Russia and China BFFFF – for the foreseeable future
Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Beijing was a rousing success, according to Russian and Chinese media.
Asian news from North Korea
North Korea's Kim seeks to shore up nuclear force, oversees missile test, KCNA says
SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered accelerated production to strengthen the country's nuclear force more rapidly, on the same day he oversaw a test of tactical ballistic missiles with new guidance system, state media KCNA said on Saturday (May 18).
North Korea fires missile after Kim Jong-un’s sister slams ‘false rumour’ of sending weapons to Russia
North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward waters off its east coast, hours after the outspoken sister of leader Kim Jong-un blasted as “fiction” accusations that her nation was exporting weapons to Russia.
North Korea test-fires a ballistic missile a day after US and South Korea had a fighter jet drill
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast on Friday, South Korea’s military said, a day after South Korea and the U.S. flew powerful fighter jets for a joint drill that the North views as a major security threat.
North Koreans posed as US tech workers to fund nuclear weapons, State Department says
Posing as Americans, North Korean technology workers secured remote work contracts with hundreds of US companies as part of a scheme to help fund Pyongyang’s illicit nuclear weapons and missile programmes, the US government said on Thursday.
Kim’s sister denies North Korea has supplied weapons to Russia
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again denied Friday that her country has exported any weapons to Russia, as she labeled outside speculation on North Korea-Russian arms dealings as “the most absurd paradox.”
US Navy flagship carrier USS Ronald Reagan leaves its Japan home port after nearly 9 years
YOKOSUKA, Japan (AP) — A U.S. Navy strike group’s flagship aircraft carrier left its Japanese home port on Thursday, wrapping up nearly nine years of deployment in the Indo-Pacific, where it served a key role in the U.S. effort to bolster defense ties with Japan and other partners in the region.
South Korea’s social media-savvy influencers tap electronic music to fuel youth interest in Buddhism
A South Korean deejay dressed as a Buddhist monk bounced up and down on stage while playing electronic music and shouting: “This too shall pass!” The performance brought cheers from a crowd of thousands at an annual lantern-lighting festival over the weekend to celebrate the Buddha’s birthday.