Asia & Pacific

Nissan Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., two of the world’s largest automakers, could be eyeing a merger, but the companies remain tight-lipped. On Dec. 17, the Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported that Nissan and Honda were in talks to set up a holding company together. In a translated letter distributed to shareholders on Dec. 18, […]

TOKYO—A Japanese space startup said its second attempt to launch a rocket carrying satellites into orbit had been aborted minutes after liftoff Wednesday and destroyed itself again, nine months after the company’s first launch attempt ended in an explosion. Space One’s Kairos No. 2 rocket lifted off from a coastal site in the mountainous prefecture […]

NEW DELHI—Elon Musk said Starlink satellite internet is inactive in India, his first comments since authorities seized two of the company’s devices in recent weeks, one in an armed conflict zone and another in a drug smuggling bust. Starlink is seeking approval in India to provide satellite broadband services and the Musk-owned company is trying […]

GIANYAR, Indonesia—An elephant that lived at the zoo on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali was found dead on Tuesday after being swept away by a strong river current. Molly, a 45-year-old female Sumatran elephant was one of two being guided by a mahout to a holding area outside of the zoo grounds through a river […]

President-elect Donald Trump has unveiled his pick for U.S. ambassador to Japan, alongside a slate of other diplomatic appointments. George Glass, a businessman and former investment banker who served as Ambassador to Portugal during the first Trump administration, is Trump’s choice for chief diplomat to Japan—one of the country’s most important ambassadorships. Trump made the […]

Zakir Hussain, renowned as one of the world’s greatest tabla players, has passed away at the age of 73 in San Francisco. The legendary Indian musician, celebrated for his “dancing fingers,” died due to complications from chronic lung disease, according to a statement from his family. A four-time Grammy Award winner and recipient of the […]

The family of a Tennessee pharmacist, who was allegedly murdered by her husband during their honeymoon in Fiji, decided to cremate her in the South Pacific because of the damage to her body, their attorney revealed Thursday. Christe Chen, 36, died earlier this month while honeymooning in Turtle Island, a luxury private island retreat in […]

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck just off the coast of Vanuatu on Tuesday, causing widespread destruction in the South Pacific island nation as the injured began arriving at a hospital and unconfirmed reports of casualties emerged. A tsunami warning was called off less than two hours after the quake. With communications still […]

The Pentagon is spending $10 billion to bolster defense at Guam in case it becomes a target for China’s ballistic missiles. But would China’s hypersonic glide vehicle warhead be able to bypass Guam’s defense systems? Rick Fisher, senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, weighs in.  

WELLINGTON—Seven tourists including four Australians were hospitalized in a suspected case of alcohol poisoning at a resort in Fiji, the Australian and Fijian governments said on Monday. The tourists became ill after drinking a cocktail at the Warwick Fiji resort on the south coast of Viti Levu island, Fiji’s government said in a statement. “This […]

MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte—France used ships and military aircraft to rush rescuers and supplies to Mayotte on Monday after the tiny French island territory off Africa was battered by its worst cyclone in nearly a century. Authorities fear hundreds and possibly thousands of people have died. Survivors wandered through streets littered with debris, searching for water and […]

SEOUL—South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Monday began reviewing the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 3 martial law attempt, while investigators said they plan to question him this week. All six current justices of the court will attend the first meeting over the impeachment, which the opposition-led parliament passed on Saturday. The […]

SEOUL—South Korea’s acting president, Han Duck-soo, moved on Sunday to reassure the country’s allies and calm financial markets a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached and suspended from his duties over a martial law attempt. Han spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden by phone, the White House and Han’s office said. “South Korea […]

Supporters of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold a rally near Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul on Dec. 14 ET, as lawmakers are set to vote for the second time on a motion to impeach him over his failed attempt to impose martial law.

The South Korean president has been impeached by the opposition-led National Assembly, which voted to suspend him from his official duties over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law earlier this month. President Yoon Suk Yeol’s political fate now lies in the hands of the Constitutional Court, which has six months to decide whether to […]

The U.S. Department of Justice says North Koreans are sneaking into U.S. tech companies to steal technology, while getting paid. It’s offering a $5 million reward for anyone with information.

South Korea’s ruling party backed the impeachment of the country’s leader, Yoon Suk Yeol. Retired Colonel John Mills, a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy and former Department of Defense official, joined NTD to discuss.