Category Archives: Asia Pacific

Japanese pupils want end to Covid ban on lunchtime chatter

Posted on by

After two years of eating in silence, survey by mother finds 90% of schoolchildren want to converse again

Most children in Japan long for a return to the days when they could chat to their classmates over lunch – a pleasure they have been denied during the coronavirus pandemic.

After well over two years of eating in near silence to prevent the spread of the airborne virus, schoolchildren say they want their classrooms to reverberate to more than the sound of cutlery and crockery at lunchtime.

Continue reading...

Symbolism or succession clues? Debut of Kim Jong-un’s daughter sparks speculation over North Korea’s future

Posted on by

Reveal of Ju Ae raises questions over whether Kim, who is in his 30s and has battled poor health, is starting to think about his successor

Kim Jong-un’s carefully crafted image as a man of the people, armed with nuclear weapons, came full circle at the weekend with his daughter’s surprise appearance at the launch of a long-range missile.

Images showing Kim holding the hand of the young girl eclipsed the test-firing of a Hwasong-17, the regime’s biggest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to date, and sparked speculation about the future of the dynasty that has ruled North Korea for more than seven decades.

Continue reading...

China holds talks on policing with Pacific island officials

Posted on by

Two countries said their police chiefs were unable to attend video meeting chaired by Chinese and Solomon Islands ministers

China said it held a video meeting to discuss police cooperation with a group of Pacific island nations on Tuesday, however at least two nations told Reuters their ministers and police commissioners had been unavailable to attend.

China’s attempt to strike a security and trade deal with 10 Pacific island nations in May fuelled concern in Washington and Canberra about Beijing’s military ambitions in the region, and prompted a boost in western aid.

Continue reading...

Indonesia earthquake: many of those killed were schoolchildren, says official

Posted on by

Death toll of Java quake rises to 268, with dozens of schools affected, as rescuers race against time to find survivors

The death toll from the earthquake that struck Indonesia’s main island of Java on Monday has risen to 268, and many of the dead are schoolchildren, officials have said as rescuers raced against time to find survivors.

The quake, centred in the Cianjur region of West Java province, struck at a shallow depth of 6.2 miles (10km), triggering landslides and damaging buildings, including tens of thousands of homes and dozens of schools.

Continue reading...

Japan begins inquiry into Unification church in wake of Shinzo Abe killing

Posted on by

Investigation will focus on church’s finance and organisation amid public dismay at extent of its links to ruling party

Japan’s government has launched an investigation into the Unification church, five months after the former prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead, allegedly by a man with a longstanding grudge against the group.

The probe, announced on Tuesday, will focus on the church’s finances and organisation, and could see it stripped of its legal status, media reports said.

Continue reading...

First refugees from Nauru to be resettled in New Zealand arrive nine years after deal offered

Posted on by

Six men who had been held in Australia’s offshore processing facilities for more than eight years arrive in Auckland

The first six refugees to be resettled in New Zealand from Australia’s offshore processing regime on Nauru have landed in Auckland.

The flight follows a resettlement deal first offered by New Zealand nine years – and three prime ministers – ago when it proposed taking 150 refugees from Australia’s offshore centres every year.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Dozens dead in factory fire in Chinese city of Anyang – state media

Posted on by

Fire broke out in district in Anyang city, in central China, at company specialising in industrial goods

Thirty-eight people have died after a fire at a company dealing in chemicals and other industrial goods in central China, local authorities said.

The fire broke out in Anyang city, in the central Henan Province about 4.30pm on Monday and it took firefighters about three-and-a-half hours to bring the blaze at the premises of Kaixinda Trading Co under control, the local Wenfang district government said.

Continue reading...

Beijing shuts parks and museums as China’s Covid cases rise

Posted on by

In China’s capital, cases have hit a record high, testing a recent government commitment to ease its zero-Covid policy

Beijing shut parks and museums on Tuesday, and more Chinese cities resumed mass testing for Covid-19, as China fights a fresh nationwide spike in cases that has deepened concerns about its economy.

China reported 28,127 new local cases nationally for Monday, nearing its daily infection peak in April, with cases in the southern city of Guangzhou and the southwestern municipality of Chongqing accounting for about half of the total. In the capital, Beijing, cases have hit a fresh record high, prompting calls for more residents to stay put.

Continue reading...

Buildings damaged and power lost after earthquakes hit Solomon Islands

Posted on by

First magnitude 7.0 earthquake briefly triggered tsunami warning and disrupted communications and radio services

Buildings were left damaged and widespread power outages reported in the Solomons Island capital, Honiara, after two earthquakes struck just off the south-west coast on Tuesday.

The first magnitude 7.0 earthquake briefly triggered a tsunami warning from the United States Geological Survey, but this warning was withdrawn soon after.

Continue reading...

Earthquake on Indonesia’s main island of Java kills at least 162 people

Posted on by

Rescue operation under way after magnitude-5.6 quake triggers landslides and causes buildings to collapse

At least 162 people have been killed after a magnitude-5.6 earthquake struck Indonesia’s main island of Java, triggering landslides and causing buildings to collapse.

The US Geological Survey said the quake, which struck late in the afternoon, was centred in the Cianjur region of West Java province at a depth of 6.2 miles (10km).

Continue reading...

Christie’s cancels T rex skeleton auction after doubts raised

Posted on by

Sale of 1,400kg skeleton withdrawn after New York Times reported claims of similarities to T rex sold in 2020

The British auction house Christie’s has been forced to call off the £20m auction of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton just days before it was due to go under the hammer after a well-known paleontologist raised concerns that parts of it looked similar to another dinosaur.

Christie’s said on Monday that the 1,400kg (3,100lb) skeleton – nicknamed Shen – had been withdrawn from the auction in Hong Kong on 30 November, when it was set to be the star lot.

Continue reading...

China accused of seizing rocket debris from Philippines navy in South China Sea dispute

Posted on by

Coast guard cut towing cable the Phillipines navy was using, say military officials, on eve of visit to region by Kamala Harris

China’s coast guard forcibly seized the suspected debris of a Chinese rocket that the Philippine navy was towing to its island in the South China Sea, Philippines military officials have said, in the latest confrontation in the disputed sea.

The Chinese vessel twice blocked the Philippine naval boat before seizing the floating debris it was towing on Sunday off Philippine-occupied Thitu island, Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos said on Monday. He said no one was injured in the incident.

Continue reading...

China reports first Covid deaths in six months as Beijing cases rise

Posted on by

Three people died in the capital over the weekend and officials have called for residents to avoid ‘non-imperative’ travel

China reported the deaths of three people in Beijing over the weekend as its first fatalities from Covid-19 in six months, with cases rising despite a stringent zero-Covid policy.

China is the last major economy still welded to a no-tolerance policy on the virus and has enforced snap lockdowns, mass testing and quarantines even as the rest of the world adjusts to living with Covid.

Continue reading...

Malaysia on verge of hung parliament for first time in history

Posted on by

Failure of one coalition to achieve simple majority in election could bring further political inertia as country faces slowing growth and rising inflation

Malaysia was facing a hung parliament for the first time in its history as support for a conservative Islamic alliance prevented major coalitions from winning a simple majority in a general election.

Without a clear winner, political uncertainty could persist as Malaysia faces slowing economic growth and rising inflation. It has had three prime ministers in as many years.

Continue reading...

Beloved giant panda given to Taiwan by China dies aged 18 after seizures

Posted on by

Tuan Tuan, gifted to Taiwan 14 years ago when relations were warmer, allowed to ‘continue to sleep’ after being anaesthetised

A panda given to Taiwan by China 14 years ago as a symbol of what were then warmer ties died on Saturday, after suffering seizures, Taipei zoo said.

Tuan Tuan and his breeding mate Yuan Yuan were given to Taiwan by Beijing in late 2008, at a time when relations between the two were more cordial.

Continue reading...

China and US renew commitment to tackling climate crisis but differences remain

Posted on by

Xie Zhenhua said he’d had ‘very constructive discussions’ with John Kerry at Cop27 but there’s no change on finance issues

China and the US have renewed their partnership to tackle the climate crisis, and are working closely and productively on ways of bringing down greenhouse gas emissions, China’s head of delegation has said.

The surprise news from Xie Zhenhua, who briefed a small group of journalists at the Cop27 UN climate summit in Egypt on Saturday, comes as a rare moment of progress amid a conference mired in stalemate and bitter fighting between developed and developing countries.

Continue reading...

Malaysia elections: opposition takes narrow early lead

Posted on by

Clear winner from three main contenders looks unlikely in first election since voting age lowered to 18

Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim took a narrow lead in Saturday’s general election, though he and his main contenders were far short of a simple majority needed to form the government, early results from the election commission showed.

The former premier Muhyiddin Yassin took an early close second, while the ruling coalition of the prime minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, put up the weakest showing among the three main contenders, losing ground in traditional strongholds, the results showed.

Continue reading...

Jacinda Ardern raises Taiwan with Xi Jinping at Apec meeting

Posted on by

New Zealand government statement says PM also asked president of China to help address North Korea tensions and Ukraine crisis

Jacinda Ardern has spoken with Xi Jinping about cooperation between New Zealand and China, while also raising areas of tension and warning that international norms that had benefited the two countries were “being tested”.

The New Zealand prime minister and the Chinese president met for about 50 minutes – running over the scheduled half hour – on the sidelines of the Apec summit in Bangkok. It was their first in-person meeting since 2019.

Continue reading...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reveals daughter at ballistic missile test

Posted on by

Pictures show dictator viewing an ICBM launch site with girl whose existence has never been confirmed before

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been pictured with his daughter for the first time in photographs showing the pair hand in hand inspecting the launch of the country’s largest ballistic missile.

North Korea test-fired a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday, state news agency KCNA reported on Saturday.

Continue reading...

EU reversal of stance on loss and damage turns the tables on China at Cop27

Posted on by

China is responsible for more cumulative emissions than any country other than the US

Late on Thursday night in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the Cop27 UN climate talks seemed stuck in an irretrievable logjam. Rich and poor countries had reached deadlock, a “breakdown between north and south”, according to the UN secretary general, António Guterres.

By Friday morning, the talks had been upended and the battleground dramatically redrawn, in a way it has not been in 30 years of these annual talks. At stake is the question of whether some of the world’s leading economies – countries such as China, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf petrostates, Russia and countries with high per capita income such as South Korea and Singapore – should start contributing for the first time to help the poorest and most vulnerable countries with the impacts of climate disaster.

Continue reading...