London CNN — Duangphet Phromthep, one of the 12 boys rescued from a flooded Thai cave after a weekslong operation that drew global attention in 2018, has died in the UK, British and Thai officials announced Wednesday. Phromthep, who was enrolled in a soccer academy in Leicestershire, England, died after being rushed to hospital on … Read more
CNN — Separatist fighters in Indonesia’s restive Papua region have released a series of images showing a pilot from New Zealand who was taken hostage more than a week ago. The photos released on Tuesday show the pilot, identified by local police as Philip Mehrtens, standing fully clothed and apparently uninjured among a group of … Read more
Hong Kong CNN — In the years before Covid, China was the world’s most important source of international travelers. Its 155 million tourists spent more than a quarter of a trillion dollars beyond its borders in 2019. That largesse fell precipitously over the past three years as the country essentially closed its borders. But, as … Read more
CNN — The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has called on Myanmar’s ruling military junta to release all political prisoners, including deposed State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and former President Win Myint, in its first resolution passed on the Southeast Asian country since its independence. UNSC Resolution 2669 on Myanmar expressed “deep concern at … Read more
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday he supports plans to scale back the presence of troops in the eastern region of Papua, where the country’s military has been accused of human rights abuses in tackling a long-running independence movement. Jokowi, as the president is known, said “the reduction of military troops in Papua is … Read more
CNN — An earthquake of 6.1 magnitude hit Indonesia’s West Java province on Saturday, the country’s geophysics agency BMKG said. According to the BMKG, the epicenter of the earthquake was on land and there is no potential for a tsunami. One person was injured while four houses and a school were damaged in the town … Read more
The United States on Tuesday said it was deeply concerned by Cambodia’s arrest of union leader Chhim Sithar and called for her release and that of other detained trade unionists. The State Department said Sithar, whose union has been in a year-long dispute with the NagaWorld casino, was arrested after returning to Cambodia from a … Read more
Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday, capping a three-decade political journey from a protege of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad to protest leader, a prisoner convicted of sodomy, and opposition leader. His appointment ends five days of unprecedented post-election crisis, but could usher in a new instability with his rival, former … Read more
CNN — The number of people killed by a 5.6-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia’s West Java province has risen to 162, according to its governor. Some 326 people have also been injured, with varying degrees of severity, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said at a news conference. The quake hit the Cianjur region in West Java … Read more
Bangkok, Thailand CNN — Chinese leader Xi Jinping has stressed the need to reject confrontation in Asia, warning against the risk of cold war tensions, as leaders gather for the last of three world summits hosted in the region this month. Xi began the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit in Bangkok by staking out … Read more