China launches sea trial of its largest-ever aircraft carrier

State media announced on Wednesday that China has initiated sea trials for its third and most technologically advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian.

A Myanmar rebel faction has pulled back its forces from a town located along the Thailand border. This withdrawal follows a counterattack by soldiers belonging to the ruling junta, from whom the rebels had recently seized control of a crucial trading post.

Asia was the world`s most disaster-hit region from climate and weather hazards in last year, the United Nations said today, with floods and storms the chief cause of casualties and economic losses.

China has urged all warring parties in Myanmar to halt hostilities and begin peace talks after escalating clashes saw the military regime lose more territory including another major border town last week.

Myanmar`s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been transferred from prison to house arrest, according to a spokesperson for the military regime.

A rocket attack orchestrated by anti-coup fighters in Myanmar has resulted in the loss of four lives and left a dozen individuals injured, including cadets hailing from the military`s prestigious officer academy. 

During his visit to Beijing on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov affirmed that Russia and China would continue their collaboration in combating terrorism, underscoring the deepening ties between the two nations.

Nearly seven years after the Myanmar military killed thousands of Muslim Rohingyas, in what the UN called "textbook ethnic cleansing", it wants their help.

China’s military announced that it would conduct air and sea patrols in the South China Sea, where the United States along with the Philippines, Japan and Australia are holding joint naval exercises.

According to a United Nations agency, Myanmar endured a staggering toll of 1,052 civilian casualties attributed to landmines and other explosive devices over the course of the last year.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has congratulated Bangladeshis on 53 years of the South Asian country’s independence from Pakistan.

Reports from local media indicate that military airstrikes in western Myanmar have claimed the lives of at least 25 members of the Rohingya people, including children.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is alarmed by reports that military airstrikes in Myanmar, including on Monday in Minbya township, have killed and injured many civilians, a UN spokesperson said.

Malaysia`s Premier Anwar Ibrahim defended his country`s relationship with China on Monday, expressing dissatisfaction with perceived pressure from the United States and its allies for regional nations to pick sides in the ongoing strategic rivalries with Beijing. 

China has expressed its appreciation for the robust historical ties with Russia and has called for an enhanced collaborative effort on matters of security, stability, and development in the Asia-Pacific region.

The military junta in Myanmar has implemented compulsory military service for all young men and women, according to state media reports on Saturday. This move comes as the junta grapples with armed rebel forces seeking increased autonomy in various regions of the country.