Diplomats make hasty exit from China after ‘intimidation’
Lithuania’s diplomatic delegation to China hastily left the country on Wednesday over security fears, according to diplomatic sources, with the embassy disappearing entirely from local online maps….
China reports first two omicron cases as manufacturing hub put in lockdown
China has detected its two first instances of the omicron Covid variant as the country locked down a major manufacturing hub to contain a separate outbreak The…
Pictured: One of world’s largest and rarest blue sapphires — weighing in at 310kg
Ratnapura is known as the gem capital of the South Asian country, which is a leading exporter of sapphires and other precious gems. The country earned around…
Pictured: One of world’s largest and rarest blue sapphires weighing in at 310kg
Ratnapura is known as the gem capital of the South Asian country, which is a leading exporter of sapphires and other precious gems. The country earned around…
China building new hypersonic plane based on prototype rejected by Nasa
Known as the Boeing Manta X-47C program, its viability was being explored but the US government reportedly shelved it in the 2000s because of its high cost…
Why Thailand is the ultimate Christmas escape – and where to stay
Christmas is always a fabulous time to visit Thailand. With hot days and balmy evenings, you can swap wintry British nights for sultry sunsets, eschew roast turkey…
Bus drivers’ brainwaves to be monitored to prevent them falling asleep at the wheel
Chang-hee Cho, bus policy division manager at the provincial government, told Cities Today that the technology, by Hyundai Mobis, would only be tested on a voluntary basis….
Japan to boost army and ‘capability to strike enemy bases’ amid growing tensions with China
Last month, China and Russia flew warplanes together near its airspace, resulting in the scrambling of Japanese fighter jets, while a fleet of five warships from China…
Christmas carols are ‘a deadly weapon’, claim South Korean Buddhists
Christmas carols are “a deadly weapon,” according to a Buddhist association in South Korea that is suing the government to stop it subsidising the playing of the…
Christmas carols are ‘a deadly weapon’ and ‘pollution’: South Korean Buddhists say no to festive songs
Christmas carols are “a deadly weapon,” according to a Buddhist association in South Korea that is suing the government to stop it subsidising the playing of the…
New Covid variant called omicron not Xi to avoid offending Chinese ruler
Officials at the World Health Organisations skipped two letters of the Greek alphabet when naming the latest Covid variant in order to avoid “stigmatising” China, and perhaps…
China’s ‘sophisticated’ military becomes first to fire missile from hypersonic aircraft
The US has been developing hypersonic missiles for years, though US military officials are warning that China, and potentially also Russia, may be pulling ahead. A few…
South Korea orders officers to undergo combat training amid fears women making police soft
But while President Moon Jae-in has reportedly rebuked the police for its failures, he has denied that the presence of more women in the force was the…
Amazing destinations you probably didn’t realise you could reach without flying
Continue on train number 2, the Rossiya, which leaves Moscow for Vladivostok on six-night journeys to the Pacific. A bed in a four-berth sleeper starts at around…
South Korea orders officers to undergo extra training amid fears women making police soft
But while President Moon Jae-in has reportedly rebuked the police for its failures, he has denied that the presence of more women in the force was the…
China accuses critics of trying to ‘maliciously hype up’ Peng Shuai saga
China has branded mounting fears over the safety of Peng Shuai “maliciously hyped up”, accusing its critics of trying to politicise the saga. The country’s foreign ministry…
Century-old royal assassination cold case cracked open after confession letter found at flea market
The documents shed new light on the killing of Empress Myeongseong by Japanese diplomats and military officers – known as “the Eulmi Incident” in Korea – as…
China’s ‘sophisticated’ military becomes first to fire projectile weapon from hypersonic aircraft
The US is putting more than $60 million (£44m) towards developing weapons to protect the country from hypersonic attacks following the news last month that China had…
Japan’s yakuza gangs will be extinct in 50 years, says ex-member amid police crackdown
The numbers speak for themselves. As recently as 2011, there were 70,300 known yakuza, but that figure had fallen to just 25,900 by 2020, according to the…
‘Dead’ Indian man found alive after night in mortuary freezer
An Indian man declared dead after a road accident shocked his relatives when they found him still breathing despite a night in the freezer of a hospital…
A new dawn beckons for the beach ruined by overtourism
“There’s a secret beach – on an island that no one can get to,” whispers a Khao San Road backpacker to a baby-faced Leonardo DiCaprio in the…