Impeached South Korean President Yoon detained. Vietnam and Russia nuclear energy agreement. India’s Maha Kumbh Mela festival. Rice paddies transformed into art.
What is the top news of the week from Asia, the U.S., and around the world? VOA Asia Weekly rounds up the week’s major headlines, along with expert analysis, all in five minutes, produced from Washington, DC.
Millions in China have been affected by Human Metapneumovirus, HMPV. But doctors say that the virus is not as serious as COVID-19.
Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly.
I’m Chris Casquejo in Washington.
That story is coming up, but first, making headlines:
South Korean authorities detained impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol early Wednesday. The move ends a weeks-long standoff. Yoon is accused of insurrection over his martial law decree last month. He is the first sitting South Korean president to be detained. Yoon says the corruption investigation is not legitimate.
“Such repeated illegal actions and coercive procedures based on invalid warrants are deeply deplorable.”
North Korea on Tuesday test-fired multiple missiles toward its eastern waters. It’s the second demonstration this year ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. South Korea’s military says the short-range ballistic missiles were fired from a northern inland area and flew about 250 kilometers.
Vietnam and Russia signed an agreement on nuclear energy Tuesday during a visit from Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to Hanoi. Vietnam wants to restart its nuclear energy program to boost power generation for its growing industrial sector, a driver of its economy.
Indonesia’s government plans to set a minimum age requirement for children to use social media. In the meantime, Jakarta will issue a regulation for digital platforms, including social media companies, to adhere to child protection guidelines that have yet to be outlined. Many parents have expressed support for the proposed law.
Millions of people attended India’s Maha Kumbh Mela Festival, the largest religious gathering on Earth. Thousands of almost naked Hindu men marched toward the Ganges River at sunrise, chanting and bathing in the freezing water to cleanse their sins. The festival is held every 12 years, drawing more than 400 million people from around the world.
China says HMPV infections in the northern part of the country are declining. News of increased respiratory illnesses in China sparked international concerns about another potential pandemic. However, as VOA’s Dora Mekouar reports, medical experts emphasize that HMPV is very different from COVID-19.
Full script here: https://www.voanews.com/a/7939619.html
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I’m Chris Casquejo.
Finally, fields of hope for farmers in Thailand.
A rice farmer transformed more than 2 acres of land into a colorful canvas of murals. Tanyapong Jaikham used rice paddies to create images of a red dragon, dogs and cats after a flood destroyed his farmland.
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