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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio poses for a photo with Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun. (Reuters/File photo Republic of Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday as the longtime allies grappled with delayed Korean investments in the US and Seoul’s role in Middle East security. US President Donald Trump has criticised Seoul in recent weeks over what he described as a lack of South Korean support for US efforts to pressure Iran. The two countries have also yet to finalise agreements governing $350bn in Korean investments pledged under a trade deal reached last year. Cho explained to Rubio Seoul’s willingness to make a substantive contribution to restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the ministry said in a statement without elaborating. On Seoul’s investment commitments, Rubio stressed their swift execution, the State Department said, while Korea’s foreign ministry said Rubio and Cho agreed to keep communicating to ensure ongoing consultation plans “bear good fruit”. Rubio and Cho also pledged ongoing collaboration across key strategic sectors including semiconductors, the State Department said, while Rubio underscored the need for a fair and transparent business environment for US companies in South Korea. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who is due in the US next week for the UN General Assembly, said on Friday he would not deploy military assets to the Middle East in a way that could draw the country into conflict. However, he said Seoul was reviewing whether to play a greater role in safeguarding navigation in the region.Cho said before leaving Seoul on Thursday that investment plans under its trade deal had been delayed while procedural issues were clarified, without elaborating. Lee told a news conference on Friday that concerns over the commercial viability of the package had become a sticking point in negotiations, although the two sides were nearing an agreement. He said some elements of the package were difficult for Seoul to accept, but the government would continue discussions to ensure any deal protects South Korea’s interests while benefiting both countries and the broader US-South Korea relationship. Seoul committed last year to invest in US manufacturing in return for lowering tariffs on imports from South Korean to 15%.Lee said Seoul had insisted on including a reference to “commercially reasonable” investments in the text of the agreement. North Korea also featured in the talks, amid speculation over a possible summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Rubio and Cho reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearisation of North Korea, the State Department said, while Cho said Seoul would actively support the resumption of talks between Washington and Pyongyang, according to the ministry.President Lee said on Friday it was possible for a summit meeting between Kim and Trump to take place in coming months, but it remained uncertain. Source link
Violence flared in the occupied West Bank on Sunday when a suspected Palestinian gunman shot dead an Israeli man, police said, and Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian motorist who the military said was attempting to run them over.The gunman opened fire from his vehicle at Israelis gathered at a spring near the settlement of Neve Tzuf, near Ramallah, according to the Israeli military and police. Medics who arrived at the scene of the shooting said they found a man in a car suffering from critical gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at hospital, police said.The gunman was located a few hours later at a hospital in Ramallah and arrested, police said.Shortly after the shooting, the military said that its forces “eliminated” a Palestinian driver who had attempted a ramming attack on soldiers near the settlement of Ganim, further north in the West Bank. No soldiers were hurt, it said. Reuters was not able to immediately verify the soldiers’ account.It was not clear whether the fatal incidents, on the eve of the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, were connected.Following the incidents, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed security agencies to beef up their forces and carry out arrests and offensive activities in the area.Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the shooting attack but did not claim responsibility for it. Source link
Aspetar, Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, has contributed to the development of the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) newly approved AFC Sports Dentistry Guideline for Dental Health and On-field Management of Dental Emergencies, aimed at strengthening the protection of footballers’ health and wellbeing across Asia.Approved by the AFC Medical Committee, the guidelines provide a practical, evidence-based framework for promoting oral health, preventing and managing orofacial injuries, and improving the on-field response to dental trauma in football. They are intended to serve as a reference for AFC Member Associations and healthcare professionals working with players across the continent.The initiative was led by Dr. Mohammed Alsaey, Director of Sports Dentistry at Aspetar and Chair of the AFC Sports Dentistry Advisory Group, in collaboration with leading sports dentistry specialists from across Asia.Dato’ Dr. Gurcharan Singh, Chairperson of the AFC Medical Committee, said the guidelines marked an important step in advancing athlete healthcare in Asian football. He noted that they provide AFC Member Associations with a practical framework to enhance player welfare, prevent orofacial injuries and promote long-term oral health. He also commended the AFC Sports Dentistry Advisory Group for its contribution to the initiative, which he said would benefit football communities across Asia.The guidelines reflect growing recognition of the link between oral health and overall athlete wellbeing. By incorporating dental prevention, screening, emergency preparedness and clinical best practices into football medicine systems, they aim to help teams provide more consistent and timely care for players.Dr. Alsaey said good oral health was fundamental to athletes’ wellbeing, performance and long-term health, describing the approval of the guidelines as an important milestone for sports dentistry and Asian football. He said the collaborative initiative brought together experts from across the continent to establish clear, evidence-based recommendations for dental care in football.He added that strengthening prevention, education and clinical best practices would help protect players, enhance their wellbeing and raise the standard of care available to footballers at all levels.Aspetar’s contribution reflects its longstanding commitment to advancing specialized sports medicine and translating clinical expertise into practical standards for athletes and sports organizations. Source link
Bangladesh’s hopes of reaching the Asian Games women’s cricket final ended with a 114-run defeat to India in the semi-final at Korogi Sports Park in Japan…
-The United States warned that fighting between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthis could “escalate rapidly” after a missile attack targeted Riyadh for the first time since the Yemen conflict resumed.US President Donald Trump cut short a weekend at Camp David, a secluded presidential complex in rural Maryland, to return unexpectedly to the White House on Saturday.The White House gave no explanation for the early return, which comes as a new threshold was crossed in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who control a large part of Yemen and are fighting government forces backed by a coalition led by Riyadh. Loud explosions rang out on Saturday in the Saudi capital, where AFP journalists saw a fuel tank bearing the logo of oil giant Aramco on fire near the airport. “This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly,” the US State Department warned, adding American citizens outside the Middle East should “seriously reconsider travel to and through the region”.In recent weeks, the Houthis’ lightning offensive seizing swathes of Yemeni territory has left hundreds dead and, according to the UN refugee agency, displaced more than 110,000 people. ‘Thwarted’-The violence has already disrupted exports from Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading supplier of crude oil, as well as maritime traffic.The United States, according to US news platform Axios, last week refused a Saudi request to strike the Houthis, but Washington has since approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets.On Sunday, US Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in a rare visit to Cairo.Sisi stressed “the paramount importance of settling regional crises through political and diplomatic tracks,” according to a presidency statement. The visit came days after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was also in the Egyptian capital, where he and Sisi urged safe and secure navigation through Bab al-Mandab, after the Houthis seized the Yemeni coast. The Bab al-Mandab strait is a Red Sea waterway that is crucial to energy flows and global shipping and which has become even more strategic since Iran imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.Condemning the Houthis’ latest attacks, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the broadcaster NTV that his country had had discussions with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, partners in a mutual defence pact, about possible assistance. “In this regard, military needs, especially in state technical matters, may happen. There would be no problem in meeting this demand either,” he said.Saudi Arabia meanwhile has scrambled to contain the fallout of the Houthis’ attacks on its territory. On Sunday, the attack on Riyadh was not mentioned in several major Saudi papers, even though hours beforehand, the Riyadh-led coalition had confirmed that a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis was “successfully intercepted and destroyed”. The coalition added that the pro-Iranian fighters had tried to target “civilians and civilian infrastructure” in several cities in the west of the kingdom, including the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, an important export hub for Saudi oil.It said these attacks were thwarted by the Gulf monarchy’s air defences.Saudi Arabia has responded with scores of airstrikes on Houthi-held areas but has failed to stop the fighters’ advance.Claiming responsibility for the attack, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said fighters had carried out “two successful military operations using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones”.”The first targeted sensitive sites in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and the second targeted Aramco facilities in Yanbu.” – Lightning offensive – This is the first time since Yemen’s civil war resumed that strikes have threatened the Saudi capital, piling further pressure on a global economy already rocked by seven months of war between the US and Iran. Iran’s top negotiator said Tehran had conveyed to the US through mediators its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which it has blockaded throughout the Middle East war.The Middle East war began in February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which responded with retaliatory attacks on countries around the region.Iran-backed groups also got involved, with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen carrying out attacks against their foes. While conflict in Yemen predates the Middle East war, the recent escalation in the country — one of the world’s poorest — has turned it into the most active front of the wider violence.A fragile truce reached in 2022 collapsed in July, and the Houthis went on an all-out offensive against the internationally recognised government this month. Source link
Qatar opened its medal account at the 20th Asian Games, Aichi-Nagoya 2026, on Sunday as Abdulrahman Moustafa claimed the silver medal in the men’s 60kg kumite event.Moustafa finished second after losing 8-0 to Kuwait’s Abdullah Shaaban in the final.The Qatari fighter produced a strong campaign on his way to the final, opening with a 4-1 victory over Uzbekistan’s Makhruddin Torakhonov in the round of 16. He then defeated Vietnam’s Chu Van Duc 10-4 in the quarterfinals before overcoming Malaysia’s Harry Sankar Surya Sankar 7-1 in the semifinals.Moustafa controlled the semifinal from the outset, securing a convincing victory to book his place in the final against Shaaban.The silver adds to Moustafa’s recent continental success. He won gold in the men’s Under-21 -60kg kumite event at the 24th Asian Karate Championships for Cadets, Juniors and Under-21 athletes in Amman, Jordan, earlier this month. Source link
Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said on Sunday it had recovered more victims from the wreck of a passenger ship that capsized and sunk in the Java Sea last weekend.It was not immediately clear how many victims were recovered from the ship on Sunday. Source link
England’s Test Cricket coach Stephen Fleming (L) and England’s white ball coach Kevin Pietersen (R) chat on the balcony after the third Twenty20 (T20) international cricket…
Taiwan’s labour minister left on Sunday for China to attend an APEC event, the first ministerial-level visit of President Lai Ching-te’s administration at a time when Beijing has ramped up military and political pressure against Taipei.The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group is one of the few international bodies that Chinese-claimed Taiwan belongs to, and China is the host nation this year, with a leaders summit scheduled for November in Shenzhen. China has rejected repeated offers of talks by Lai, saying he is a “separatist”, and its military operates around Taiwan on an almost daily basis. Lai says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future. The labour ministry confirmed that minister Hung Sun-han had left for China, where he will attend an APEC human resources ministerial meeting in the eastern city of Nanjing. The ministry did not offer further details, and Hung did not speak to reporters at the airport in Taiwan when he left, according to images shown on Taiwanese media. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Hung was previously a lawmaker for Lai’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party and an outspoken advocate on issues like human rights in Hong Kong and Tibet. Taiwan takes part in APEC under the name “Chinese Taipei”, which it also uses for the Olympics, though China typically uses the expression “China Taipei”, despite the objections of Taiwan’s government. Lower level Taiwanese officials have already attended other APEC events in China, which views Taiwan as one of its provinces and not a country. Taiwan’s president does not attend the leaders summit to avoid political problems, instead sending either former officials or business leaders, like Morris Chang, the founder of chip giant TSMC.Taiwan has yet to announce who will attend the Shenzhen summit. Source link
Myanmar's Wai Khin Hnin on Sunday became the first Asian Games gold medallist in teqball, an acrobatic football-table tennis hybrid making its debut at this year's event in Japan.Watched by Barcelona and Spain football legend Carles Puyol, Wai Khin Hnin beat Indonesia's Sumaya, who goes by one name, 2-1 in the final to capture the inaugural women's singles title. Teqball was invented 14 years ago in a garage in Hungary and features players kicking a ball over a curved table, incorporating elements of the southeast Asian sport sepak takraw.The sport has grown quickly and featured at the 2023 European Games. Wai Khin Hnin lost the first set of the final but came back to win 10-12, 12-8, 12-9 and claim gold. ‘I'm delighted, I'm thankful to my head coach for believing in me and selecting me to play in the women's singles. I believed that I could do it,’ she said.’My next goal is to win the gold medal for Myanmar at the 2027 SEA Games.’ The competition has seen a diverse range of players vying to become the Asian Games' first teqball medallists.The Philippines men's team featured three 14-year-olds including Prince Agustin, who lost in the singles bronze-medal match.Japan were represented by Takahiro Nodomi, who also works as a comedian. ‘I played football until high school, gave up, started teqball in my late 30s, and made it to this big stage at 40,’ he said.’If the message that 'even old guys can work hard' reached everyone, then I feel I was able to release some 'old guy power'.’Indonesia's Husni Uba represented his country in sepak takraw at four previous Asian Games. ‘After I was done with the sepak takraw competition at the 2018 Asian Games I didn't expect to be back again, especially for teqball,’ said the 44-year-old. Source link