New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces an ambitious target of fully vaccinating 90% of eligible people to end coronavirus lockdowns, in Wellington on Oct 22, 2021. (ROBERT KITCHIN / POOL PHOTO VIA AP) WELLINGTON – New Zealand's Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, paused briefly as an earthquake rattled the capital Wellington on Friday while she […]
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting with foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations on Sept 23, 2021, on the sidelines of the 76th UN General Assembly in New York. (KENA BETANCUR / POOL / AFP) JAKARTA – Malaysia and Indonesia share strong reservations […]
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida who is also ruling Liberal Democratic Party president, attends a debate session with other leaders of Japan's main political parties ahead of Oct 31, 2021 lower house election, at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Oct 18 , 2021. (ISSEI KATO / POOL PHOTO VIA AP) TOKYO – […]
A man prays on the first day of autumn festival at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Oct 17, 2021. (BEHROUZ MEHRI / AFP) TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday sent a ritual offering to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II and is […]
Lawrence Wong, Singapore's finance minister and co-chair of the multi-ministry COVID-19 task force, speaks during an interview in Singapore on Sept 27, 2021. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG) Singapore needs to guard against rising inequality and is studying options to expand its system of wealth taxes, said the country’s finance minister. The city-state’s policies should continue to […]
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Oct 14, 2021. (EUGENE HOSHIKO / POOL / AP) TOKYO – Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida launched a flagship council on Friday to work out a strategy to tackle wealth disparities and redistribute wealth to […]
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud speaks during a joint press conference with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi (not pictured) at the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad on July 27, 2021. (AAMIR QURESHI / AFP) CAIRO – Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken […]
(JIN DING / CHINA DAILY) Fumio Kishida became the 100th prime minister of Japan, and a new Cabinet took office in the country on Oct 4. Although there will be a general election on Oct 31 and it is still too early to predict the future political situation in Japan in the aftermath of Yoshihide […]
Taliban fighters check commuters along a road in Kunduz on Oct 10, 2021. (HOSHANG HASHIMI / AFP) DOHA – There is no clear path for unfreezing Afghan government funds, Qatar's foreign minister told a conference on Wednesday, highlighting the economic challenges Afghanistan faces under its new Taliban rulers. Qatar is hosting talks between the Taliban […]
In this file photo taken on Mar 24, 2016, the current New Zealand flag flies over the parliament building in the central business district in Wellington. (MARTY MELVILLE / AFP) WELLINGTON – New Zealand Minister of Health Andrew Little said on Tuesday that the country's health system is ready for the implementation of the End […]
Security personnel prepare to remove a vehicle at the site of a deadly car bomb attack that targeted two senior government officials, who survived, security officials said, in the port city of Aden, Yemen on Oct 10, 2021. (WAEL QUBADY / AP) ADEN – A car bomb targeting the governor's convoy shook Yemen's southern port […]
This undated picture shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY) DAMASCUS – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday stressed the need to end the presence of "illegal foreign powers" on Syrian soil, referring to the US and Turkish forces, according to the state news agency SANA. Assad made the remarks when meeting with […]
A handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency on August 26, 2021 shows Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (right) talking with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian ahead of a meeting with Pakistan's Foreign Minister. (IRANIAN PRESIDENCY / AFP) DUBAI – Talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia have gone a "good distance", Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian […]
Fumio Kishida, Japan's prime minister, speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan on Oct 4, 2021. (TORU HANAI / POOL PHOTO VIA AP) TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday said he will fulfill his pledge to provide a "large-scale" package to stimulate the economy hit […]
In this photo taken from video, Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia, remotely addresses the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in a pre-recorded message on Sept 25, 2021 at UN headquarters. (UN WEB TV VIA AP) PHNOM PENH – Cambodian leader Hun Sen on Wednesday ordered the justice ministry to amend the […]
In this file photo taken on July 5, 2020, Lee Hsien Yang, the brother of Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and a member of the opposition Progress Singapore Party, takes a break during a walkabout ahead of the general election in Singapore. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP) The younger brother of Singapore’s premier is selling […]
Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (front center) poses with members of his cabinet at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Oct 4, 2021. (YOSHIKAZU TSUNO / POOL / AFP) TOKYO – The latest survey showed the approval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's new Cabinet stood at 55.7 percent ahead of […]
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison discusses travel restrictions during a press conference in Canberra, Australia, Oct 1, 2021. (LUKAS COCH / AAP IMAGE VIA AP) Australia’s coal-supporting leader indicated he may skip another major climate summit, this time the crucial United Nations’ COP26 conference starting in Glasgow at the end of this month. The nation […]
Leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Fumio Kishida (center) is applauded after being elected as new prime minister at the lower house of parliament in Tokyo on Oct 4, 2021. (KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP) TOKYO – Japan's new prime minister, Fumio Kishida, on Monday called a parliamentary election for Oct 31 and vowed […]
Japan's Prime Minister-elect Fumio Kishida arrives at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Oct 4, 2021. (EUGENE HOSHIKO / AP) TOKYO – Japan's prime minister, Fumio Kishida, voted in by parliament on Monday, unveiled a cabinet line-up featuring stalwarts of the ruling party and allies of former prime minister Shinzo Abe and ex-finance minister Taro […]