U.S., China trade blame as hopes for military dialogue fade

By Chen Lin and Xinghui Kok SINGAPORE (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin rebuked China on Saturday for refusing to hold military talks, leaving the superpowers deadlocked over Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s top security summit, Austin said Beijing’s reluctance to talk undermined efforts…

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South Korea says some countries ignore N.Korea’s unlawful behaviour

By Kanupriya Kapoor and Ju-min Park SINGAPORE (Reuters) – South Korea’s defence minister said on Saturday that some countries were “ignoring North Korea’s unlawful behaviour”, which he said threatens to weaken U.N. sanctions against its missile and nuclear programmes. China and Russia on Friday ignored a U.S. call for the U.N. Security Council to condemn…

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China objects to NATO labelling it a “threat” – embassy

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China “strongly opposes” NATO repeatedly labelling it a threat, China’s embassy to Norway said on Saturday, referring to remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a recent visit to the Scandinavian country. “China urges NATO to stop stirring up regional conflicts and creating divisions and unrest,” the embassy said in a…

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Theatre in democratic Taiwan stages Hong Kong play about Tiananmen square

By Angie Teo and Jessie Pang TAIPEI (Reuters) – A Taiwan theatre is showcasing a Hong Kong play about Tiananmen Square to mark the 34th anniversary of the crackdown in Beijing, saying almost as much about shrinking freedoms in the former British colony as it does about the 1989 bloodshed. Taiwan’s Shinehouse theatre group, with…

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Senegal protesters and police clash again as death toll rises to 10

By Bate Felix, Sofia Christensen and Ngouda Dione DAKAR (Reuters) -One more person was killed in Senegal on Friday, as police and protesters clashed for a second day since the sentencing of opposition politician Ousmane Sonko sparked some of the deadliest violence in recent memory. Nine people died in clashes between police and Sonko supporters…

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US blocks ex-Haitian PM Lamothe from entering country, citing corruption

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – The United States on Friday blocked former Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe from entering the United States over what Secretary of State Antony Blinken said was his “involvement in significant corruption.” “This action renders Lamothe generally ineligible for entry into the United States,” the State Department said. In its statement, the State…

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At least 207 dead, 900 injured in massive train crash in Odisha, India

By Abinaya V and Jatindra Dash BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) -At least 207 people were killed and 900 injured when two passenger trains collided in Odisha on Friday, according to government officials in the eastern Indian state, in India’s deadliest rail accident in over a decade. The death toll is expected to increase, state Chief Secretary…

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Wildfires spread in eastern Canada, forcing evacuations in coastal Quebec

By Allison Lampert and Ismail Shakil MONTREAL (Reuters) – Some 10,000 residents in coastal Quebec were forced to evacuate homes on Friday as wildfires engulf more Canadian provinces, in what is emerging as one of the worst starts to the forest fire season. The mayor of Sept-Iles, a coastal Quebec city, declared a local state…

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