Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Thursday 11/17/2022 Malaysians go to the polls on Saturday after four years of fractious politics that followed the fall of jailed former prime minister Najib Razak. At stake are 222 seats in the lower house of parliament, to be decided by 21 million registered voters. Here are thumbnail portraits of the key personalities: – Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob – Ismail is the vice chief of the ruling United […]
International
N. Korea fires missile hours after warning of ‘fiercer’ military response
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | Thursday 11/17/2022 North Korea has fired an “unidentified ballistic missile”, Seoul’s military said Thursday, the latest in a record-breaking blitz of launches as Pyongyang warned of a “fiercer” military response to the US and its regional allies. “North Korea fires an unidentified ballistic missile into East Sea,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. Earlier […]
URGENT: N. Korea fires ‘unidentified ballistic missile’, Seoul’s military says
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea has fired an “unidentified ballistic missile”, Seoul’s military said Thursday, the latest in a record-breaking blitz of launches that came just hours after Pyongyang warned of a “fiercer” military response to the US and its regional allies. “North Korea fires an unidentified ballistic missile into East Sea,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. […]
UK orders Chinese-owned firm to sell most of chip maker
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – The UK government on Wednesday ordered a Chinese-owned company to divest most of Britain’s biggest semiconductor maker, in a move likely to antagonize Beijing. Business Secretary Grant Shapps was blocking the full takeover of Newport Wafer Fab by Nexperia following a “detailed national security assessment”, a government spokesperson said in a statement. Shapps was requiring Nexperia to sell at least 86 percent of the Wales-based chip fabricator “to prevent against potential […]
Zelensky asks allies for ‘all data’ in Poland missile row
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) – President Volodymyr Zelensky called Wednesday for Ukraine’s allies to share “all the data” held on the missile that landed in Poland, which Kyiv insists was fired by Russia, a claim contradicted by Warsaw. Two people were killed on Tuesday when at least one missile hit the village of Przewodow near the Ukrainian border, during a mass Russian bombardment aimed at civilian infrastructure inside Western-backed Ukraine. In the immediate aftermath of the incident […]
A divided Congress could be politically expedient for President Biden
Washington, United States | AFP | by Aurélia END The next two years will be filled with legislative gridlock for Joe Biden under a divided Congress — which could prove to be a boon if he chooses to run for president and plays his cards right. Gaining political credit by playing the blame game and pegging the paralysis squarely on the already weakened Republicans could give Biden just the boost he needs in his bid […]
Republicans take control of US House, Congress split: projections
Washington, United States | AFP | by Camille CAMDESSUS Republicans on Wednesday took control of the US House of Representatives from Democrats, networks said, narrowly securing a legislative base to oppose President Joe Biden’s agenda for the final two years of his term –- and leaving power in Congress split. The slim Republican majority in the lower house of the US legislature will be far smaller than the party had been banking on, […]
PHOTOS: President BongBong Marcos, Jr. arrives in Thailand for APEC summit
President of the Republic of the Philippines and spouse arrived in Thailand today for the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Week. They were received by DPM Mr. Wissanu Krea-ngam and spouse. (16 Nov 22) #APEC2022THAILAND (Courtesy: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand) via: CHRISTEL MAPA – ASEAN Bureau Chief
Russia accuses Ukraine of Poland missile blast
© Agence France-Presse Russia on Wednesday accused Ukraine of a deadly blast in Poland, with Belgium saying it was probably caused by Kyiv’s air defences firing at Moscow’s incoming missiles. The explosion in a farm building on Tuesday killed two people, leaving the village of Przewodow in shock and sparking international concern over a possible further escalation of the conflict. Ambassadors from members of the NATO military alliance went into emergency talks in Brussels after […]
Poland blast was likely caused by Ukraine air defense: Belgian defence minister
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The explosion that killed two Polish civilians in a village near the Ukraine border was probably caused by Ukrainian air defence units firing at incoming Russian missiles, the Belgian defence minister said Wednesday. “The missile strikes in Poland last night are being fully investigated by our intelligence service, which is in close contact with NATO partner services,” Ludivine Dedonder said in a statement. “Based on the preliminary information available, the […]
Kuwait executes seven people, first since 2017: statement
Kuwait City, Kuwait | AFP | Kuwait put seven people to death for murder on Wednesday, the public prosecutions service said, as the first executions since 2017 went ahead despite appeals from a prominent rights group. One Ethiopian woman and one Kuwaiti woman were among those hanged, along with three Kuwaiti men, a Syrian and a Pakistani, a statement said. The executions are the first since January 25, 2017, when the oil-rich Gulf country […]
‘Unlikely’ Poland missile fired from Russia: President Biden
Nusa Dua, Indonesia | AFP | by Sara HUSSEIN / Sebastian Smith US President Joe Biden said Wednesday it was “unlikely” a missile strike on Poland was launched from Russia, speaking after emergency talks with allies in Bali about the deadly attack. Biden huddled with G7 and NATO partners on Wednesday, hours after the strike that killed two people in a Polish village near the border with Ukraine. “We agreed to support Poland’s investigation […]





