South Korea’s plan to resume border surveillance of North. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s visit to Asia. Deadly earthquake in western Afghanistan. BLACKPINK’s Jennie's new solo single tops Billboard poll.
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.
Indonesia assesses whether its long-delayed Chinese-backed high-speed railway will be worth the cost.
Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly. I'm Chris Casquejo in Washington. That story is just ahead, but first, making headlines:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday during a visit to Israel that the country had the "right" and the "obligation" to defend itself after the Hamas attack. China called for an immediate ceasefire on Wednesday in the conflict without naming the militant group. This came four days after the attack on Gaza.
South Korea’s defense minister said Tuesday that he would pause a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement in order to resume frontline surveillance on rival North Korea. The surprise attack on Israel by Hamas militants raised concerns in Seoul about the possibility of similar assaults by the North.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer cut short his Asia trip to return to the U.S. on Thursday in response to the attack in Israel. During his visit, Schumer met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The bipartisan congressional visit to China aimed at stabilizing ties over trade, Taiwan, and other issues. This was the first visit by US lawmakers since 2019.
Another strong earthquake shook part of western Afghanistan on Wednesday where a quake on Saturday killed more than 2,000 people. The 6.3-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday morning was about 28 kilometers, or 17 miles, outside Herat, the capital of Herat province.
As Indonesia celebrates the launch of its first high-speed railway, the government is dealing with cost overruns and Chinese bank loans with high interest rates. In Jakarta, VOA’s Devianti Faridz has the story.
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I’m Chris Casquejo.
And now, “BLACKPINK in your area.”
Finally, a new solo single by Jennie of BLACKPINK was chosen as the favorite new music release of the week in a Billboard poll.
‘You & Me’ is Jennie’s first release since she made her solo debut in 2018. The song is billed as a ‘special’ single.
Thanks for watching VOA Asia Weekly.
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