China's defence minister warned Sunday against establishing NATO-like military alliances in the Asia-Pacific, saying they would plunge the region into a "whirlpool" of conflict.. Li said these alliances would "plunge the Asia-Pacific into a whirlpool of disputes and conflicts".
Tens of thousands gathered on Saturday for the fifth anti-government protest this month in Serbia's capital Belgrade after two back-to-back shootings that killed 18 people, half of them children.. The protests followed the early May mass shootings that left 18 dead and wounded several others.
Since the start of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, Russian pensioner Antonina Zaikina had a bag prepared in case she had to flee her town of Shebekino on the border with Ukraine.. The attacks have come after a dramatic armed incursion from Ukraine and pushed thousands to flee border villages to the regional hub of Belgorod.
Tensions remained high in Senegal on Saturday after fresh overnight clashes brought the death toll to 15 in the two days since a court convicted opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.. "These are difficult times for the Senegal nation that we will overcome," he told TFM. - Arrest looming - Sonko, who was tried in absentia, has yet to be taken into custody for his jail term, which is predicted to cause further tensions.
A senior US diplomat will embark on a rare trip to Beijing Sunday, the government said, as Washington seeks to allay tensions between the rival powers.. In Beijing, Kritenbrink will be joined by National Security Council Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs Sarah Beran to "discuss key issues in the bilateral relationship," according to the statement.
Twenty-year-old Omar Diop didn't take part in the violent demonstrations in Senegal over the jailing of a popular opposition leader, but says he fully understands the young protesters' anger.. Nine people died on Thursday and six more Friday during the protests following the two-year sentence handed out to opposition politician Ousmane Sonko, who may now be ruled out of contesting next year's presidential election.
Police detained at least two performance artists in Hong Kong, according to AFP reporters on Saturday, the eve of the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing.. Hong Kong police have not responded to requests from AFP for information about the Saturday detentions.
One Dane and two Austrian-Iranian citizens released from detention by Tehran arrived in their home countries on Saturday, after the latest in a series of prisoner swaps.. The trio's release, as well as that of a Belgian aid worker a week earlier, were part of a prisoner swap in which Tehran got back an Iranian diplomat convicted and incarcerated in Belgium on terrorism charges.
When India's worst train accident in more than 20 years happened just outside his home, Hiranmay Rath said it felt "like the sky was falling on us or the earth was cracking open".. He was not hurt in the accident, but had to cross the tracks to get back home.
A British drugs kingpin has been extradited home from Thailand to serve a lengthy jail term after spending years on the run, UK police said on Saturday.. He was escorted back to London by specialist UK extradition officers on Thursday and immediately jailed after a brief court appearance, according to the NCA. "Richard Wakeling thought he could avoid facing justice by leaving the UK," NCA regional head of investigations Jacque Beer said.
