November 21, 2024
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North Korea says spy satellite launch crashed into sea

North Korea has said an accident happened as it planned to send up its first space satellite, causing it to crash into the sea. Pyongyang announced earlier it planned to launch a satellite by 11 June to monitor US military activities. It now says it will attempt a second launch as soon as
Asia

Translating India’s constitution into a tribal language

When the coronavirus lockdown started more than two years ago, Sripati Tudu kept himself busy by working solely on one of his dream projects: translating the world’s longest constitution into his tribal language, Santali. Tudu, an assistant professor at the Institute of Language Studies and Research in eastern India’s West Bengal state, was born a […]
Asia

Shanghai records first official Covid deaths since lockdown imposed

Three Covid-19 fatalities have been reported in Shanghai, the first to be officially counted since the beginning of the city’s lockdown. The three people reported on Monday included two women aged 89 and 91, and a 91-year-old man, who also had underlying health conditions, and were reportedly unvaccinated. Shanghai municipal authorities said the three were […]
Asia

Dozens killed in Philippines landslides and floods as tropical storm Megi hits

At least 24 people have been killed in landslides and flooding across central and southern Philippines, authorities said Monday, after tropical storm Megi dumped heavy rain and disrupted travel ahead of the Easter holidays. More than 13,000 people fled to emergency shelters as the storm pounded the region on Sunday, the national disaster agency said, flooding […]
Asia

Taal volcano: thousands flee after eruption in Philippines

Thousands of people fled their homes near a Philippine volcano after an eruption sent ash and steam hundreds of metres into the sky. Taal volcano, which sits in a picturesque lake south of Manila, exploded with a “short-lived” burst at 7:22 am on Saturday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement. […]
Asia

The Taliban forced Afghan TV workers into hiding. Now they’re asking Hollywood for help

For nearly two decades, Afghanistan’s TV industry developed popular hits, from medical shows and family dramas to Afghan Star, a music competition based on American Idol. Now, nearly six months after the Taliban seized control, many Afghan television and film workers are jobless and in hiding. Some feel abandoned by TV and entertainment industry workers in other […]
Asia

Afghanistan: more than 100 believed killed despite Taliban amnesty offer, says UN

The United Nations says it has received “credible allegations” that more than 100 members of the ousted Afghan government, its security forces and those who worked with international troops have been killed since the Taliban took over on 15 August. Secretary general Antonio Guterres said in a report that “more than two thirds” of the deaths were […]
Asia

North Korea says it tested hypersonic missile with ‘superior manoeuvrability’

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un personally oversaw the successful test of a hypersonic missile, state media reported on Wednesday, the second such launch by the nuclear-armed nation in less than a week. Tuesday’s launch forced the US to briefly halt some flights on its west coast, the Federal Aviation Administration said, and was more advanced in nature […]
Asia

Kazakhstan protests: government resigns amid rare outbreak of unrest

Kazakhstan’s president has accepted the resignation of the government, hours after he declared a state of emergency in large parts of the country in response to a rare outbreak of unrest. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has appointed Alikhan Smailov as acting prime minister, the president’s office said early on Wednesday. Smailov was previously the first deputy prime […]