Rescue efforts have begun in Japan following Typhoon Hagibis, which flooded Tokyo and surrounding areas and left at least 25 dead and 15 missing.
Hagibis, one of the strongest storms to hit Japan in decades, made landfall south of Tokyo on Saturday evening and moved northward. It brought torrential rain and ferocious winds, causing widespread damage
The deadly virus wreaking havoc in Asia has been detected in Timor-Leste, just 680km north of Darwin
One month ago a particularly virulent strain of African swine fever – which has been wreaking havoc in Asia since it was detected in China last year and could potentially kill up to 25% of the world’s pig population – landed on Australia’s doorstep.
The disease was detected just 680km north of Darwin, in Timor-Leste. Australian biosecurity agencies which had been screening major airports and mail distributors for illegally imported pork products redoubled their efforts.
Continue reading...Petrol bomb thrown at metro station and government offices vandalised as unrest continues
Thousands of protesters are continuing to defy a ban on wearing masks in Hong Kong as clashes have again taken place between demonstrators and authorities.
A petrol bomb was thrown at the gate of a metro station, and two government offices and a cafe were vandalised, although the mood on Saturday was less tense than at recent protests because police had not used teargas or shot at demonstrators.
Continue reading...Tokyo braced for arrival of storm and up to 60cm of rain as flights and trains cancelled
More than 1 million people in Japan have been ordered to leave their homes as Typhoon Hagibis bears down on Tokyo, having already caused power outages, flooding and widespread travel disruption.
The storm is 870 miles (1,400km) wide, with winds of 100mph (162km/h) at its centre and gusts of up to 134mph. Hagibis is being compared to a typhoon in 1958 that killed 1,200 people and caused destruction across the Tokyo area and Shizuoka prefecture.
Continue reading...Japan has been engulfed by heavy rain and strong winds as what is feared to be the worst storm for six decades batters the country and approaches Tokyo. Rivers swelled, boats flipped over and seas were whipped up by Typhoon Hagibis. The storm is expected to hit the capital later on Saturday
Continue reading...Kevin Rudd is among a coalition of former leaders who have urged the US and China to settle their differences
The ongoing trade war between the US and China, with its associated decoupling of the two powerhouse economies, was a step in the direction of a new cold war, a coalition of former world leaders has warned.
Writing on behalf of the global leadership foundation in an opinion piece published in the New York Times overnight, former prime ministers Kevin Rudd of Australia, Helen Clark of New Zealand and Carl Bildt of Sweden have urged presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to end their trade dispute for the sake of the world at large.
Continue reading...Hong Kong officials say a third of 2,379 protesters arrested during four months of protests are under 18
Hong Kong officials have revealed that 750 of the protesters arrested during four months of unrest are children, sparking outrage in the city, as anger continues to grow over the government’s increasingly hardline measures against demonstrators.
The semi-autonomous city’s number two official Matthew Cheung said at a press conference on Thursday it was “shocking and heartbreaking” that 750 out of the 2,379 people arrested – or nearly a third – since June were under 18, and 104 were under 16.
Continue reading...Tokyo police say fan zoomed in on singer’s selfie to find her local train station
Police have charged a man in Tokyo with assaulting a pop star, saying he tracked her down through the reflection in her eyes on a selfie she posted, according to local media reports.
The suspect, who described himself as a fan of the woman, was able to analyse clues about her whereabouts from images the woman posted to her social media, police said. In one selfie, a train station sign was reflected in her eyes.
Continue reading...Sport is a serious business. Ping-pong diplomacy sped US detente with China; Richard Nixon followed the path of American table tennis players. Now some joke that basketball could yet spell the end for bilateral relations, as Beijing seeks to punish the NBA over comments on the protests in Hong Kong and US politicians hit back at the league’s attempts to appease.
China’s use of economic power for political purposes has rarely been quite so visible. It began when the general manager of the Houston Rockets sent a tweet including the words “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong” – where authorities are cracking down harder than ever on the four-month anti-government movement and violence is growing. The team’s Chinese sponsors and partners cut ties. Matters soon spiralled.
Continue reading...China’s vice-premier, Liu He, to lead delegation in 13th round of talks as Trump tweets: ‘They want to make a deal, but do I?’
Donald Trump will meet China’s negotiating team at the White House on Friday for the latest round of talks aimed at ending a 15-month trade battle that is weighing on the global economy.
“Big day of negotiations with China. They want to make a deal, but do I?” the president tweeted. On Wall Street stocks moved higher on hopes that there would be a breakthrough in the dispute.
Continue reading...More than 50 men, including Benham Satah, who witnessed murder of Reza Barati, have been held for two months
Asylum seekers who have been approved for medevac transfers to Australia are among 52 men who have been locked up in Port Moresby detention without access to phones or lawyers for the past two months.
Among those detained is Benham Satah, the Kurdish Iranian man who witnessed the murder of Reza Barati in 2014, and who was allegedly about to be transferred to Australia for care.
Continue reading...State media says ‘poisonous’ app made Apple an accomplice in the Hong Kong protests
China’s state media has accused Apple of endorsing and protecting “rioters” in Hong Kong’s increasingly violent protests by listing an app on its app store that tracks the movement of police in the city.
The condemnation, by the People’s Daily, a Chinese Communist party mouthpiece, appears to be China’s latest move to pressure foreign companies to toe the line after its state TV and Chinese companies cancelled collaboration with the US National Basketball Association over comments by a team official in support of Hong Kong’s protests.
Continue reading...Thailand’s Chiang Mai zoo was blamed for the death of Chuang Chuang in September, causing a panda diplomacy row
Thailand’s Chiang Mai zoo has been exonerated in a panda diplomacy row after autopsy results revealed that a celebrity panda that had been loaned to the zoo by China, died of heart failure and not from neglect or foul play.
The sudden death of Chuang Chuang, this September sparked outrage in China, where social media users blamed the Thai zoo for his death, suggesting it was caused by neglect or careless feeding.
Continue reading...Facetious statement comes after reports that show was banned in China after episode critical of the country
South Park’s creators have responded with a mock apology to reports that China has censored the programme, ridiculing the country and comparing President Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh.
The “apology” from Trey Parker and Matt Stone comes after reports on Monday that China had scrubbed all episodes, clips and content related to the long-running comedy cartoon from Chinese streaming and social media platforms in response to a recent episode that was critical of the country.
Continue reading...Man and woman, arrested on Sunday, appeared in court after arrest for illegally covering their faces
Crowds clashed with police across Hong Kong in the fourth day of protests against an anti-mask law that the government claimed was needed to stop violence but critics say is a dangerous assault on civil rights.
Hong Kong authorities brought the first charges under a new anti-mask law earlier on Monday, as the city slowly recovered from a weekend of protests against the ban that turned violent, leaving a trail of destruction and shuttered metro stations.
Continue reading...Masked protesters streamed onto the streets of Hong Kong over the weekend after the city’s embattled leader, Carrie Lam, employed colonial-era emergency powers to outlaw face coverings at protests. Demonstrators defied the emergency regulation that came into force on Saturday, displaying their creativity with a huge variety of masks. The city, meanwhile, ground to a halt. The subway was suspended and swathes of shops and malls shuttered following yet more violence on both sides.
Continue reading...Wildlife officials in Thailand have discovered the carcasses of five more wild elephants downstream from a waterfall where the bodies of six other elephants were found on Saturday.
The animals were originally thought to have died while trying to save each other after falling into a waterfall at Khao Yai national park, but a drone being used to investigate the deaths later identified five further carcasses, including that of a three-year-old calf.
Only two elephants in the herd are known to have survived the fall at the 200-metre-high Haew Narok waterfall in Thailand's mountainous north-east
Continue reading...Demonstrators in Hong Kong wore face masks on Sunday in defiance of a new law imposed after the government invoked colonial-era emergency powers. Protesters, who could face a year in prison for hiding their faces, threw teargas canisters back at police as tens of thousands marched through central Hong Kong
Continue reading...Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un exchange compliments as their countries mark 70 years of diplomatic relations
Xi Jinping has promised to promote a “long-term, sound and stable” relationship with North Korea as the two countries mark 70 years of diplomatic relations.
North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, also sent a message to the Chinese president, saying their countries’ “invincible friendship will be immortal on the road of accomplishing the cause of socialism,” said Pyongyang’s state news agency KCNA on Sunday.
Continue reading...Incident reportedly happened after baby elephant slipped over falls
Six wild elephants have died while trying to save each other after falling into a waterfall at the Khao Yai National Park in Thailand.
Two others were saved during the incident on Saturday at the Haew Narok waterfall in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, officials said.
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