Tag Archives: Asia

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand has entered its second recession in 18 months after the latest round of GDP figures confirmed its economy contracted in the last quarter of 2023. The country’s economy shrank by 0.1% in the quarter to December, and 0.7% in per capita terms, the New Zealand’s official statistics agency, Stats NZ, announced on Thursday. …

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has shipped around 7,000 containers filled with munitions and other military equipment to Russia since last year to help support its war in Ukraine, South Korea’s defense minister said Monday. Shin Won-sik shared the assessment at a news conference hours after the South Korean and Japanese militaries said the North fired multiple short-range …

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told Australia’s Parliament on Thursday that the strategic partnership between the two nations was more important than ever with the rule of law and peace in the region under threat from China. Marcos told a special joint sitting of the two chambers during a state visit that the Philippines would not …

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s beleaguered prime minister renewed his apology over his governing party’s corruption scandal, promising to not hold any more parties himself as leader during a political ethics committee Thursday. Fumio Kishida has fought against plummeting support ratings since his governing party’s corruption scandal rocked the government. The scandal, considered the biggest in decades, centers on political funds …

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — The eldest daughter and close aide of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday became the country’s first-ever female chief minister in eastern Punjab province. Her rivals accused authorities of nepotism and boycotted the session of the provincial assembly. Mariam Nawaz, 50, became chief minister in a 220-0 vote in her favor, beating out her …

BEIJING (AP) — The former chairman of the Bank of China has been indicted on bribery charges, prosecutors said Monday, adding to a long list of business and government officials who have been brought down by Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s yearslong anticorruption drive. Liu Liange is accused of taking advantage of his positions at the Bank of China and previously …

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong customs officials have arrested seven people linked to the territory’s largest ever money laundering case, involving about 14 billion Hong Kong dollars ($1.8 billion) some of it linked to a scam case in India. The seven local residents, aged between 23 and 74, were part of a large-scale transnational syndicate that used various shell …

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia on Wednesday opened polling stations where nearly 205 million eligible voters will choose a new president and some 20,000 other public officials. The world’s third-largest democracy is holding its fifth presidential and legislative elections since shaking off a dictatorship in 1998. The sprawling archipelago of 17,000 islands and more than 270 million people from about …

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister on Monday defended the widely criticized delay in announcing the results of last week’s parliamentary election, saying authorities took only 36 hours to count over 60 million votes while grappling with militant attacks. Anwaarul-Haq-Kakar insisted that a “level playing field” was available to all political parties, including that of imprisoned former prime minister …

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s parliamentary elections left no clear winner. Allies of imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan won the most seats in the lower house of parliament in the elections last Thursday. It was a shock outcome given the obstacles: His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party could hold no campaign rallies, had no polling agents on election day and faced internet restrictions. …