Headlines
  • Thirty people have died in a devastating fire at a pub in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, according to reports on Tuesday.
  • Two UAE tankers have been struck in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
  • On Monday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that airstrikes on Iran have started for the third night in a row.
  • On Monday, the UAE Ministry of Defense announced that two Iranian tankers had attacked two national tankers. One Indian crew member was killed and eight others were injured, including four critically, by cruise missiles in the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters.
  • Despite unleashing fresh attacks on Iran and reimposing a blockade of Iranian ports, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that an deal with Tehran to end the Middle East war was still possible.
  • IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said in a statement on Monday that Iran will "continue to exercise our sovereignty and management over the Strait of Hormuz."
  • A constitutional amendment was passed by the Hungarian parliament to oust Orban ally President Tamas Sulyok.

Category: News & Views

February 15, 2025

In North Korea,Rich Women Own Taxis...

Although it isn’t legal for women to obtain drivers’ licenses, it isn’t exactly easy for men to get them either. Only men who are in the military or work in a factory and are approved by the government are eligible to undergo driver training, which can take three to six months to complete.

February 14, 2025

China Expels 1,000 Monks and Nuns...

Chinese authorities have expelled over 1,000 Tibetan monks and nuns from the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in the latest blow to the major center of Tibetan Buddhist learning, sources inside Tibet with knowledge of the situation said.

February 13, 2025

UN Bangladesh Report: Hasina Directed Use...

Bangladesh’s top leaders, including then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, directed large-scale operations where law enforcers fatally shot anti-government protesters despite concerns from senior security officials about excessive use of force, according to a new report by the United Nations.

February 12, 2025

Myanmar Military Torches Nearly 200 Homes...

Myanmar junta forces torched nearly 200 homes in the northwestern region of Sagaing, the latest incident in a campaign to punish communities that support insurgents that has seen more than 100,000 homes burned since a 2021 coup, residents and a monitoring group said on Wednesday.

Malaysian Gay Couples Dream of Saying...

Malaysia remains one of the most difficult places in Southeast Asia for LGBTQ+ individuals, where homosexuality is criminalized under colonial-era laws and further penalized by Sharia courts for Muslims.

February 11, 2025

Harsh Siberian Winter Cripples North Korea

Bitter cold in North Korea has forced schools to close, hospitals go into emergency mode and water supplies to be disrupted as pumps freeze over, residents in the country told Radio Free Asia.

Awami League, Opposition Activists Among Hundreds...

At least 1,600 people, including scores belonging to Bangladesh’s deposed former ruling party, were swept up in a crackdown launched by authorities over the weekend, court documents show, days after protesters destroyed a museum memorializing the country’s founding father.

February 10, 2025

The Secret Jungle Hospital Where Myanmar’s...

The hospital is funded almost entirely by donations. After four years of war, fundraising is becoming more difficult, Yori said. That raises the stakes for the Interim Executive Council, or IEC, the rebel-formed state government trying to simultaneously meet the needs of Kayah citizens.

February 8, 2025

North Korea to Punish People for...

North Korean authorities have threatened to punish citizens who spread “rumors” about the country’s soldiers dying in Russia’s war with Ukraine — and ordered people to snitch on each other about this, residents in the country told Radio Free Asia.

February 7, 2025

Accusations Fly, Damage Control Follows After...

Bangladesh’s interim administration first blamed “provocative remarks” made from hiding by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina  for protesters demolishing a museum to her father – only to later say it was concerned about vandalism and would “strongly resist” it.

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