A U.S. Army soldier has been arrested while traveling through Russia. The Army has identified the detained U.S. soldier as Staff Sgt. Gordon C. Black. Cynthia Smith, U.S. Army spokeswoman, told NTD News Staff Sgt. Black enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in 2008. She said he was assigned to Eighth Army, U.S. Forces […]
As May 3 marked World Press Freedom Day, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released its 2024 World Press Freedom Index. China ranked near the bottom—172nd among 180 countries and regions—while maintaining its title from the previous year as the world’s biggest jailer of journalists. RSF, the Paris-based international non-governmental organization dedicated to safeguarding freedom of information, […]
The Japanese embassy on Friday rejected President Joe Biden’s recent comments that labeled Japan—along with three other countries—as “xenophobic,” calling the president’s remarks “unfortunate.” At a Washington fundraising event on May 1, President Biden grouped U.S. allies Japan and India with U.S. adversaries China and Russia, saying their economic challenges arise from their refusal to […]
The White House said Thursday that Russia has been quietly shipping fuel to North Korea and that the action appears to violate a U.N. trade cap. The United States warns that it will work with allies to initiate follow-up sanctions against this violation.
MANADO, Indonesia—Indonesia’s Mount Ruang volcano spewed more hot clouds on Wednesday after an eruption the previous day forced the closure of schools and airports, pelted villages with volcanic debris and prompted hundreds of people to flee. Seven airports, including Sam Ratulangi international airport in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, remained closed after Tuesday’s […]
The House Foreign Affairs Committee Indo-Pacific Subcommittee holds a hearing to evaluate “the Taiwan Relations Act and Assessing the Future of U.S.-Taiwan Relations” at 2:00 p.m. ET on May 1. Witness: Daniel J. Kritenbrink, assistant secretary, Bureau of East Asian Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Chinese Coast Guard vessels collided with and harassed Philippine vessels on Monday on Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, according to a statement by the Philippine Coast Guard. The Philippino Coast Guard (PCG) vessels went to the Scarborough Shoal to distribute fuel and food to Filipino fishermen with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic […]
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee East Asia, The Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy Subcommittee holds a hearing on U.S. Policy on Taiwan at 2:30 p.m. ET on April 30. Witness: The Honorable Daniel J. Kritenbrink Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs U.S. Department of State. (Additional witnesses may be added)
Georgia is experiencing a wave of mass protests over controversial proposed legislation in the country. Located where the European and Asian continents meet, the former Soviet republic’s ruling “Georgian Dream Party” reintroduced plans in mid-April to pass a “foreign influence law,” French news outlet AFP reported. Critics say the proposed law closely resembles Russian legislation […]
A tornado in the Chinese city of Guangzhou has killed at least five people. Another 33 were injured, Chinese state media reported. The tornado reportedly hit the Guangdong Province capital in the south of the country at around 3 p.m. Local time (2 a.m. EST) on Saturday, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency. Xinhua […]
CHBAR MON, Cambodia—A funeral was held Sunday for 20 soldiers who died at an army base in southwestern Cambodia in a huge explosion of stored munitions that also wounded several others and damaged nearby houses. There has been no public explanation of what caused the Saturday afternoon blast at the base in Kompong Speu province, […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia—A strong magnitude 6.1 earthquake shook the southern part of Indonesia’s main island of Java on Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of injury or significant property damage. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck 102 kilometers (63 miles) south of Banjar city at a depth of 68.3 kilometers (42.4 miles). There […]
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday called for better measures to protect young people from substance use, as data gathered from teens in Europe, Central Asia, and Canada revealed a noticeable increase in the use of e-cigarettes and alcohol. The WHO’s recommendations are based on its 2021/2022 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, […]
TOKYO—Japan’s first moon lander has survived a third freezing lunar night, Japan’s space agency said Wednesday after receiving an image from the device three months after it landed on the moon. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the lunar probe responded to a signal from the earth Tuesday night, confirming it has survived another weekslong […]
Former President Donald Trump met with Japan’s former Prime Minister Taro Aso after appearing in court for his “hush money” trial on Tuesday, with the two discussing the mutual alliance between their countries. President Trump met with the 83-year-old Mr. Aso, who currently serves as vice president of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, at Trump […]
An anxious wait is leaving Taiwan vulnerable. The island has ordered $19 billion worth of U.S. weapons. But it could take years to deliver them. To fix the backlog, some lawmakers floated the idea of making some of the American weapons in Taiwan. A Taiwanese diplomat reacts.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Two Malaysian military helicopters collided midair and crashed during a training session on Tuesday, killing all 10 people on board and injuring a swimmer in a pool, authorities said. The helicopters were rehearsing at a naval base in northern Perak state for the navy’s 90th-anniversary celebration when the accident occurred, the navy said […]
The State Department highlighted the Chinese regime’s extensive operations to silence its targets in the United States and elsewhere, deploying tactics such as stalking, forced disappearances, and projecting police power overseas. The groups the regime goes after include persecuted minority groups, dissidents, Chinese students abroad, and adherents of spiritual faiths, according to the department’s April […]
TAIPEI—Taiwan’s quake-hit eastern county of Hualien was rattled by dozens of aftershocks late on Monday and early on Tuesday, but only minor damage was reported and no casualties and major chipmaker TSMC said it saw no impact on operations. Largely rural and sparsely populated Hualien was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on April 3 […]
