Pentagon and State officials fear that putting a definitive date on troop withdrawal could undercut negotiations to finalize a peace deal between the Taliban and the Afghan government. ( read original story ...)
Trump’s Afghanistan withdrawal announcement takes US officials by surprise
Tweet calling for troops’ return by Christmas puts peace negotiations in jeopardy and was greeted enthusiastically by the Taliban ... ( read original story ...)
Dozens hospitalized after fire engulfs 33-story apartment building in South Korea
Dozens were hospitalized in the South Korean city of Ulsan, after a fire engulfed multiple floors of an apartment building late Thursday night. ( read original story ...)
Fire ‘continues to burn’ at South Korea tower block
Firefighters in South Korea are struggling to completely put out a fire at a 33-storey tower block in the southern South Korean city of Ulsan, local media said. Hundreds were forced to evacuate and ... ( read original story ...)
Fire engulfs 33-storey South Korea tower block
Firefighters in South Korea have brought a devastating fire in a tower block under control. The fire broke out between the 8th and 12th floors of the Samhwan Art Nouveau commercial and residential ... ( read original story ...)
‘Ghost island’ Phuket hunkers down in tourist-free Thailand
Phuket's go-go dancers sit playing on their phones in empty bars lining deserted streets as the Thai tourist island reels from the ravages of the pandemic with little sign of any recovery soon. ( read original story ...)
US man avoids jail in Thailand over bad resort review
A US man in Thailand who was arrested for writing a negative hotel review will avoid legal action and jail time. Wesley Barnes had posted several reviews allegedly accusing the Sea View Resort of ... ( read original story ...)
Thailand in talks with Russian, Chinese, UK vaccine developers
Thailand was the first country outside China to detect the often deadly virus, but has been largely free of community transmission, with only two known cases since the end of May. As of Friday morning ... ( read original story ...)
A dissident jailed in Vietnam shares her message: Don’t free me, free my country
But if prison is inevitable for freedom fighters, if prison can serve a pre-determined purpose, then we should happily accept it.” “I don’t want freedom for just myself; that’s too easy,” she wrote. ( read original story ...)
The Philippines’ Biggest IPO Since 2016 Raises $523 Million
Converge Information and Communications Technology Solutions Inc. and its shareholders has raised 25.3 billion pesos ($523 million) after pricing its Philippines initial public offering near the low ... ( read original story ...)