Day: March 11, 2023

sydney —  A record-breaking flood in Australia’s Queensland state was forecast to peak on Sunday, after almost 100 residents of an outback town were moved to higher ground. The flood, triggered by heavy rain over the past week, is worst in the remote Gulf Country town of Burketown, about 2,100 kilometers (1,300 miles) northwest of state capital Brisbane. Dan McKinlay, chief executive of the local council responsible for Burketown, said on Sunday that 97 residents had been airlifted out in the past 48 hours. Water levels in the area were…

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA —  North Korea has decided to take “important practical” war deterrence measures, state media reported Sunday, a day before Seoul and Washington begin their largest joint military drills in five years. The decision was made at a meeting of the ruling party’s military commission presided over by leader Kim Jong Un, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). “The meeting discussed and adopted the important practical steps for making more effective, powerful and offensive use of the war deterrent,” KCNA said. The report said the…

TOKYO —  Japan on Saturday marked the 12th anniversary of its massive earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster with a minute of silence, as concerns grew ahead of the planned release of the treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant and the government’s return to nuclear energy. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that ravaged large parts of Japan’s northeastern coast on March 11, 2011, left more than 22,000 people dead, including about 3,700 whose subsequent deaths were linked to the disaster. A moment of silence was observed nationwide…

CAIRO —  The decision by Saudi Arabia and Iran to normalize ties after two years of lengthy discussions and at least five sessions of talks comes at a time of economic and political instability in the Middle East. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said the agreement should have positive consequences. “We reached an understanding of good neighborly relations and respect for the sovereignty of regional states and dealing with all regional threats on the basis of our dialogue,” he said. Saudi Arabia, he added, sees dialogue as the…

WASHINGTON —  Russia is trying to buy “anything, anywhere”—including from Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar to get weapons for its invasion of Ukraine—according to the head of Ukraine’s defense intelligence Kyrylo Budanov. In a recent interview with VOA, the top Ukrainian intelligence official said, “There are certain efforts to buy through third countries. Large-scale withdrawal of weapons. Now they are trying with Myanmar.” The Myanmar junta has denied the accusation. A spokesperson for the Myanmar junta, Major General Zaw Min Tun, told VOA Burmese by phone on Wednesday, “Russia is…

NEW DELHI —  India and Australia aim to expand trade in a critical mineral to help them achieve their goals on reducing carbon emissions, as they seek a broad trade pact, Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said Saturday. “India is short of critical minerals. Australia has a large reserve of critical minerals that go into (electric vehicle) batteries, which isn’t fully processed or manufactured presently,” Goyal told a news conference after meeting Australia’s trade and tourism minister, Don Farrell. Critical minerals, along with space technology and opportunities in the digital…

BEIJING —  After hosting talks at which Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations, China said Saturday it has no hidden motives and isn’t trying to fill any “vacuum” in the Middle East. The agreement announced Friday to reestablish Iran-Saudi ties and reopen embassies after seven years was seen as a major diplomatic victory for China, as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States as reducing its presence in the Middle East. The Foreign Ministry quoted an unidentified spokesperson as saying China “pursues no selfish interest whatsoever” and…