A Tokyo court ruled on Wednesday that a ban on same-sex marriage was constitutional but said the lack of legal protection for same-sex families violated their human rights, which plaintiffs welcomed as a step toward aligning Japan with other G7 nations. Japan is the only G7 nation that does not allow same-sex marriage, and its […]
CNN — A mother of two children whose remains were found in suitcases earlier this year appeared in a New Zealand court Wednesday charged with their murders. The woman, 42, was remanded in custody by the Manukau District Court in Auckland, CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand reported. The court ordered her identity and those of […]
Reuters — Singapore’s parliament on Tuesday decriminalized sex between men, but, in a blow to the LGBT community, also amended the constitution to prevent court challenges that in other countries have led to the legalization of same-sex marriage. The moves come as other parts of Asia, including Taiwan, Thailand and India, are recognizing more rights […]
Seoul, South Korea CNN — The United States and Chinese militaries exchanged harsh words Tuesday after a US Navy warship performed the first freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the South China Sea since the leaders of the two powers met earlier this month in an attempt to ease tensions. In a statement, the Chinese […]
Hong Kong CNN — Hong Kong’s leader said he’ll ask Beijing to determine whether foreign lawyers can work on national security cases in the city, a move with repercussions for the upcoming trial of jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai. The announcement came Monday, hours after the Court of Final Appeal (CFA), the city’s highest […]
CNN — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is planning to build “the world’s most powerful” nuclear force, state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday. The “ultimate goal” behind North Korea’s nuclear program was to possess an “absolute force, unprecedented in the century,” Kim said Saturday as part of an order promoting dozens of military […]
Tainan, Taiwan CNN — Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has resigned as the leader of the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, after her party suffered heavy losses in mid-term elections. The DPP’s losses in Saturday’s vote come as a heavy blow for Tsai as she had tried to frame the election – technically a local affair […]
CNN — Chinese authorities said Saturday they would lift a months-long Covid lockdown in the country’s far western region of Xinjiang “in stages”, following protests over a deadly fire at an apartment building in the regional capital of Urumqi. At least 10 people were killed and nine injured when the fire broke out on Thursday, […]
Polls opened in Taiwan on Saturday in local elections that President Tsai Ing-wen has framed as being about sending a message to the world about the island’s determination to defend its democracy in the face of China’s rising bellicosity. The local elections, for city mayors, county chiefs and local councillors, are ostensibly about domestic issues […]
Changwon, South Korea CNN — With a blinding yellow flash and a concussion that shakes bones, K9 self-propelled howitzers launch artillery shells onto a hill that’s just been hit by rockets fired from helicopters. Then K2 tanks roar in, speeding up roads and firing as they go. This is part of DX Korea, a four-day […]