The United States imposed sanctions on a Russian port service agency and Chinese firms on Wednesday for aiding North Korean ships and selling alcohol and tobacco to North Korea in breach of US sanctions aimed at pressuring it to end its nuclear programmes. The US Treasury said in a statement China-based Dalian Sun Moon Star […]
A senior Chinese delegation will visit the United States for trade talks later this month, the Commerce Ministry announced on Thursday. A statement from the ministry said commerce vice-minister Wang Shouwen would lead the delegation that will meet US Treasury undersecretary David Malpass to discuss “economic and trade issues between China and the US”. The […]
South Korea’s biggest Buddhist denomination ordered its executive head to step down Thursday amid mounting allegations he forged his academic credentials, accumulated vast wealth, and broke his vows of celibacy. The 56-14 vote of no confidence in Seoljeong, president of the Jogye Order, by its central committee is the first in a history that dates […]
The US Treasury announced sanctions on Russian and Chinese companies Wednesday for violating the economic embargo on North Korea as Washington seeks to maintain pressure on Pyongyang over its nuclear programme. The Treasury accused China-based Dalian Sun Moon Star International Logistics Trading Co and its Singapore-based affiliate, SINSMS Pte., of falsifying documents to facilitate shipments […]
The first reunions in years of families divided by the Korean War evoke bittersweet memories for Kim Jong-gyu, whose few hours with her brother in 2014– under the watchful eyes of the North’s agents– were probably their last ever together. “I felt so lucky and so happy to see that my brother was alive,” said […]
Cambodia’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won all 125 parliamentary seats in a national election in July, electoral authorities said on Wednesday as the opposition called the result illegitimate. Within hours of the National Election Committee (NEC) announcement, the United States said it was expanding visa restrictions on individuals responsible for “anti-democratic” actions in the […]
A Malaysian court will decide on Thursday whether to continue hearing a case against two women charged with the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, or acquit them. Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, a Vietnamese, could face the death penalty on charges of murdering Kim Jong Nam […]
A VOLCANO warning on southern Japanese island Kuchinoerabu has been raised to the second highest level, asking residents to prepare to evacuate. The level four warning issued for Kuchinoerabuor Kuchinoerabujimatells residents to prepare to evacuate and is only one step away from mandatory evacuation orders. Kuchinoerabu is located to the south of Japan roughly 1,000km […]
A Chinese drug company produced nearly 500,000 substandard vaccines for babies, roughly double an earlier estimate by authorities investigating a safety scandal, state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday. China’s drug regulator in July accused Changsheng Bio-technology Co Ltd of selling 252,600 doses of ineffective DPT vaccines to inoculate children against diphtheria, whooping cough and […]
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Chinese President Xi Jinping would visit Russia in September, Russian news agencies RIA and Tass reported on Wednesday. Xi will visit eastern Russian city of Vladivostok where he will take part in an economic forum, Putin was quoted as saying. https://www.voanews.com/a/putin-says-china-s-xi-to-visit-russia-in-Sep/4529795.html
Taiwan is still pushing Japan to face the “comfort women” issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Wednesday, although it said that the unveiling of the country’s first “comfort women” statue in Tainan a day earlier has nothing to do with the government. A bronze statue symbolising women forced to work in wartime brothels […]
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte could step down if the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos succeeds in overturning his 2016 vice presidential election defeat, Duterte’s spokesman said on Thursday. Duterte’s single term ends in June 2022 and he has spoken often recently about quitting before that. At two separate events on Tuesday he said he […]
A court in northern Vietnam on Thursday sentenced an activist to 20 years in prison after he was convicted in a one-day trial of attempting to overthrow the state, his lawyer said. The People’s Court in Nghe An province also sentenced Le Dinh Luong, 53, to five years house arrest to be served after his […]
In the mountains of central Vietnam, a colossal pair of hands lifts a golden thread of walkway high above the clifftops, as if the mountain itself has sprouted limbs. “I feel like I’m walking on clouds,” said Vuong Thuy Linh, a tourist from Hanoi. “It’s so unique”. Cau Vang or the “Golden Bridge” in Vietnam’s […]
Seasonal floods have killed three people and threaten to submerge parts of Vietnam’s capital, officials said Tuesday. Two children and a man drowned Monday in Chuong My district, a suburb of Hanoi, where water has overflowed one bank of the Bui River and engulfed several villages, the officials said. On the other side of the […]
China has confirmed the first human case of H7N4 bird flu, prompting Hong Kong to issue a health warning for those travelling to the mainland during the busy Lunar New Year holiday. The strain was identified in a 68-year-old woman from the eastern province of Jiangsu who was admitted to hospital after falling ill on […]
The Zika virus is back in Singapore, almost four months after the last reported case. The latest case was reported last Thursday (18 January), the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in an update on its website published on Tuesday (23 January). The website does not list any Zika cluster. It is the first Zika infection […]
South Korea culled 197,000 chickens at a farm close to the capital city after a new case of avian influenza was discovered, the government said on Wednesday. The government has imposed a 48-hour ban on transporting poultry products in the north of the country, Efe news reported. The affected farm is located in Pocheon, 45 […]
Asia stocks closed lower Thursday, joining a global sell-off on concerns over Turkey’s financial crisis, although losses were capped by news that China and the United States would hold trade talks. Equities across the region suffered steep losses at the opening bell, with Tokyo and Shanghai off by more than one percent, dragged down by […]
Vietnamese travel company’s eco-friendly initiative aimed at cleaning up ocean Hoping for a sea change in how plastic is used and treated in Vietnam, Halong Bay’s leading cruise provider has launched a program aimed at combating one of the world’s greatest environmental concerns. Earlier this month, Paradise Cruises removed plastic straws from all seven of […]
Swick Mining Services (“Swick”) has reached a major milestone by drilling 10 million metres of diamond core, a rare feat for a drilling contractor. The milestone comes after Swick first started drilling diamond core in 2004 with just one mobile underground drill rig at a nickel mine in Kambalda, Western Australia. Since then, the Company […]
Cambodia’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won all 125 parliamentary seats in a national election in July, electoral authorities said on Wednesday as the opposition called the result illegitimate. Within hours of the National Election Committee (NEC) announcement, the United States said it was expanding visa restrictions on individuals responsible for “anti-democratic” actions in the […]
The US government will expand visa restrictions on some Cambodians seen as anti-democratic actors following the country’s July 29 election which Washington labels deeply flawed and “neither free nor fair.” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the US government would expand restrictions on granting US visas to certain Cambodians instituted late last year in response […]
Cambodian leader Hun Sen has swept all seats in parliament after holding an election with no opposition, as the country settles into one-party rule and a government that could face questions of legitimacy on the world stage. The strongman has been in power for 33 years but the vote late last month was widely decried […]
China will send a senior negotiator to the United States in late August to resume trade talks, its commerce ministry said Thursday, the first public meeting on the dispute in weeks as the trade conflict intensifies. Beijing and Washington have slapped tariffs on tens of billions of dollars worth of each other’s goods since they […]
China now appears willing to undertake a major currency devaluation to offset the Trump tariffs on some $250 billion of imports from the country. In the escalating trade war with President Donald Trump, China might be digging in its heels. According to a new report, China now appears willing to undertake a major currency devaluationsimilar […]
Property developer China Evergrande Group on Thursday said it will invest 1.65 billion yuan ($239.53 million) into six high-tech projects by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, including one aimed at building the world’s fastest supercomputer. The other projects involve artificial intelligence, surgical robotics, unpiloted aircraft, health engineering and graphene. Together, the six projects have a […]
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has denounced the Terengganu Syariah Court’s decision on August 12 to sentence two women to six strokes of caning each for attempted lesbian relations because such punishment is humiliating and demeaning. “Such punishment is humiliating, demeaning and an attempt to publicly embarrass the women and their families, which […]
Chinese state-sponsored hackers may be targeting companies and state agencies in Malaysia as it looks to review several major projects linked to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, cybersecurity firm FireEye Inc. said on Wednesday. Malaysian prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who took power after an election win in May, will be in China on […]
TWO women, one from Indonesia and another from Vietnam, will know today whether they will walk free or be required to enter their defence over the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Shah Alam High Court judge Datuk Azmi Ariffin’s decision on Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong will […]
Indonesia’s central bank on Wednesday raised its benchmark interest rate for the fourth time since mid-May to defend the rupiah, which has again come under pressure, partly due to Turkey’s financial crisis. Bank Indonesia (BI) raised its 7-day reverse repurchase rate by 25 basis points to 5.50 percent, as expected by 6 of 19 economists […]
A baby found buried in Jambi led to a six-month sentence for the teen who was raped by her brother Fika* gave birth alone in her room at night. The baby came out alive. According to her testimony, the 15-year-old from Sumatra cut the umbilical cord with a razor and then the baby went limp […]
The main global group for certifying sustainable wood has suspended plans to give its influential endorsement to Indonesian paper giant Sinarmas after revelations it cut down tropical forests and used an opaque corporate structure to hide its activities. The Forest Stewardship Council said Thursday that it had halted a process that could have enabled the […]
What makes a city “liveable”, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)? In its 2018 Global Liveability Survey, cities were ranked based on their stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Taking the top spot was the Austrian capital Vienna, with Melbourne in Australia taking second place. Singapore, which ranked ahead of Hong Kong […]
Singapore’s banking sector will face greater headwinds over the coming quarters from the double whammy of the latest property cooling measures and rising trade tensions between the US and China, a research house said yesterday. Turning cautious on the sector’s outlook, Fitch Solutions Macro Research has lowered its 2018 and 2019 loan growth forecasts for […]
In 2017, Singapore recorded its highest-ever number of suicides among people aged over 60. DW spoke with a suicide prevention specialist about what is causing this alarming trend and how the community is taking action. In 2017, the number of elderly people committing suicide in Singapore reached a record high, with 129 people over 60 […]
Myanmar and Thailand are working together in security, economy and other beneficial issues, said State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. The remarks of the State Counsellor came after the opening speech of the commemoration ceremony of the 70th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Myanmar and Thailand held in Nay Pyi Taw on […]
Thailand will ban imports of 432 types of scrap electronics within six months, an environment ministry official said on Thursday, the latest country to respond to China’s crackdown on imports of high-tech trash this year. Southeast Asia nations fear they are the new dumping ground for the world’s trash after China banned the entry of […]
A Malaysian drug dealer dubbed the “Iceman” was sentenced to death Thursday by a court in Thailand after he was convicted of running a narcotics network that funnelled huge profits into legitimate businesses. Tun Hung Seong was arrested in April last year after a tipoff that he had hired a man to smuggle nearly 300 […]
President Rodrigo Duterte has called for continued support from the members of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) to address issues that are facing the country. Duterte, the chair of the PDP-Laban, made his appeal during the party’s reunion of leaders and the celebration of the first anniversary of PDP Cares on Wednesday. “As […]
By Clarissa Batino and Andreo Calonzo Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte keeps saying that he’s tired and ready to quit. What’s holding him back? He’s not satisfied with his successor. “Guys, I want you to know that I am thinking of stepping down because I’m tired,” Duterte told a group of executives and politicians at the […]
Crime rate in the Philippines may have gone down by 20 percent in two years that President Rodrigo Duterte has been in office, but his hometown Davao City recorded the highest number of rape cases in the second quarter of 2018. Based on the records of PNP directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM), Davao […]
Japan’s homegrown defense industry continues to secure significant amounts of contracts from the US government, but concerns linger over the high level of spending on big-ticket items acquired via the US Foreign Military Sales programme, and the outlook for Japan’s push into the global arms market remains cloudy. Figures released by the Japanese Ministry of […]
The tropics remain full of life in the West Pacific as Tropical Storm Leepi takes aim at southern Japan and South Korea into Wednesday night. Once a Severe Tropical Storm, Leepi has weakened to a weak tropical storm as of midday Wednesday. The small size of Leepi limited the radius of its impacts as the […]
A peace assembly was held Wednesday in Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu Province, to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of Japan’s unconditional surrender in World War II. Representatives from countries such as China, Japan, the United States, and Thailand attended the event held in the Nanjing Massacre Victim’s Memorial Hall, mourning the 300,000 people who […]
South Korea’s government has earmarked a 5 trillion won ($4.4 billion) budget toward its ‘Growth through Innovation’ investment programme in eight critical sectors with a particular focus on blockchain and AI. In a meeting in Seoul on Monday, South Korea’s finance minister Kim Dong-yeon confirmed plans of a 5 trillion won investment toward its innovation […]
South Korea’s biggest Buddhist denomination ordered its executive head to step down Thursday amid mounting allegations he forged his academic credentials, accumulated vast wealth, and broke his vows of celibacy. The 56-14 vote of no confidence in Seoljeong, president of the Jogye Order, by its central committee is the first in a history that dates […]
The murder trial of two women accused of assassinating the half-brother of North Korea’s leader can proceed, a Malaysian court ruled Thursday, in a blow to their families who insist the pair were tricked into carrying out the dramatic hit. After hearing the prosecution case, the judge said there was sufficient evidence to support a […]
For two nights, retiree May Chan slept outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai to make sure she could be among the first to enter the annual Food Expo on Thursday morning. The 75-year-old was amply rewarded. She took part in a game similar to curling where players slide stones across […]
Hong Kong’s de facto central bank said Thursday it had bought up more than $2 billion worth of local currency to maintain a long-held peg to the US dollar. The interventionwhich began Wednesday and was the latest in a series of moves to support the currency this yearcomes as the US dollar rockets on the […]
A Hong Kong businessperson who raped his underage daughter, treating her “as a sex toy” by molesting her repeatedly, was jailed for 141/2 years on Thursday. Sentencing the man known to the court as HJD, High Court judge Justice Albert Wong Sung-hau said the “shameless” father, 59, had not only failed his paternal duty, but […]
A Taiwan coffee chain that faces pressure in China after serving the island’s president has disappeared from Chinese meal-ordering platforms, as Beijing warned it would oppose any businesses that support Taiwanese independence. 85C Bakery Cafe found itself in the crosshairs of China’s campaign to isolate Taiwan following a visit to one of its stores in […]
Taiwan is still pushing Japan to face the “comfort women” issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Wednesday, although it said that the unveiling of the country’s first “comfort women” statue in Tainan a day earlier has nothing to do with the government. A bronze statue symbolising women forced to work in wartime brothels […]
The owner of a Starwood-branded hotel in Taiwan said Thursday it will terminate its contract with Marriott International, in protest over the US group caving in to Beijing pressure to list the island as part of China. Marriott was strongly criticised by Chinese authorities in January for listing Taiwanalong with Tibet and Hong Kongas separate […]
* Dong Phu Rubber Company (DPR) made a gross profit ofVND205.6 billion in the Ianuary-Iuly period of this year, up 22% year-on-year and beating the full-year target by 8%. The firm’s revenue grew 10% to VND441.2 billion between January and July, meeting 60% of its entire year’s plan. Of the amount, the firm’s income from […]
Moody’s Investors Service on Tuesday upgraded the ratings of 14 Vietnamese banks, driven by its upgrade of Vietnam’s sovereign rating to Ba3 from B1 late last week. Under the latest rating actions on Vietnam’s banking industry, Moody’s upgraded the long-term local and foreign-currency deposit and issuer ratings of Vietcombank, BIDV and VietinBank. Moody’s also upgraded […]
As internet users can access a vast pool of information online, one of the challenges facing digital marketing companies is how to create relevant advertising that targets the right customers, experts said at a Vietnam Online Marketing Forum held in HCM City on Wednesday. Nguyen Phuong Thao, senior manager of Nielsen Vietnam, said that greater […]
