MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea. On Friday, over a hundred people watched on as 10 devotees were nailed …
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US congressional delegation pledges continued defense support for Taiwan
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation pledged continued support for Taiwan on Thursday, days after Congress approved $300 million in military aid for the self-governed island that’s claimed by China. Congress also approved $400 million on Saturday to counter the Chinese government’s influence in the region, as part of its Defense Appropriations Act. China regards Taiwan as …
Read More »In northern Myanmar, Kachin rebels claim attacks on army outposts as offensive gathers pace
BANGKOK (AP) — A rebel group in Myanmar’s northern state of Kachin said its troops on Thursday attacked more than 10 army outposts along the main road to the state capital of Myitkyina, increasing the pressure on the military government from pro-democracy resistance forces and ethnic minority armed organizations. Fierce fighting has been taking place in the area, residents told …
Read More »US and South Korea fly warplanes in interception drills after North Korea’s missile tests
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea and the United States flew advanced stealth fighters in a joint missile-interception drill Friday over the Korean Peninsula, South Korea’s air force said, an apparent response to a spate of weapons tests this year by rival North Korea. North Korea has conducted six rounds of missile tests so far this year, most of …
Read More »Montenegro court rules to extradite Terraform Labs founder to the US. An appeal is pending
PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — A court in Montenegro has ruled that Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon should be extradited to the United States to face fraud charges rather than to his native South Korea, a court official in the Balkan Country said Thursday. Kwon, 32, was arrested nearly a year ago in Montenegro on an international arrest warrant in connection …
Read More »A farm truck falls into a ravine in the central Philippines killing 14, police say
BACOLOD, Philippines (AP) — A farm truck carrying villagers drove off a cliff in the central Philippines on Wednesday in an accident that left at least 14 passengers dead, police said. Three other people on the truck, including the driver, were seriously injured in the midday accident in Mabinay town in Negros Oriental province, police spokesperson Lt. Stephen Polinar said. …
Read More »US rivalry with China expands to biotech. Lawmakers see a failure to compete and want to act
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. lawmakers are raising alarms about what they see as America’s failure to compete with China in biotechnology, warning of the risks to U.S. national security and commercial interests. But as the two countries’ rivalry expands into the biotech industry, some say that shutting out Chinese companies would only hurt the U.S. Biotechnology promises to revolutionize everyday …
Read More »Families of Indonesian activists tortured by soldiers 25 years ago shocked at general’s election win
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Families of Indonesian activists who were kidnapped and tortured by the military 25 years ago demanded justice in a protest Thursday and expressed shock over the apparent presidential victory of Prabowo Subianto, whom they blamed for the atrocities. Currently the defense minister under outgoing President Jokowi Widodo, Subianto claimed victory in the presidential election on Wednesday, …
Read More »Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opens stone-built Hindu temple in UAE ahead of India’s elections
ABU MUREIKHA, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Middle East’s first traditional stone-built Hindu temple on Wednesday, internationalizing both his reelection campaign and his effort to push secular India into a Hindu state. The trip to the BAPS Hindu Mandir just north of the city of Abu Dhabi capped Modi’s whistlestop tour of the …
Read More »Militants attack police station in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 10 officers
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Militants armed with rockets, guns and grenades attacked a police station in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the country’s northwest before dawn on Monday, killing 10 officers before fleeing, authorities said. Six other officers were wounded in this year’s deadliest attack in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders …
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