Australian writer detained in China says will “fight to the end”
SYDNEY – Australian writer Yang Hengjun, detained by Chinese authorities for 18 months, has told family he has refused to make a false confession, as his case appears to move…
Japan’s Suga jumps in popularity, tops favourability poll for next PM
TOKYO – Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga is now the most preferred candidate among the public to become the next prime minister, surging in popularity after he entered his…
UNICEF says drugmakers can produce unprecedented vaccine quantities for COVID-19
NEW YORK – Unprecedented quantities of vaccines could be produced by 28 manufacturers in 10 countries over the next two years to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN children’s agency…
British minister defends trade role for ex-Australian PM Abbott
LONDON – Britain’s health minister has said Australian former Prime Minister Tony Abbott would bring huge expertise to a role advising the British government on trade despite his comments that men…
Ship carrying livestock and crew missing off Japan coast: NHK
WELLINGTON – The Japanese coastguard is looking for a cargo ship carrying livestock and dozens of crew members that went missing after issuing a distress signal due to typhoon Maysak,…
‘I am Taiwanese,’ Czech speaker says, angering China
TAIPEI/BERLIN – The head of the Czech Senate has declared himself to be Taiwanese in a speech at Taiwan’s parliament, channelling the late US President John F. Kennedy’s defiance of…
Brazil police to arrest more than 400 people in drug gang crackdown
RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian police say they are seeking the arrest of more than 400 people with alleged links to criminal gangs, in a major nationwide operation involving more…
Baltic states hit Lukashenko, other Belarus officials with sanctions
VILNIUS – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have imposed travel bans on President Alexander Lukashenko and 29 other Belarusian officials, signaling impatience with the West’s cautious approach by announcing sanctions without…
Irish haulier pleads guilty over Vietnamese truck deaths in UK
LONDON – A 40-year-old Irish haulier has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese men, women and boys found dead in the back of a refrigerated truck near London…
Japanese PM Abe resigns over worsening health
TOKYO – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan‘s longest-serving premier, has announced his resignation because of poor health, ending a stint at the helm of the world’s third-biggest economy in which he…
