China’s foreign minister on Friday reiterated Beijing’s opposition to the US deployment of an advanced missile defense system to South Korea, saying the sophisticated technology could be used to target China. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, speaking in Munich, said Beijing has urged the United States to abandon plans to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) to South... 

North Korea’s controversial satellite is “tumbling in orbit,” CBS News reports, citing US officials. Meanwhile, South Korea confirmed that the satellite has been successfully launched into orbit, but could not verify if it is functioning. Experts are yet to validate any signals from the newly launched satellite, but CBS News correspondent David Martin quoted US officials as saying that the satellite... 

Japan’s Sakurajima volcano, situated about 50km from the Sendai nuclear station, has erupted with the country’s meteorological agency issuing an orange warning not to approach it. Residents in the area were evacuated in August last year after an alert for the volcano was raised to its second highest level. When Sakurajima erupted in 1914, it was Japan’s most powerful of the 20th century.... 

The United States has warned that North Korea is preparing to launch a long-range missile, dismissing official statements from Pyongyang to the United Nations that the launch will actually involve a satellite. Satellite imagery has indicated that North Korea is preparing to conduct rocket launches later this month from a test site known as Tongchang-ri. The movement of rocket components at the site... 

A nuclear watchdog group warns that, despite efforts to secure nuclear material, nations are still vulnerable to theft, as well as acts of sabotage or cyberattacks, which could enable terrorists to obtain nuclear materials or trigger a dangerous meltdown. Twenty-four states “still have one kilogram (2.2 pounds) or more of weapons-usable nuclear materials…[and] nearly 2,000 metric tons (4.4 million... 

China has managed to complete the construction of the world’s second tallest high rise in Shanghai. It took six years of construction for the 632-meter-tall Shanghai Tower to be completed. The Shanghai Tower pushed Chicago’s 442-meter Willis Tower out of the Top 10 list for the first time since it was completed in 1974. The tower broke ground back in 2008, as the third tower in the trio of skyscrapers... 

Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Lassina Zerbo stated that CTBTO monitoring stations picked up an “unusual seismic event” in the DPRK’s nuclear test site area and experts are currently conducting tests to establish the nature of the recent explosion. “North Korea: the explosion was not sufficiently powerful to call it a hydrogen... 

South Korea says it will restart propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along the border with the North, following Pyongyang’s claimed hydrogen bomb test. The broadcasts will restart on Friday, South Korea’s presidential office says, calling the North’s bomb test a “grave violation” of an agreement in August between the two Koreas, which had aimed to ease tensions. At that... 

North Korea tested a hydrogen bomb, which, according to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, ended successfully. Many Chinese people could feel the consequences of the tests of the North Korean hydrogen bomb. The test triggered an earthquake in China. Residents of several Chinese settlements had to be urgently evacuated. The magnitude of the earthquake made up 5.1 on Richter scale. “The North Korean... 

A man walks past ice sculptures at a park before the opening ceremony of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, China’s northeastern Heilongjiang province, on January 4, 2016. The legendary Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival has kicked off in China where over a million people are expected to visit the gigantic ice structures displayed in ethereal lights. The... 

North Korea has announced that it has successfully tested a miniaturized hydrogen bomb following an “artificial seismic event” that has likely become the country’s fourth known nuclear test. In a “special and important” announcement at noon, North Korean TV claimed that the country has successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test at 10:00am local time. “Through the test conducted with indigenous... 

China unveiled three new units to its military: a force to oversee strategic missiles, an army general command and strategic support force, Chinese state media reported. President Xi Jinping described the modernization reform as “a major policy decision to realize the Chinese dream of a strong army.” The new units, along with the building of a second aircraft carrier, come at a time when... 

Trading was suspended on Chinese markets after stocks tumbled 7 percent in the first trading of the year, triggering the new “circuit breaker” system limiting volatility, which was introduced in December. The fall from Asia led to a slump in European stocks as well. The 15-minute suspension happened about 90 minutes before market’s regular closure and followed a brief 15-minute halt early in... 

The world’s biggest e-commerce firm Alibaba is interested in a suggestion from President Putin to create a platform that would help Russian companies export abroad. “We have seen the initiative of President Putin to create an electronic platform that would help Russian small and medium enterprises to enter export markets. And we hope very much that we can contribute to its implementation,”... 

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is starting 2016 with the goal of winning the trust of investors, sellers and buyers. The company plans to crack down on unauthorized merchandise sold on its platform. Alibaba is highly dependent on its home market which generates more than 80 percent of the company’s revenue. But with pressure from the slowing Chinese economy, the company set a strategy for international...