US
Read moreAfghanistan: US says drone strike killed IS-K planner
By BBC THE US military says it believes it has killed a planner for the Afghan branch of the Islamic State group in a drone strike in the east of the country. The suspected member of the IS-K group was targeted in Nangarhar province. IS-K said it had carried out an attack outside Kabul airport
Read moreUS braces for more Islamic State attacks after 85 killed in Kabul airport carnage
By Reuters Staff, published by Channel NewsAsia US forces helping to evacuate Afghans desperate to flee new Taliban rule were on alert for more attacks on today (Aug. 27) after an Islamic State attack killed 85 people including 13 US service members just outside Kabul airport. General Frank McKenzie, head of US Central
Read moreUS, China accuse each other of ‘bullying’ nations
By Reuters, published by Channel NewsAsia Hanoi – US Vice President Kamala Harris today (Aug 25) again charged China with bullying its Southeast Asian neighbours, the second time in two days she has attacked Beijing during a regional visit aimed at countering China’s growing influence. Earlier today, Chinese state media accused Harris of seeking to
Read moreUS V-P Kamala Harris’ trip to Vietnam delayed over ‘anomalous health incident’
By Reuters, published by Channel NewsAsia Hanoi – A flight from Singapore to Vietnam by US Vice President Kamala Harris was delayed on today (Aug. 24) following an unexplained health incident in Hanoi, the US Embassy in Vietnam said in a statement. Harris, who was in Singapore concluding a three-day trip, was due to fly
Read moreISIS terror threat forces US military to establish alternate routes to Kabul airport
By Barbara Starr, Oren Liebermann, Ellie Kaufman and Nicole Gaouette, CNN THE US military is establishing “alternative routes” to Kabul airport because of a threat the terror group ISIS-K poses to the airport and its surroundings, as President Joe Biden met with senior officials on Saturday to discuss the security situation in Afghanistan and
Read moreTaliban co-founder in Afghan capital as evacuation scramble continues
By AFP and published by Channel NewsAsia Kabul – The Taliban’s senior leadership was gathering in the Afghan capital today (Aug. 21) to map out a future “inclusive” government, as desperation deepened for thousands still scrambling to leave the country via a chaotic evacuation operation. A senior Taliban official told AFP that Mullah Abdul Ghani
Read moreTaliban ‘hanging’ people who worked with US: source
By Fox News AS THE US military and State Department rush to evacuate American citizens and Afghan allies from Kabul’s airport, Taliban checkpoints are cutting off many from freedom and safety – and reports on the ground indicate the militants are summarily executing people who helped US forces over the years. Ryan Rogers, a retired
Read moreProtests against Afghan Taleban spread in early signs of resistance
By Reuters, published by The Straits Times Kabul – Flag-waving protesters took to the streets of more Afghan cities today (Aug. 19) as popular opposition to the Taleban spread, and a witness said several people were killed when the militants fired on a crowd in Asadabad in the east. “Our flag, our identity,” a
Read moreTaliban near gates of Kabul as embassies prepare for evacuations
By AFP and published by Channel NewsAsia Kabul – The Taliban seized more major cities today (August 13) as they raced to take full control of Afghanistan and inched closer to Kabul, with the United States and Britain deploying thousands of troops to evacuate their citizens from the capital. The evacuation orders came as the
Read moreTop Khmer Rouge leader to appeal genocide conviction
By AFP and published by Channel NewsAsia Phnom Penh – The last surviving senior Khmer Rouge leader will next week begin an appeal against his life imprisonment for his role in the genocide committed by the regime in Cambodia more than four decades ago. The Khmer Rouge, led by “Brother Number 1” Pol Pot, left
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