Several thousand Hong Kong school teachers and supporters braved thunderstorms on Saturday to start a weekend of anti-government protests, despite fears that police could adopt tougher tactics to drive activists off the streets. Following the escalation in violence during the past few days, the demonstrations this weekend will provide a litmus test as to whether […]
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un once again supervised a “new weapon” launch, state media said Saturday, complicating efforts at denuclearisation ahead of next week’s visit to Seoul by the US envoy to Pyongyang. Friday’s launch was the North’s sixth test in recent weeks as it protests the annual US-South Korea military exercises which Pyongyang […]
The US special envoy for North Korea will travel to Japan and South Korea next week to coordinate efforts to secure the denuclearisation of North Korea, the State Department said on Friday. Stephen Biegun will be in Japan from Monday to Tuesday and in Seoul from Tuesday to Thursday, a State Department statement said. News […]
Friday’s launch was sixth round of tests since late July, an apparent response to US-South Korea war games North Korea says leader Kim Jong-un supervised Friday’s test-firing of an unspecified “new weapon”, seen as an attempt to pressure Washington and Seoul over slow nuclear negotiations and their joint military exercises. Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency […]
The Trump administration is pushing ahead with a $8 billion sale of 66 F-16 fighter aircraft to Taiwan, a move expected to add further tension to already strained relations between Beijing and Washington, according to two influential senators. Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida praised the administration for advancing the deal, which he said in […]
US President Donald Trump and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau discussed the Hong Kong protests and the ongoing detention of two Canadians by the Chinese government, a statement from Trudeau’s office said on Friday. The Hong Kong protests started as a peaceful rebuke of the government in April but have evolved into a direct challenge […]
Beijing hit back at the US for adding China’s largest state-owned nuclear company to a blacklist, which essentially bars all American firms from selling products to the firm. The US Department of Commerce placed China general Nuclear Power Group (CGN) to the “entity list” on Wednesday, saying the nuclear firm and three of its subsidiaries […]
The Philippines have begun to push back against the strong and sustained presence of Beijing’s paramilitary ships in the South China Sea, calling the deployment of Chinese militia ships in huge numbers a threat. Manila filed two diplomatic protests last month against the swarming presence of militia vessels in waters surrounding Pagasa Island (Thitu Island), […]
The main group fighting an insurgency in Thailand’s largely Muslim south said it had held its first meeting with officials from the new Thai government and had set out demands as a condition for any formal peace talks. The insurgency in the Malay-speaking region of the predominantly Buddhist country has killed some 7,000 people over […]
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday (August 16) formally proposed to parliament a plan to move the country’s capital from Jakarta, on the crowded island of Java, to Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. Widodo made the proposal during his state of the union speech at parliament, a day before the country celebrates its 74th […]
Malaysia’s former prime minister, Najib Razak, on Monday faces the biggest of five trials linked to a multi billion-dollar scam at state fund 1MDB, although lawyers are seeking a delay to allow time for the completion of a previous trial. Najib, who lost a general election last year, has been hit with 42 criminal charges […]
Following the deadly blow and torrential rain Krosa inflicted on Japan, a new tropical threat may brew in the Western Pacific Ocean next week. While AccuWeather meteorologists are keeping a close eye on other areas across the basin, the one that has the highest probability to develop is churning south of Guam. “This feature will […]
New Unicef campaign aims to make violence against children a thing of the past A father begins to raise his voice at the back of a restaurant, complaining about his daughter’s bad grades. The conversation ends with the sound of slaps. The customers, who have heard the girl plead for her father to stop, look […]
Most visitors to Vietnam’s famed Ha Long Bay opt for cruise views of the UNESCO heritage site but from Friday tourists can hop on a helicopter to see the area’s famous karst rock formations from the skies. Nervous flyers beware. A pair of five-seater helicopters soared up to 300 metres (1,000 feet) to offer passengers […]
Much of Vietnam’s illegal supply floods in from the lawless “Golden Triangle” zone that straddles Laos, Thailand and Myanmar Police in southern Vietnam have seized more than a tonne of methamphetamine after uncovering a smuggling operation involving at least two Taiwanese nationals and a Vietnamese man, the third massive bust in a week in the […]
African swine fever has been detected on three farms in Vietnam, authorities said on Tuesday, the first confirmed cases of the highly contagious disease in the Southeast Asia country. All pigs on the farms located in Hung Yen and Thai Binh provinces, southeast of the capital Hanoi, were culled, the Animal Health Department said in […]
Representatives from 13 countries across Asia and the Pacific gathered in Bangkok, Thailand, from 29 to 31 October to develop road maps to implement and expand pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and HIV self-testing in the region. In discussions on building capacity for the rollout of PrEP and HIV testing innovations in Asia and the Pacific, policy-makers, […]
The health ministry said today it will focus on eliminating mother-to-child transmission of Hepatitis B, after Malaysia became the first country in the Western Pacific to eradicate such transmissions in HIV and syphilis. Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said a few states will begin pilot programmes of targeted screening for Hepatitis B among pregnant mothers, after […]
TOKYO, Aug 16, 2019 – (JCN Newswire) – Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced the development of a technology that draws on mathematical models built with limited data on rainfall and water levels to create flooding predictions for rivers. The solution leverages Fujitsu Human Centric AI Zinrai, a comprehensive portfolio that encompasses Fujitsu’s […]
Event extended to two days to cover broader range of issues HONG KONG, Aug 16, 2019 – (ACN Newswire) – The fourth Belt and Road Summit, jointly organised by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), will be held on 11 and 12 September […]
Rallye Deutschland: Preview Toyota City, Japan, Aug 16, 2019 – (JCN Newswire) – The Toyota Yaris WRC returns to asphalt for round 10 of the 2019 season in Germany, where drivers Ott Tänak, Jari-Matti Latvala and Kris Meeke will take on the demanding and diverse roads of Rallye Deutschland (August 22-25). Fresh from victory on […]
Malaysia’s foreign ministry said Tuesday that Myanmar’s government must pursue justice for alleged human rights abuses against the Muslim Rohingya minority so that hundreds of thousands who fled a brutal military crackdown can return safely to the country. The call came ahead of a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Bangkok this week. It […]
Cradling her one-year-old daughter in a house in southern Myanmar, 22-year-old Nu Nu Aye recalled the reasons her husband gave for beating her. She hadn’t looked after his rooster. She wouldn’t have sex with him. In a meeting brokered by a village elder, he said he would beat her when “necessary”. “His abuse got worse […]
Accusations of human rights abuse by the Cambodian government may force the end of a preferential trade agreement. Two sisters sit on the tile floor of a small bare room. There is no furniture other than a short, waist-high dish drying rack. In place of mattresses, there is only a pile of blankets. One sister […]
A long-running Republican-led investigation into the handling of classified information on Hillary Clinton’s private email server did not find any evidence that China had successfully hacked the former secretary of state, confirming the findings of the FBI, according to a memo released by two senior senators this week. The findings, from Sens. Chuck Grassley of […]
It may be more than a century since the Germans left Qingdao but the Chinese port city still pays tribute to its Bavarian past with a huge annual “Oktoberfest”, though held in July-August. The beer festival is the largest in Asia, attracting more than six million visitors last year. In a setting of mock Bavarian-style […]
When it comes to President Trump and trade, it’s been all pain, no gain. Last week began with China retaliating against a planned 10 percent tariff on $300 billion of its exports by letting its currency fall significantly against the dollar. Markets tanked. When Trump announced that he would delay implementing those tariffs, markets regained […]
The family of a 15-year-old London teen who was found dead nine days after she disappeared from a Malaysian forest resort claimed her body on Saturday and hope to find answers to their many questions about her death. Police have ruled out foul play, saying the autopsy showed that Nora Anne Quoirin died of intestinal […]
The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) says the country is ill-prepared for Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0), warning that Malaysia will no longer be competitive if it is not able to embrace it quickly. MEF executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said IR 4.0 was already creeping in and, as such, students completing studies, whether at degree, diploma […]
Controversial televangelist Dr Zakir Naik spent around five hours today recording his statements with federal police after he was summoned to Bukit Aman over his statements during an event in Kelantan last weekend. The preacher, said to have arrived at the police headquarters at around 3pm, was seen leaving in a black Toyota Innova MPV […]
Villagers say there’s more money in foreign trash than in farming Indonesia’s crackdown on imported foreign waste including from Canada has upset the village of Bangun, where residents say they earn more money sorting through piles of garbage than growing rice in once-lush paddy fields. Overwhelmed by a spike in waste imports after China closed […]
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday (August 16) formally proposed to parliament a plan to move the country’s capital from Jakarta, on the crowded island of Java, to Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. Widodo made the proposal during his state of the union speech at parliament, a day before the country celebrates its 74th […]
Once David Ipp had finished conducting the Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry that sent Eddie Obeid and Co. on their way to jail, the top NSW graft-buster went to an international conference in 2011 where he met his national counterpart from Indonesia. Of all the countries on the planet, Indonesia was ranked as the most […]
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Friday (16 August) warned the public of a fraudulent website soliciting bitcoin investments by using fake comments attributed to prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. The website, hosted on investing-review.com, attempts to “impersonate a news page from a local media organisation”, said the MAS. The “article”, headlined with “Breaking […]
A Singaporean firm was charged Thursday with supplying large amounts of alcohol to North Korea in violation of UN sanctions, the latest case of illicit trade between the countries. SINSMS Pte Ltd, an affiliate of a Chinese company, illicitly shipped wines and spirits worth about Sg$665,000 ($480,000) to the North four times in 2016 and […]
Singapore leaders on Thursday (August 15) expressed their condolences following the death of shipping magnate Frank Tsao. The founder of IMC Group and founding chair of Suntec City Development died “peacefully with family members around him” on Monday, according to a statement on IMC Group’s website. He was 94 years old. Born in Shanghai, Tsao […]
The main group fighting an insurgency in Thailand’s largely Muslim south said it had held its first meeting with officials from the new Thai government and had set out demands as a condition for any formal peace talks. The insurgency in the Malay-speaking region of the predominantly Buddhist country has killed some 7,000 people over […]
An orphaned dugong named Marium, who became an internet star after being rescued in Thailand in April, has died. Veterinarians caring for the dugong off the island of Koh Libong, in south Thailand’s Trang province, said an infection caused by ingesting plastic contributed to her death. They added that the loss of the animal, named […]
Vets say plastic caused orphan mammal’s infection and should serve as warning about pollution An orphaned dugong named Marium, who became an internet star after being rescued in Thailand in April, has died. Veterinarians caring for the dugong off the island of Koh Libong, in south Thailand’s Trang province, said an infection caused by ingesting […]
The Philippines’ Home Development Mutual Fund is broadening its investments, releasing more money to scoop up the nation’s equities as the market sinks. The fund, known as Pag-IBIG, has over 570 billion pesos ($10.8 billion) in net assets that are mostly in housing and real estate loans. It has “just deployed” 500 million pesos more […]
The Asia Pacific region is one of the most disaster-prone areas in the world, experiencing nearly half of the world’s natural disasters in the past decade. Around 200 million children living in this region, are at risk of losing their lives, their livelihood or face displacement from their homes because of natural disasters. These disasters […]
The Philippines’ top exporter of high-grade nickel ore is expected to shut its mining operations soon as ore deposits at a project in the nation’s southernmost province of Tawi-Tawi are nearly depleted, a ministry official told Reuters. SR Languyan Mining Corp will shut “most likely” later this year, said Jaynul Ali Sambarani, head of mines […]
Japan insisted Friday it no longer hunts endangered sei whales in international waters, but faced accusations of still violating a wildlife treaty by allowing commercialisation of meat from past catches. The standing committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) last October found Japan in breach of […]
Its population ageing and declining, Japan must let go of some of its deep-set traditional values if it wants to avoid an economic crisis. Insight investigates. JAPAN: In the village of Nagoro in western Japan, there are no cheerful voices or laughter of children playing on the streets. The school, the bus-stops and even the […]
Scott Morrison was a lone voice at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu this week as his government warned that any condemnation of coal, or calls for a ban on new mines, were a ”red-line issue”. It may be that Beijing sees things differently. The fact is, Australia might only have a decade left to […]
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of a new weapon again on Friday morning, state media KCNA said on Saturday. North Korea launched at least two short-range ballistic missiles on Friday, South Korea’s military said, its sixth round of weapons launches since late July, complicating efforts to restart talks between the United […]
The US special envoy for North Korea will travel to Japan and South Korea next week to coordinate efforts to secure the denuclearisation of North Korea, the State Department said on Friday. Stephen Biegun will be in Japan from Monday to Tuesday and in Seoul from Tuesday to Thursday, a State Department statement said. News […]
A Singaporean firm was charged Thursday with supplying large amounts of alcohol to North Korea in violation of UN sanctions, the latest case of illicit trade between the countries. SINSMS Pte Ltd, an affiliate of a Chinese company, illicitly shipped wines and spirits worth about Sg$665,000 ($480,000) to the North four times in 2016 and […]
By now, most of us are aware of the Hong Kong protests in 2019. The situation took a turn for the worse this past week, when thousands of protesters entered the airport, one of the world’s busiest, to stage demonstrations, and caused hundreds of flight cancellations. A few scuffles even took place between protesters and […]
Dispensaries are a common sight in Hong Kong. They stock a variety of products including dried seafood, cosmetics and even infant formula all popular with visitors from the mainland. But when CNA visited the Tsim Sha Tsui shopping area on Friday (August 16), many of the dispensaries were having a slow day, a stark contrast […]
Cathay Pacific announced the shock resignation on Friday of its CEO Rupert Hogg, compounding a torrid week for the Hong Kong carrier after it was excoriated by Beijing because some staff supported pro-democracy protests. The 72-year-old airline has been left reeling after it became ensnared in the hardening of rhetoric from the communist mainland over […]
The Trump administration is pushing ahead with a $8 billion sale of 66 F-16 fighter aircraft to Taiwan, a move expected to add further tension to already strained relations between Beijing and Washington, according to two influential senators. Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida praised the administration for advancing the deal, which he said in […]
Congress should move quickly with an $8 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan as the self-ruled island faces pressure from China’s increased military presence in the region, leading US Democratic and Republican lawmakers said on Friday. China denounced the planned sale, one of the biggest yet by the United States to Taiwan, which […]
China on Friday opposed US arms sales to Taiwan and lodged solemn representations to the US side. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks when asked to comment on the situation that the US has been advancing the sale of 8 billion US dollars of F-16V fighters to Taiwan. Hua said the US side […]
* The State Securities Commission has issued the first ever Vietnam Corporate Governance Code of Best Practices, a set of practices recommended for Vietnamese public companies. It was developed with technical support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and assistance from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. The code contains 10 main principles with […]
Provinces and cities in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta and south-eastern region and experts have called on the government to prioritise investment to develop these regions’ infrastructure and foster development based on their inherent advantages. At a conference titled “Building a plan for the socio-economic development and public investment in 2020 in the Southeast and […]
KIS Vietnam Securities Co (KIS) will issue covered warrants that underline shares of four large-cap firms steel maker Hoa Phat Group (HPG), consumer staple firm Masan Group Corporation (MSN), real estate-retail-tech giant Vingroup (VIC) and its retail arm Vincom Retail (VRE). All four covered warrants will have a term of three months, with a conversion […]
