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North Korea is the most restrictive country in the world, with the government tightening control over its citizens, inte...
13/09/2025

North Korea is the most restrictive country in the world, with the government tightening control over its citizens, intensifying surveillance and unleashing torrents of propaganda, according to a sweeping United Nations report released on Friday.

The 14-page report, published by the U.N.’s Human Rights Office, covers developments in the country since 2014 and draws detail from interviews with more than 300 witnesses and victims who had left the country.

Interviewees said that government control had seeped into “all parts of life,” the report said.

“To block the people’s eyes and ears, they strengthened the crackdowns. It was a form of control aimed at eliminating even the smallest signs of dissatisfaction or complaint,” one escapee said, according to the report.

12/09/2025

Nepal’s streets have exploded in protest. Thousands of young people, angered by a government ban on social media, are standing up against corruption and inequality.

In Vietnam, Vietnamese youth are watching closely, because Nepal’s story feels eerily familiar.

So why are Vietnamese youth paying attention to what’s happening in Nepal?
Because Nepal’s uprising highlights struggles they know all too well.
Censorship, corruption, unemployment, and the communist party - these challenges echo in both societies.

For Vietnam’s younger generation, Nepal’s story is not only a warning, but also a source of reflection and, perhaps, inspiration.

RFA Perspectives by Truong Son, RFA Vietnamese.

An official from the commission set up by Myanmar’s ruling military junta to oversee upcoming elections said Thursday th...
12/09/2025

An official from the commission set up by Myanmar’s ruling military junta to oversee upcoming elections said Thursday that the results of the widely disputed poll will be available by the end of January.

At a news conference in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital, election officials said that six parties would run for nationwide seats, while another 51 others would compete in individual states or regions. The vote is scheduled to be held in three phases beginning on Dec. 28, with two weeks between each phase, officials said.

These photos show Thursday's press conference as well as a demonstration of the posters and voting machines that officials say will be used in the election. Photos by AFP.

11/09/2025

Lawmakers in Hong Kong on Sept. 10, 2025, rejected a bill that would have granted limited recognition to same-sex partnerships in the city, disappointing backers in the LGBTQ+ community.

The legislation, unveiled by the government in July, would have created a registration system that would allow same-sex couples with unions that are legal in overseas jurisdictions access to rights such as hospital visitation.

11/09/2025

“I've gone through lots of ups and downs, but there’s nothing wrong with my health and my determination,” said Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama as he addressed thousands of devotees. “So whatever the Chinese may say, I have my own karma.”

The Tibetan spiritual leader also said he would live to be 130 years old, speaking through a translator.

On Wednesday, September 10, 2025, Tibetan youth worldwide, Ithaca Namgyal Buddhist Institute and Lhokha (Southern Tibet) Association offered a Long Life Prayer to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama for his continued health and longevity. The ceremonial gathering took place at the Main Temple in Dharamsala, India.

Arriving by golf cart from his residence, the Dalai Lama presided over the well decorated ceremonial gathering attended by thousands of devotees including abbots of religious sects, monks and nuns, administrative leaders, students and general public.

Among 5,000 Tibetan youth registrants across 33 countries, approximately 1,000 traveled in person to join the ritual as a demonstration of respect and appreciation.

Reporting by Dawa Dolma and Tenzin Woser for RFA Tibetan

10/09/2025

The bodyguards of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin were spotted arguing over the air conditioning thermostat ahead of their bilateral in Beijing, on the sidelines of Chinese President Xi Jinping's massive military parade.

Passenger flights began on Tuesday at a $2 billion Chinese-built airport near Phnom Penh that Cambodian officials hope w...
10/09/2025

Passenger flights began on Tuesday at a $2 billion Chinese-built airport near Phnom Penh that Cambodian officials hope will boost the country’s sagging tourism industry.

The inaugural flight, an Air Cambodia plane arriving from China, was welcomed with streams of water from fire trucks.

Sitting about 20 kilometers, or 12 miles, outside the Cambodian capital, the three-runway, 10-square-mile Techo International Airport replaces the nearly 70-year-old Phnom Penh International Airport, which has just one runway. The new airport will be able to handle up to 13 million passengers a year, officials say; the old airport saw nearly 5 million passengers in 2024. Photos by Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP

Devotees take part in the 73rd Bo Min Gaung Memorial Day ceremony in Yangon, Myanmar, on September 8, 2025.Each year, fo...
09/09/2025

Devotees take part in the 73rd Bo Min Gaung Memorial Day ceremony in Yangon, Myanmar, on September 8, 2025.

Each year, followers of the locally renowned wizard Bo Min Gaung gather to honor his legacy on the anniversary of his death in 1952, in hopes of receiving wealth and protection from his spirit.

📸: Sai Aung Main, AFP

Stargazers saw a "Blood Moon" during a total lunar eclipse visible across Asia and swathes of Europe and Africa on Sunda...
08/09/2025

Stargazers saw a "Blood Moon" during a total lunar eclipse visible across Asia and swathes of Europe and Africa on Sunday evening.

The moon appears red during lunar eclipses because the only sunlight reaching it is "reflected and scattered through the Earth's atmosphere", said Ryan Milligan, an astrophysicist at Northern Ireland's Queen's University Belfast.

Blue wavelengths of light are shorter than red ones, so are more easily dispersed as they travel through Earth's atmosphere, he told the AFP news agency.

"That's what gives the moon its red, bloody colour."

Photos by AFP and Reuters.

Captions:

A full moon also known as "Blood Moon" is seen in the night sky in Yangon, during a lunar eclipse, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Sai Aung Main, AFP)

The "Blood Moon" is seen over the roof of Yongdingmen Gate on the night of a total lunar eclipse in Beijing, Sept. 8, 2025. (Maxim Shemetov, Reuters)

Photographers take images of the "Blood Moon" during a total lunar eclipse in Beijing, Sept. 8, 2025. (Maxim Shemetov, Reuters)

The full moon, known as the “Blood Moon”, rises over the West Irian Liberation Monument during a total lunar eclipse in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 8, 2025. (W***y Kurniawan, Reuters)

A man adjusts a telescope to observe the “Blood Moon” during a total lunar eclipse, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 7, 2025. (W***y Kurniawan, Reuters)

A woman poses near a screen displaying the 'Blood Moon' during a total lunar eclipse in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 8, 2025. (W***y Kurniawan, Reuters)

A boy uses binoculars to observe the 'Blood Moon' during a total lunar eclipse in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 7, 2025. (W***y Kurniawan, Reuters)

The son of former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Friday that his mother is suffering from health problems and n...
07/09/2025

The son of former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Friday that his mother is suffering from health problems and needs urgent medical attention, appealing for her release from military custody.

Kim Aris told Reuters that the 80-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate had asked to see a cardiologist about a month ago, but that he wasn’t able to determine if that request had been granted.

“I am extremely worried,” he said, according to Reuters. “There is no way of verifying if she is even alive.”

The House passed the Uyghur Policy Act on Sept. 2, a bill that advances a strategy for the United States to support Uygh...
06/09/2025

The House passed the Uyghur Policy Act on Sept. 2, a bill that advances a strategy for the United States to support Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities enduring persecution at the hands of China’s government.

Sponsored by a bipartisan group led by Rep. Young Kim, a California Republican, and Rep. Ami Bera, a California Democrat, the measure calls on the State Department to oversee Uyghur human rights-related policies and programs that preserve Uyghurs’ ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic identities.

The bill aims to increase accountability for human rights organizations and sets a strategy to close detention facilities and political reeducation camps in China. It also creates reporting mechanisms for Uyghur victims.

“For too long, the Chinese Communist Party has orchestrated the forced sterilization, enslavement, and systematic murder of the Uyghur people,” Kim said in a statement. “The United States cannot sit idly by as innocent families are torn apart, identities are erased, and generations silenced by these atrocious acts of genocide.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un discussed extending their countries’ communication and ...
04/09/2025

Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un discussed extending their countries’ communication and cooperation during in-person talks in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Thursday.

The meeting came a day after the two men appeared with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and other world leaders at a massive military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square that celebrated 80 years since the end of World War II and showcased China’s military might and deepening alliances.

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