Vietnamese authorities say typhoon was the most devastating storm to hit the country this year
The death toll from Typhoon Bualoi in south-east Asia has risen to more than 30 as heavy rains continued to lash the region.
In Vietnam, authorities said 19 people had been killed and 21 were missing, making it the most devastating storm to hit the country this year. Heavy rain on Tuesday raised the risk of more flooding and landslides in northern regions.
Continue reading...National cyber security centre raises alert level to ‘caution’ as technicians race to restore government systems after battery fire sparked nationwide chaos
South Korea’s intelligence agency has raised the national cyber threat level, amid concerns that hackers could take advantage of the chaos caused by a fire at a government datacentre that paralysed critical digital infrastructure across the country.
The national cybersecurity centre, operating under the intelligence service, elevated the alert from “attention” to “caution” on Monday, citing fears hackers could exploit vulnerabilities as recovery work continues.
Continue reading...Death toll expected to rise as instability of building in East Java town hampers rescue efforts
At least one student has been killed, dozens injured and 65 presumed buried under rubble after a school building collapsed in Indonesia on Monday, with rescuers running oxygen and water to those who remained trapped more than 12 hours later.
Rescue workers, police and soldiers digging through the night pulled out eight weak and injured survivors hours after the building at Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in the East Java town of Sidoarjo collapsed while students were praying.
Continue reading...Another five people given suspended death sentences over alleged role in gang that operated scam centres and illegal gambling worth $1.4bn
A court in China has sentenced 11 people to death for their alleged roles in a family-run crime syndicate accused of running illegal gambling and scam operations worth more than $1.4bn, and for the deaths of workers who disobeyed them.
The Wenzhou intermediate people’s court on Monday sentenced 11 members of the powerful Ming family in Kokang, Myanmar to death while another five were handed death sentences suspended for two years.
Continue reading...The country’s fastest bird has taken out the top prize in a scandal-free year for the annual poll
New Zealand’s fastest bird, capable of flying 200km/h in its pursuit of prey, has been crowned bird of the year – a long-running annual competition that has previously been a lightning rod for scandal and hijinks.
The threatened kārearea is New Zealand’s only falcon. It is small and tawny, with impressive talons and large dark eyes. Kārearea are powerful aerial hunters and watch other birds, lizards or small mammals – sometimes larger than themselves – from a high vantage point before diving at high speed to snatch their prey.
Continue reading...The country’s fastest bird has taken out the top prize in a scandal-free year for the annual poll
New Zealand’s fastest bird, capable of flying 200km/h in its pursuit of prey, has been crowned bird of the year – a long-running annual competition that has previously been a lightning rod for scandal and hijinks.
The threatened kārearea is New Zealand’s only falcon. It is small and tawny, with impressive talons and large dark eyes. Kārearea are powerful aerial hunters and watch other birds, lizards or small mammals – sometimes larger than themselves – from a high vantage point before diving at high speed to snatch their prey.
Continue reading...New York meeting of Hague Group warns of shared responsibility to prevent genocide and proposes steps to isolate Israel
The international community has a legal and moral duty to deny Israel “the tools of genocide”, the Malaysian foreign minister, Mohamad Hasan, said at a meeting in New York of the Hague Group, the growing alliance of countries dedicated to coordinating practical economic and legal steps to isolate Israel over the war in Gaza.
The group, co-chaired by South Africa and Columbia, has become a central exchange for practical steps to try to pressure Israel, including stepping up collective action at ports and airports to prevent the transfer of weapons and goods to Israel, including dual-use heavy machinery.
Continue reading...Peak winds of 165mph bring 17 deaths in Taiwan, while Storm Bualoi threatens to strengthen into typhoon on its way to the Philippines
Super Typhoon Ragasa pounded Taiwan, Hong Kong and China before moving into Vietnam on Thursday night, though as a much-weakened storm.
At its peak Ragasa had mean wind speeds of 165mph as it moved to the south of Taiwan, where it brought significant heavy rain resulting in 17 deaths as a barrier lake burst.
Continue reading...With China accounting for nearly a third of the world’s total emissions, any cuts it achieves will make a substantial difference for the world – and for fossil fuel exports
Anything China does on energy and climate change is very big news. Its plans ripple around the world, whether that’s in changing the demand for fossil fuels or affecting the impacts on the planet from global heating.
On Thursday, Australia woke to the news that China’s president, Xi Jinping, had told the United Nations that for the first time his country was setting a target to cut – in absolute terms – its greenhouse gas emissions.
Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter
Continue reading...Huang Chu-jung, previously an assistant to a New Taipei city councillor, receives longest sentence of 10 years
Four former employees of Taiwan’s ruling political party have been convicted of spying for China and handed prison sentences of up to 10 years.
The four include a former aide to Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, when he was vice-president and for a time during his current presidency, and a senior staffer to Joseph Wu, then foreign minister and now the national security chief.
Continue reading...Huge clear-up efforts start after storm leaves trail of destruction, with 25 reported dead in Taiwan and the Philippines
Huge clear-up operations were under way in southern China and Hong Kong on Thursday, after Super Typhoon Ragasa battered the region, causing widespread flooding and damaged roads.
Ragasa, the most powerful tropical cyclone so far this year, left a trail of damage across Hong Kong, which resumed international flights on Thursday but kept kindergartens and some schools closed. In the economic hub of Guangdong province in mainland China, where more than 2 million people were evacuated ahead of the super typhoon, crews used excavators to clear thousands of toppled trees and unblock roads.
Continue reading...Two candidates have emerged as favourites to lead Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, ahead of the party vote next week
The next leader of Japan’s ruling party will either be the country’s first female prime minister or its youngest leader since the war. But the significance of those milestones will be quickly lost in the party’s attempts to rebuild after two bruising elections that have cast doubt over the future of one of the world’s most successful political machines.
Two of the five candidates vying to replace Shigeru ishiba – who announced his resignation earlier this month – as the next president of the Liberal Democratic party (LDP) have emerged as clear favourites in what analysts are describing as a last-ditch attempt to unify a party battered by a major funding scandal and the cost-of-living crisis.
Continue reading...Since new rules for the Active Investor Plus visa came into effect in April, applicant numbers have almost tripled
Wealthy investors from the US, China and Hong Kong are the leaders in applications for New Zealand’s “golden visas” after the government relaxed the scheme’s requirements in a bid to boost the flagging economy.
The new rules for the Active Investor Plus visa came into effect in April and lowered investment thresholds, removed English-language requirements and cut the amount of time applicants must spend in the country to establish residency from three years to three weeks.
Continue reading...Ralph Regenvanu, minister of climate change for the Pacific island nation, says step taken on ‘behalf of everybody’
Vanuatu is working on securing a UN vote to turn a landmark ruling on the climate crisis by the international court of justice (ICJ) into concrete political action that will fight the influence of the fossil-fuel industry and protect the globe from environmental catastrophe.
In an effort spearheaded by the tiny Pacific island nation, the ICJ issued a rare unanimous advisory opinion in July, which clarified that all states are required under international law to protect the climate, prevent further harms and have a duty to cooperate.
Continue reading...Viewers outraged after same-sex wedding scene changed in Together, starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie
An Australian horror film featuring a scene with a same-sex wedding was reportedly digitally altered for release in mainland China, transforming the gay couple into a heterosexual one, provoking outrage from viewers who spotted the change.
The critically acclaimed film Together, starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, was released in selected cinemas in China on 12 September. It follows the journey of a young couple who move to the countryside and encounter mysterious and grotesque changes to their bodies.
Continue reading...Chinese businesses and schools shut and residents in high-rises ordered to evacuate as storm makes landfall on Guangdong coast
Fierce winds, pounding rain and high seas battered Hong Kong as Super Typhoon Ragasa headed into southern China after causing a lake to burst in Taiwan, killing at least 17 people.
Hong Kong experienced widespread damage on Wednesday, including fallen trees and flooding in many areas, with the storm surge smashing the glass doors of an upmarket hotel and flooding its lobby, according to footage circulating online.
Continue reading...The bodies of Hakyung Lee’s children were discovered inside suitcases bought at a storage unit auction in Auckland in August 2022
A mother accused of murdering her children and hiding their bodies in suitcases, in a case that has become known as New Zealand’s “suitcase murders”, has been found guilty by an Auckland court.
The bodies of Yuna Jo and Minu Jo, aged eight and six at the time of their deaths, were discovered inside suitcases bought at a storage unit auction in Auckland in August 2022. Authorities believed they had been dead for three to four years by the time their bodies were found.
Continue reading...Three charges against Duterte stem from his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups say killed thousands
International criminal court prosecutors have charged the former president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity over bloody campaigns carried out during his “war on drugs”.
A charge sheet, dated 4 July but made public on Monday, laid out accusations against the 80-year-old former leader, who has been in ICC detention in The Hague since March.
Continue reading...Minister for economic growth said visas for skilled and experienced migrants could help plug gaps in the workforce
New Zealand is making it easier for migrant workers to come and live in the country, in its latest attempt to bolster the workforce and economy.
Announcing two new residency pathways, the minister for economic growth, Nicola Willis, on Tuesday said skilled and experienced migrants could help plug gaps in the workforce.
Continue reading...Han Hak-ja, aged 82, is detained after Seoul court hearing over claims she told church officials to bribe wife of then president Yoon Suk Yeol
The 82-year-old leader of the Unification Church was arrested in South Korea early Tuesday as investigators probe allegations that the church bribed the wife of jailed former president Yoon Suk Yeol and a conservative lawmaker.
Han Hak-ja, the widow of the church’s South Korean founder, Sun Myung Moon, has denied allegations that she directed church officials to bribe Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, and the lawmaker.
Continue reading...