KUALA LUMPUR -- Thailand and Cambodia are urged to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps towards the cessation of all forms of hostilities, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said on Monday following the Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting convened to address the ongoing conflict.
The meeting called on both countries to restore mutual trust and confidence, and to return to dialogue, including through bilateral mechanisms, according to a statement issued by the ministry after the meeting. (Thailand-Cambodia)
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CARACAS -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has sent a letter to heads of state of countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region, denouncing the escalation of U.S. aggressions against Venezuela and their impact on the region, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said Monday.
"I am writing to alert you to an escalation of extremely serious aggressions by the government of the United States of America, whose effects transcend my country," Gil said as he read the letter at the Venezuelan foreign ministry headquarters.
The letter recounts events since August, when the United States "ordered the largest naval and air deployment in the Caribbean Sea," including a nuclear submarine, as part of a purported anti-drug operation. (Venezuela-U.S.-Caribbean)
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SEOUL -- South Korea's parliament on Monday launched its 40-day investigation into a passenger jet crash in late 2024, according to Yonhap news agency.
The National Assembly's special investigation committee held its first meeting to launch its inquiry into the case of the Jeju Air passenger jet that belly-landed and crashed at the Muan International Airport, around 290 km southwest of the capital Seoul, on Dec. 29, 2024.
Four crew members and 175 passengers on board were killed, while two crew members were seriously injured. (South Korea-Air Crash-Parliamentary probe)
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CANBERRA -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday issued an apology to the nation's Jewish community following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach as he announced new laws that will target hate speech.
Albanese said at a press conference in Canberra on Monday afternoon that he feels the "weight of responsibility" for the fatal shooting of 15 people at an event celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Dec. 14.
"I'm sorry for what the Jewish community and our nation as a whole have experienced," he said. (Australia-Shooting)
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TOKYO -- A Japanese H3 rocket failed to place the satellite "Michibiki No. 5" into its intended orbit after liftoff on Monday, the science ministry said.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched its eighth H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 10:51 a.m. local time, but the second-stage engine "experienced a premature end of engine burn," according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which set up a task force the same day. (Japan-H3-Failure) Enditem
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