The United States routinely sends warships to the South China Sea and to the Taiwan Strait under the pretext of freedom of navigation missions despite opposition from Beijing, which considers Taiwan a part of its territory.

Ahead of a government meeting, a group of Uighurs sent a letter to New Zealand’s authorities calling on them to declare the situation in the Xingjian region a genocide. “We understand that New Zealand is not a military superpower, or a trade superpower, however, New Zealand is a moral superpower”, read the letter.

The cases sparked evacuations and quarantines in roughly 460 flats across three districts in the special administrative region on late Tuesday after authorities traced contacts linked to the two workers, Chinese media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Five people, including a former lawmaker, died in Myanmar's Bago region as the result of a blast caused by a makeshift explosive device, the state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Wednesday, citing police.

New Zealand Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern, who won parliamentary elections for a second time in 2020, has sparked "Jacindamania" due to her popularity among New Zealanders and many others throughout the world.

Nine of Japan’s 47 prefectural governors recently said the forthcoming Tokyo Olympic Games should be cancelled or postponed due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in the country, according to a recent poll.

When US President Joe Biden boasted on April 21 that the US vaccination campaign was “unmatched in the world,” China was already poised to pass it. Now, China’s vaccination pace is triple that of the US, with nearly twice as many total shots given out.

The report comes in the wake of the start of US efforts to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in order to end the 20-year war. The decision, pushed for by President Joe Biden, met with criticism from some US lawmakers, who suggested, among other things, that Afghan women's rights might suffer as a result.

Despite facing shortages of both food and basic necessities, Bishkek went to great lengths to help to end a civil war in neighbouring Tajikistan. The latter was not an easy task, according to former Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev, who mediated the talks.

Syed Ali, the police superintendent in Lahore’s Cantt area has revealed to the media that an unidentified caller contacted the station, informing officers about the cold-blooded murder. The police officers on duty rushed to the crime scene with forensic experts to collect clues for the case which is now being investigated.

The G7 started out as the G6 in the 1970s when the club included France, Britain, West Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. Canada was later invited to join but the club has since refused entry to new members.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has issued numerous diplomatic protests over what they claim to be the illegal presence of Beijing's maritime militia in the Southeast Asian nation's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - At least five people, including three former police officers and an elected lawmaker, have been killed in a blast in Myanmar's Bago Region, the news portal Myanmar Now reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

Last month, disgraced millionaire Ron Brierley pled guilty to three of 17 charges related to his possession of material containing the sexual abuse of children. He was arrested at Sydney Airport in December 2019.

Since April, Beijing and Manila have been embroiled in a standoff over fishing grounds near South China Sea reefs claimed by both sides.

Supporters of the whistle-blowing website's founder highlighted the hypocrisy of US, British and European Union leaders' pious words on World Press Freedom Day, when they have contributed to Julian Assange's ongoing imprisonment.

BEIJING (Sputnik) - China's newly commissioned nuclear-powered submarine, dubbed the Type 094A, is equipped with ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of 10,000 kilometres (6,200 miles) — the most powerful in the country, the South China Morning Post reported, citing a military source.

Afghanistan will still face dozens of terror organisations and a number of internal problems, but the US withdrawal will also present a "wonderful opportunity" for the Afghan people simply because it will push them to sit down for talks and bridge their gaps.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the relationship between Washington and Beijing is complicated at all levels, which is a cause for unavoidable concern.

A mini album with the same name will be released on 18 May.