Asia
Saigon Sentinel · Section
Coverage of East and Southeast Asia — China, Korea, Japan, ASEAN, and regional issues that affect Vietnamese readers.
- World
Eight killed in China fireworks shop explosion ahead of Lunar New Year
BEIJING — An explosion and fire at a fireworks shop in eastern China killed eight people and left two others with minor burns on Sunday, just ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.…
- World
Bangladesh women fear for rights as hardline Islam rises ahead of historic election
DHAKA, Bangladesh – Bangladesh is preparing to hold its first free election in 17 years this coming Thursday, following a violent student-led uprising that ousted the regime of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.…
- World
France launches task force to investigate citizens linked to Jeffrey Epstein scandal
PARIS – Paris prosecutors announced Saturday the formation of a special team of judges to analyze evidence linking French citizens to the sex crimes case of deceased American financier Jeffrey Epstein.…
- World
Prehistoric violence was ritualized brutality rather than random chaos, study finds
ALSACE, France — A new study of Neolithic mass graves is reshaping the understanding of early human conflict, revealing that ancient violence was often a form of ritualized "political theater" used to assert dominance.…
- World
Bangladesh issues first-ever birth certificates to children born in brothels
DAULATDIA, Bangladesh — Approximately 400 children born in the Daulatdia brothel have been issued birth certificates for the first time, marking a significant victory for activists seeking to secure basic rights for some…
- World
Bangladesh Nationalist Party wins landslide, returns to power after 20 years
DHAKA, Bangladesh — The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured a landslide victory in the country’s first general election since a mass uprising toppled the government of Sheikh Hasina, officials announced Sunday.…
- World
US judge orders return of deported Venezuelans to sue Trump administration
WASHINGTON — A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to allow a group of Venezuelans deported to a prison in El Salvador to return to the United States to pursue their legal cases. U.S.…
- World
France investigates Nestle baby formula over suspected link to three infant deaths
PARIS — French authorities are investigating whether suspected contaminated infant formula is linked to the deaths of three newborns.…
- World
New study shows ancient ‘Snowball Earth’ was not entirely frozen over
GLASGOW, Scotland — Earth’s climate system did not completely shut down during the planet's most extreme ice age, according to new research from the University of Southampton.…
- World
Two Australian teenagers die from poisoned alcohol in Laos; culprit fined just $185
CANBERRA, Australia — The families of two Melbourne teenagers who died from methanol poisoning in Laos expressed shock after learning that staff involved in serving the lethal drinks were fined only $185.…
- World
Iran issues ultimatum to prisoners' families: Join state rallies or face consequences
Iranian authorities are coercing the families of detained protesters into participating in pro-government rallies, threatening that their imprisoned relatives will face consequences if they do not comply, human rights or…
- World
Chilean court acquits officer who blinded protester, raising human rights concerns
SANTIAGO, Chile — A court in Santiago has unanimously acquitted a police lieutenant colonel of charges that he shot and blinded a student during the country’s 2019 mass protests. Judges cleared Lt. Col.…
- World
Smartwatch data cited as evidence in rape case against Norwegian Crown Princess’s son
OSLO — A second woman testified Tuesday in the trial of Marius Borg Høiby, accusing the son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit of raping her while she was asleep.…
- World
UN report: ISIL failed in five plots to assassinate Syrian President Assad
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and two senior ministers survived five assassination attempts by ISIL over the past year, according to a United Nations report released Wednesday.…
- World
Sudan drone strike kills at least 24 civilians, including eight children
KHARTOUM, Sudan — A drone attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces killed at least 24 people, including eight children, when it struck a vehicle carrying displaced families in central Sudan on Saturday, according …
- World
Severe heatwave threatens Malaysia’s rice harvest, sparking fears of potential shortages
ALOR SETAR, Malaysia — Scorching temperatures are battering rice crops across the Malaysian states of Kedah and Perlis, sparking concerns of a significant drop in harvest yields as water levels plummet.…
- World
Canada strengthens Vietnam ties in strategic push for Asia energy and minerals
OTTAWA – Canada is intensifying its trade diversification strategy across Asia, positioning itself as an “energy superpower” capable of meeting the region's surging demand for resources, government officials said.…
- World
Palestinians in Israel strike to protest government inaction over rampant crime
JERUSALEM — Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem this week to demand action against a wave of organized crime and government indifference currently localizing in Israel’s Palestin…
- World
Sydney police accused of using force against pro-Palestine protesters
SYDNEY (AP) — Members of Australia’s Labor Party are condemning a police crackdown on protesters during Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Sydney, accusing New South Wales authorities of a "terrible erosion of civ…
- World
World’s most common ocean bacteria has ‘Achilles heel’ against climate change
LOS ANGELES — The world’s most abundant group of marine bacteria is far more vulnerable to environmental shifts than previously understood, according to a study published in Nature Microbiology.…