Violent earthquakes rock Southeast Asia
3 weeks ago
Violent earthquakes rock Southeast Asia
A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked the Thai capital, causing buildings to sway and at least one apartment building to collapse. The building was under construction at the time. The U.S. Geological Survey said the Friday midday temblor was a shallow 6.2 miles, with an epicenter in neighboring Myanmar, which is in the middle of a civil war. The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments. Many buildings were evacuated as they swayed in the rare quake.
US defense chief says stronger deterrence needed against China in disputed sea
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that the Trump administration would boost military ties with the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against “threats from the communist Chinese” and ensure freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea. Hegseth’s decision to make the Philippines his first stop in Asia, followed by Japan was the strongest assurance yet that President Trump wants to maintain a security presence in the region. Both the Philippines and Japan are U.S. treaty allies facing territorial disputes with China.
Vance and wife to tour US military post in Greenland
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife will be visiting an American military base in Greenland. The visit on Friday was revised to a one-day visit to the U.S. Space Force outpost, on the northwest coast of Greenland… after an initial three-day trip to the semi-autonomous Danish territory created an uproar by Greenlanders and Danes who were irked that the travel plans were announced without previous consultation. Relations between the U.S. and the Nordic country have been tense, after President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested that the United States should in some form control the mineral-rich territory of Denmark.
Rain and cooler weather help South Korean fire crews
Rain and cooler temperatures are helping South Korean fire crews as they battle the country’s worst-ever wildfires as the governor of the hardest-hit region called for overhauling response strategies to respond to the climate crisis that he says worsened the disaster. South Korea’s Forest Service chief says the wildfires, which have killed 28 people and razed vast swaths of land in the southeast in the last week, were 85% contained as of Friday morning. He said authorities will launch “all-out efforts” to extinguish the remaining blazes by bringing more helicopters and fire fighters to the areas. The raging inferno has also destroyed thousands of houses, factories, vehicles and other structures.
A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked the Thai capital, causing buildings to sway and at least one apartment building to collapse. The building was under construction at the time. The U.S. Geological Survey said the Friday midday temblor was a shallow 6.2 miles, with an epicenter in neighboring Myanmar, which is in the middle of a civil war. The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments. Many buildings were evacuated as they swayed in the rare quake.
US defense chief says stronger deterrence needed against China in disputed sea
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that the Trump administration would boost military ties with the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against “threats from the communist Chinese” and ensure freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea. Hegseth’s decision to make the Philippines his first stop in Asia, followed by Japan was the strongest assurance yet that President Trump wants to maintain a security presence in the region. Both the Philippines and Japan are U.S. treaty allies facing territorial disputes with China.
Vance and wife to tour US military post in Greenland
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife will be visiting an American military base in Greenland. The visit on Friday was revised to a one-day visit to the U.S. Space Force outpost, on the northwest coast of Greenland… after an initial three-day trip to the semi-autonomous Danish territory created an uproar by Greenlanders and Danes who were irked that the travel plans were announced without previous consultation. Relations between the U.S. and the Nordic country have been tense, after President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested that the United States should in some form control the mineral-rich territory of Denmark.
Rain and cooler weather help South Korean fire crews
Rain and cooler temperatures are helping South Korean fire crews as they battle the country’s worst-ever wildfires as the governor of the hardest-hit region called for overhauling response strategies to respond to the climate crisis that he says worsened the disaster. South Korea’s Forest Service chief says the wildfires, which have killed 28 people and razed vast swaths of land in the southeast in the last week, were 85% contained as of Friday morning. He said authorities will launch “all-out efforts” to extinguish the remaining blazes by bringing more helicopters and fire fighters to the areas. The raging inferno has also destroyed thousands of houses, factories, vehicles and other structures.
