Category Archives: Asia Pacific

Owners of New Zealand volcano that fatally erupted deny responsibility for visitor safety

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White Island/Whakaari volcano exploded in 2019, prompting debate over natural hazard tourism

The landowners of a New Zealand volcano that fatally erupted in 2019 have rejected arguments from the country’s workplace safety regulator that they ultimately managed and controlled activities on the island and bore legal responsibility for whether visitors to it were safe.

When White Island/Whakaari exploded on 9 December 2019, 22 people were killed – 17 of them Australians – with 25 others injured. It prompted renewed debate about controls for natural hazard tourism in New Zealand.

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Paramedic completes New Zealand rescue mission despite his helicopter crashing

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Helicopter came down in Pirongia forest park, south of Auckland, on way to rescue of injured hiker, but paramedic onboard wasn’t deterred

A paramedic in New Zealand has continued with his rescue mission, and completed it, despite the helicopter he was in crashing en route to help an injured hiker.

The paramedic was travelling to Pirongia Forest Park, about two hours south of Auckland, when the Waikato Westpac rescue helicopter he was in came down. Authorities say the helicopter experienced a “heavy landing” at about 5pm with photos of the scene showing the red and yellow aircraft nose down, wedged between trees in thick bush.

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Estranged son of Thai King Vajiralongkorn says discussion of the monarchy should be allowed

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New York-based Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse signals he rejects Thailand’s harsh lese majeste laws, which ban criticism of the royal family

An estranged son of Thailand’s king who has spent almost all his adult life away from his homeland has unexpectedly gone public with his belief that open discussions about the country’s monarchy should be allowed, in a rejection of a harsh royal anti-defamation law.

Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, one of the king’s five sons, posted his opinion on Facebook after attending a photo exhibition in New York about people who have been charged under the law, Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code.

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Viral series about Chinese teapot escaping from British Museum to become film

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Series with 370m views echoes Chinese state media calls for return of cultural relics

A viral series on the Chinese version of TikTok about a jade teapot that turns into a woman and escapes from the British Museum is to be adapted into an animated film.

The plot of Escape from the British Museum, a series made by two social media influencers, echoes Chinese state media calls for the British government to make amends for “historical sins” and return Chinese cultural relics.

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The world’s largest – and stinkiest – flower in danger of extinction, scientists say

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The 42 known species of the parasitic plant Rafflesia, known as the corpse flower, are endangered due to destruction of forest habitats

Parasitic, elusive and emitting an overwhelming odour of putrefying flesh, Rafflesia – often called the corpse flower – has intrigued botanists for centuries. Now, scientists are warning that it is at risk of extinction and calling for action to save it.

The blooms of the Rafflesia have become famous for their odour of decaying meat, produced to attract flesh-eating flies. But the genus – which includes the largest flowers in the world, at more than a metre across – is at risk due to the destruction of forest habitats in south-east Asia. There are 42 species of Rafflesia, and researchers warn that all of them are under threat, with 25 classified as critically endangered and 15 as endangered.

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Japan swelters through ‘abnormal’ autumn, with warnings of more heat to come

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After experiencing a record-breaking number of ‘extremely hot’ days in summer, the unusually high temperatures are due to continue

Matsutake mushrooms and persimmons have appeared on supermarket shelves, along with seasonal beers and sakes. In Tokyo neighbourhoods, residents carry portable shrines through the streets at festivals to mark the end of summer, and children get ready for school sports days.

Autumn, though, has yet to make an appearance in Japan. Instead, experts are warning that the crisp, sunny days that usually offer relief at the end of a sweltering summer are still some way off, with one describing the weather as “abnormal”.

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Severe plankton bloom off Thailand creates marine ‘dead zone’

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Hundreds of mussel farm sites in Gulf of Thailand affected by regular blooms that scientists believe are exacerbated by climate crisis

An unusually dense plankton bloom off the eastern coast of Thailand is creating an aquatic “dead zone”, threatening the livelihood of local fishers who farm mussels in the waters.

Marine scientists say some areas in the Gulf of Thailand have more than 10 times the normal amount of plankton, turning the water a bright green and killing off marine life.

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China orders foreign consulates in Hong Kong to hand over staff personal details

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Forms have been sent out requiring names, positions, residential addresses and identity document numbers of locally employed staff

China has given foreign consulates in Hong Kong a month to submit the names, home addresses and job descriptions of their local staff, according to diplomatic sources and documents seen by several media outlets on Tuesday.

The documents include a letter in English and Chinese bearing Monday’s date from Beijing’s Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (OCMFA), as well as two forms for consulates to fill in with their local staff details.

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Where is Li Shangfu? China’s missing defence minister highlights Xi’s total grip on power

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China’s latest missing minister underscores the move to centralised rule, and how questioning Xi’s judgement has become increasingly dangerous

Three weeks after he was last seen in public, there is still no official confirmation about what has happened to Gen Li Shangfu, China’s defence minister and the latest senior official to be seemingly swept up in China’s political purges.

Last week, Reuters reported that Li, along with eight other senior officials, was under investigation for the corrupt procurement of military equipment relating to his time at the helm of the equipment division of the Central Military Commission, the military’s ruling body, between September 2017 and October 2022. US intelligence has also made similar conclusions.

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Why is Jacinda Ardern absent from New Zealand election campaign?

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Former PM became ‘lighting rod for discontent’ among some voters as analysts say her time in office associated with Covid fallout

As the final month of campaigning in New Zealand’s election begins, one figure is noticeably absent for observers abroad: former prime minister Jacinda Ardern.

Ardern dominated political life in New Zealand for five years, until her shock resignation in January 2023. Now, as she wrote on Instagram in April, she is “helpfully” at Harvard during New Zealand’s election campaign.

Ardern was elected in 2017 on a wave of Jacindamania and her extremely high popularity endured, carrying the Labour party under her leadership to a historic win in 2020. She enjoyed stratospheric popularity abroad too – featuring on the cover of Vogue and as a favourite guest of late-night talkshows in the US.

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Taiwan urges China to stop ‘destructive’ military activities as fighter jets cross median line

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Taiwan’s defence ministry said that since Sunday it had spotted 103 Chinese military aircraft over the sea, a number it called a ‘recent high’

Taiwan’s defence ministry has urged China to stop “destructive, unilateral action” after reporting a sharp rise in Chinese military activities near the island, warning such behaviour could lead to an increase in tensions.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has in recent years regularly carried out military drills around the island as it seeks to assert its sovereignty claims and pressure Taipei.

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Evergrande arrests: China police detain staff at property giant’s wealth management arm

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Police do not list charges against arrested workers but urge public to report any suspected fraud

Police in China have arrested several employees at a subsidiary of Evergrande, the troubled property giant that is struggling under debts running into the hundreds of billions of dollars.

Employees at Evergrande’s financial subsidiary, Evergrande Wealth Management, were arrested, police in the southern city of Shenzhen said in a statement, without specifying the number of employees or the charges against them.

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Top US and Chinese diplomats meet in Malta to smooth strained relations

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‘Candid, substantive and constructive’ talks were held as a possible prelude to a Joe Biden-Xi Jinping meeting in November

Top US and Chinese diplomats met in Malta over the weekend as the world’s two largest economies attempted to smooth strained relations and clear a path for their respective presidents – Joe Biden and Xi Jinping – to meet in November.

According to both Beijing and Washington, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met multiple times with China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, in Malta, where – according to separate statements – “candid, substantive and constructive” talks were held.

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Kim Jong-un inspects nuclear-capable aircraft on Russia visit

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Moscow’s defence minister shows North Korean leader weapons including hypersonic missiles at airfield near Vladivostok

The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, inspected Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers, hypersonic missiles and warships on Saturday, accompanied by Vladimir Putin’s defence minister.

Sergei Shoigu greeted Kim at Russia’s Knevichi airfield, about 50km (30 miles) from the Pacific port city of Vladivostok. The North Korean leader then inspected a guard of honour.

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Li Shangfu: speculation grows over fate of China’s missing defence minister

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Li Shangfu, who has not been seen for nearly three weeks, is under house arrest, claims US ambassador to Japan

China’s defence minister has not been seen in almost three weeks, amid reports that he is under investigation, in the latest case of a senior Communist party official to disappear from public view.

Gen Li Shangfu was last seen on 29 August when he gave a speech to the China-Africa peace and security forum. His last overseas trip was to Moscow and Minsk in mid-August, where he met Russian officials on the sidelines of a security conference, and with the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko.

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Putin and Kim Jong-un exchange rifles as North Korean leader continues Russia tour

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Russian president also gave Kim at meeting the gift of a ‘glove from a space suit that has been to space’ amid warnings from US and South Korea about any weapons deal

Kim Jong-un has visited a factory that builds advanced fighter jets, as his tour of Russia moves into its third day and the Kremlin revealed he and Vladimir Putin had exchanged gifts of rifles during their summit this week.

Two days after meeting Putin at a space base in Russia’s far east, where they discussed satellite technology and – possibly – a deal to provide North Korean arms for the war in Ukraine, Kim’s armoured train arrived in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where he visited a factory that makes Russia’s most modern fighter jets, Russian news agencies reported.

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Archaeology world mourns Damian Evans, who discovered medieval cities near Angkor Wat

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Tributes flow for ‘incredibly generous’ Australian Canadian researcher, who used space laser technology to uncover landscapes in south-east Asia

The world-leading Australian Canadian archaeologist Dr Damian Evans, who played a critical role in discovering previously undocumented medieval cities near Angkor Wat, has died from brain lymphoma.

Close friends confirmed Evans passed away on 12 September in Paris, where he was based working for the city’s École Française d’Extrême-Orient.

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Kim Jong-un invites Putin to North Korea after summit brings ties to ‘a new level’

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North Korean media report that Kim was briefed on space vehicles during his meetings in Russia, though no specific detail of any deal has emerged

Kim Jong-un invited President Vladimir Putin to visit North Korea during their meeting in Russia on Wednesday, Pyongyang’s state media reported, amid warnings that Kim was poised to offer the Kremlin artillery shells and other munitions for the war in Ukraine.

Kim told Putin that their closely watched meeting had brought bilateral ties to a new level, and expressed his willingness to foster stable, future-oriented relations for the next 100 years, news agency KCNA said.

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‘Nothing left to lose’: Putin embraces role of spoiler with Kim Jong-un summit

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Russia’s propagandists trumpeted the president’s North Korean connection as, in isolation, he threatened to cross a serious line

The situation is dire when you’re boasting of closer ties with North Korea, but Vladimir Putin in 2023 finds himself in just that situation with nothing left to lose.

The Russian fanfare before the summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has rivalled the anticipation for his meetings with western leaders, where he would attempt to woo or spar with opponents such as Barack Obama or Angela Merkel.

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Vietnam: 56 people dead after fire at nine-floor apartment building

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About 70 people have been rescued, according to Hanoi authorities, with nearly 40 injured

Vietnamese police have announced that 56 people died from a fire in a nine-floor apartment building in the capital, Hanoi.

The blaze began shortly after 11pm on Tuesday when many of the roughly 150 people living in the building were asleep or getting ready for bed.

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