Armed attackers strike Thailand wildlife sanctuary, abduct four staff members

SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - A group of about 20 armed assailants launched an attack on the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand's southern Narathiwat province on Saturday. The attackers set fire to four buildings, including the sanctuary's office and tourist bungalows, detonated explosives, and kidnapped four staff members. Attapon Charoenchansa, director of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, reported that the black-clad, masked individuals c

September 23, 2024

Biden urges doing everything to avoid escalating Middle East tensions

SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - U.S. President Biden announced on Sunday that the U.S. is working to prevent a broader conflict in the Middle East. "We're doing everything we can to keep a wider war from breaking out," Biden said, addressing concerns about rising tensions in the region. Biden's remarks followed a surge in violence between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group in Lebanon. On Saturday, Lebanon's health minister, Firass Abiad, reported that more than

September 23, 2024

Gulf states pour billions into Silicon Valley AI startups

SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - Sovereign wealth funds from the Middle East, especially from oil-rich nations like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar, are increasingly investing in Silicon Valley's top AI companies as part of efforts to diversify their economies. According to Pitchbook, their funding for AI companies has surged fivefold in the past year. The UAE's AI fund MGX is one of the latest investors in OpenAI's funding round, expected to value the company at $15

September 23, 2024

Indian government issues final warning to Maoist rebels

SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - Indian authorities have warned that they will launch a full-scale attack if Maoist communist rebels holed up in the central jungle region refuse to surrender. According to news sources on Monday, Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah visited Chhattisgarh state in central India and addressed the communist rebels, urging them to join mainstream society. He called on the rebels to surrender and lay down their weapons. Otherwise, the government would begi

September 23, 2024

Viet Nam's VinFast reports widening losses despite revenue growth in second quarter

SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - Viet Nam's major electric vehicle manufacturer VinFast reported a 27 percent increase in net losses to $773.5 million in the second quarter of 2024, despite a 33 percent rise in revenue to $357 million. The company attributed the expanding losses primarily to impairment charges on inventory residual values, which surged to $104 million from $5 million in the previous quarter. Vehicle deliveries grew 43 percent year-on-year to 13,172 units, falling

September 23, 2024

India to triple nuclear power capacity by 2032

SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - The Indian government plans to triple its nuclear power generation capacity to 22.4 gigawatts by 2032, according to recent news sources. The Indian government has set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2070, positioning nuclear power as a key energy source. India will gradually increase its nuclear power capacity from 7.4 gigawatts to 13 gigawatts by 2029 and to 22.4 gigawatts by 2032. To support this, the government is seeking to attract about $

September 23, 2024

Japan admits destroyer entered Chinese waters, relieves captain

SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - Japan has acknowledged that one of its Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) destroyers unintentionally entered Chinese territorial waters in July, diplomatic sources revealed on Sunday. The incident, which occurred during a monitoring mission of Chinese military exercises, led to the dismissal of the ship's captain. The destroyer Suzutsuki reportedly sailed for about 20 minutes within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) of China's Zhejiang Province co

September 23, 2024

China's maternal and child health indicators show continued improvement

SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - China's key maternal and child health indicators have steadily improved in recent years, now ranking among the top in middle- and high-income countries, according to the Third China Maternal and Child Health Academic Conference held in Hainan Province over the last weekend. Liang Xiaofeng, vice president of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association said that national maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, and mortality rate of children un

September 23, 2024

Heavy rain in quake-hit Japan leaves 6 dead, 10 missing

SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - At least six people have died and 10 remain missing after torrential rains lashed Japan's Noto region in Ishikawa Prefecture, an area still reeling from a powerful New Year's Day earthquake, officials said on Sunday. The deluge triggered flooding in nearly two dozen rivers and caused landslides. In the coastal cities of Wajima and Suzu, located in the Noto Peninsula, rainfall reached about 500 millimeters and 400 millimeters respectively over a 48

September 23, 2024

China, Russia conduct joint naval exercises

SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - The China-Russia joint naval exercise, Northern/Interaction-2024, has progressed to its second phase last week. This stage involves live-fire drills in East Sea, as reported by Russia's Defense Ministry. The exercise, coinciding with a separate China-Russia coast guard operation, underscores the strong security and defense partnership between the two nations. The second phase commenced with an opening ceremony at a Russian naval base last Saturday. Ch

September 23, 2024