• Central Asia

    Mongolian tankers qualify for IAG semifinals

    The Mongolian Ministry of Defense reports that the Mongolian team participating in the Tank Biathlon of the 2016 International Army Games qualified for the semifinals after the conclusion of the individual race on August 7, The UB Post reports. The Mongolian tank team finished the individual race with 29 minutes…

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  • South East Asia

    Indonesian President Dismisses Energy Minister Over US Citizenship

    Indonesian President Joko Widodo has relieved Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Archandra Tahar from his duties over reports that he had a dual Indonesian-US citizenship, State Secretariat Minister Pratikno said. Under Indonesian nationality law, Indonesians automatically lose their citizenship if they voluntarily accept foreign citizenship. “Responding to the public statement…

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  • Central Asia

    Tehran and Moscow to construct 2 Nuclear Power Plants in Iran

    Iran and Russia will construct two nuclear power plants in Iran, Spokesman of the Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Sayid Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said Sputnik reports. Hosseini said on Saturday that Iran needs 20,000MW of electricity, which requires construction of about 10 nuclear power plants, Shana news agency…

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  • East Asia

    Crossing the red line

    By Tong Kim – The Korea Times Many have reached a point of fatigue and a sense of futility in talking about denuclearization. There is plenty of blame to go around for Pyongyang, Washington and Seoul. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, speaking to reporters in Vientiane, Laos, where he…

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  • Central Asia

    Putin-Erdogan talks signal ‘restart process’

    The recent Erdogan-Putin talks, which were the first ever since the downing of a Russian jet by Turkey, mark a restart period in the two countries’ relations, says an Armenian expert in Turkish studies, Tert reports. At a news conference on August 10, Gevorg Petrosyan, the president of the research center…

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  • East Asia

    Future of China-NK relations

    Lee Seong-hyon  – The Korea Times Most Western experts describe China’s North Korea policy as a failure. If that is the case, China has had many failures, not just one. Combing through Sino-North Korean history, we discover a series of intriguing relational hiccups between the two, with their relations fluctuating between…

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  • South East Asia

    Philippines president calls US ambassador ‘gay’

    Hong Dam-young – The Korea Times Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, notorious for using derogatory terms about his political opponents, has called. U.S. ambassador Philip Goldberg a “son of a bitch.” Duterte made the comment while giving a speech to soldiers at Camp Lapu-Lapu in Cebu City on Friday. After recalling…

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  • East Asia

    Ailing Japanese King says he might abdicate

    Lee Han-soo, Park Si-soo – The Korea Times Japanese King Akihito, 82, says he wants to step down due to his faltering health. “I am worried that it may become difficult for me to carry out my duties as the symbol of the state with my whole being as I…

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  • East Asia

    Tokyo warns Beijing for hundreds of ships in East China Sea

    On August 8, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga accused Beijing of 14 violations throughout the past weekend, Sputnik reports. Suga said that Japan’s Coast Guard will work with other national agencies to respond to developments. The Japanese Defense Minister, Tomomi Inada, also added that air raids over Chinese vessels…

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  • Central Asia

    Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia to create trilateral co-op

    Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia will create a trilateral format of cooperation, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in St. Petersburg during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trend Agency reports. Baku hosted a trilateral summit of the presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran – Ilham Aliyev,…

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