Category Archives: Asia Pacific

Healthier rice variety could counter rise in diabetes, Philippine scientists say

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Researchers develop grain with lower glycaemic index and more protein that ‘could have big impact in Asia and Africa’

Scientists in the Philippines have created a new variety of rice that could help reduce the growing burden of diabetes.

More than 537 million adults worldwide are living with the chronic disease – a number that is expected to grow to 783 million by 2045. Being overweight, genetics and a lack of exercise contribute to type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form. Type 2 occurs when the pancreas fails to produce enough of the insulin hormone, leaving too much glucose in the blood, and cells develop a resistance to insulin.

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Top Chinese economist disappears after criticising Xi Jinping in private chat – report

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Zhu Hengpeng, who worked for an influential government thinktank, has reportedly not been seen in public since making disparaging remarks on WeChat

A leading Chinese economist at a government thinktank has reportedly disappeared after being disciplined for criticising Xi Jinping in a private chat group.

Zhu Hengpeng, 55, is believed to have made disparaging remarks about China’s economy, and potentially about the Chinese leader specifically, in a private WeChat group. Zhu was subsequently detained in April and put under investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal which cited anonymous sources.

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New ghost shark species with unusually long nose discovered in deep seas off New Zealand

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The narrow-nosed spookfish is also found in Australian waters and is distinctive for its elongated snout and whip-like tail

A new species of ghost shark, with an unusually long nose and a whip-like tail, has been discovered in the inky depths of New Zealand waters.

Scientists at New Zealand’s National Institute for Water and Atmospherics (Niwa) initially believed the creature was part of an existing species found around the world, but further investigation revealed it was new, genetically distinct, species.

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China unleashes boldest stimulus in years to boost ailing economy

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The People’s Bank of China announces a host of policy support measures but some experts fear they may not be enough

China’s central bank unveiled its strongest suite of economic stimulus measures since the start of the Covid pandemic, underlining the difficulty it faces in reviving an economy grappling with a prolonged property crisis and strong deflationary pressures.

Governor Pan Gongsheng said the People’s Bank of China will cut the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves – known as reserve requirement ratios (RRR) – by 50 basis points. The People’s Bank of China will also cut a key policy rate by 0.2 percentage points to 1.5%.

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Old tensions in New Caledonia: curfews and colonialism resurface on anniversary of French takeover

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Police stationed across territory and curfews tightened over concern of new outbreaks of violence after months of deadly unrest

New Caledonia was on edge on Tuesday, with fears tensions could spill over into fresh unrest as the territory marked the anniversary of the French takeover – and some independence figures prepared to issue calls for sovereignty.

September 24 is a symbolic day in New Caledonia, long regarded as a day of mourning among the Indigenous Kanak population. This year the anniversary comes after months of deadly unrest and heightened tensions in the French Pacific territory between pro-independence Kanak people and the communities loyal to Paris.

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Michael Kovrig: detention by China amounted to psychological torture, Canadian says

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Former diplomat Michael Kovrig, who was taken into custody in December 2018, says he spent months in solitary confinement and was interrogated daily

A former Canadian diplomat detained by China for more than 1,000 days said he was placed in solitary confinement for months and interrogated for up to nine hours every day, treatment he said amounted to psychological torture.

Michael Kovrig, speaking to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp in his first major interview since his release, also said he had missed the birth of his daughter and met her for the first time when she was two-and-a half years old.

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Viral South Korean Olympic shooter Kim Yeji scores first acting role – as an assassin

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  • Pistol shooter’s coolness shot her to prominence in Paris
  • Kim will play a killer in upcoming short-form series

South Korean pistol shooter Kim Yeji, whose skill and nonchalance won the internet at the Paris Olympics, has landed her first acting role – as an assassin.

The 32-year-old took silver in the women’s 10m air pistol in July and her ultra-calm demeanour, combined with her wire-rimmed shooting glasses and baseball cap, turned her into a worldwide online sensation.

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Weather tracker: Extensive flooding in Japan after ‘unprecedented’ rainfall

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One dead and several missing as ‘life-threatening situation’ declared in earthquake-hit Ishikawa prefecture

Heavy rain caused extensive flooding in central Japan over the weekend, with at least one person reported dead and several more unaccounted for.

Officials said “unprecedented” rainfall generated floods and landslides in Ishikawa prefecture, where a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake on New Year’s Day killed more than 200 people. The Japan meteorological agency issued its highest-level warning for Ishikawa, advising of a “life-threatening situation”.

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Japan floods: six dead after rain pounds region still recovering from earthquake

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Floods inundated emergency housing built for those who lost their homes in an earthquake that hit Ishikawa on the Sea of Japan coast in January

At least six people have died and 10 others are missing after heavy rain triggered flooding and landslides along a peninsula in Japan that is still recovering from a deadly earthquake at the start of the year.

Public broadcaster NHK and other outlets said on Monday that six people had been confirmed dead, while the Kyodo news agency said more than 100 communities had been cut off by blocked roads after almost two dozen rivers burst their banks.

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AFL stars walk Brownlow medal red carpet – as it happened

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This blog is now closed

Gallagher says government ‘not going to be threatened’ by Greens on RBA reform

Host Patricia Karvelas:

The two groups you need talking to you are not going to deliver what you’ve asked, so [the RBA reforms are] essentially dead. I mean, you might be keeping them on the table, but no one’s picking up what you’ve got on the table.

Well, we remain committed to them, PK, and you know if – and I would say the more likely path is if Peter Dutton stops being stubborn and engages with us – there is a way through on this. I don’t know why they have dealt themselves out on this…

They know this is good, sensible policy, and I would urge them to reconsider their opinion, their position, because we’re not going to go around being threatened, having the finger wave by Nick McKim saying that the government should rip up the way the bank the fiscal and monetary policy systems have worked in this country very successfully without political interference on the monetary policy side for decades.

Well, I just think the Greens are out of control at the moment, full of self importance and out seeking populist approach to everything. It’s crazy what they’re saying to us.

So if that’s their ultimatum – and you know, it’s a bit unseemly, Nick McKim going around issuing ultimatums – you know, no, we won’t work with that, because that is crazy. It’s economically irresponsible, and we won’t do it.

They remain on the table. We’re pretty keen on them. So is the bank, and we certainly thought that the Reserve Bank support for these reforms would sway the Liberal Party… The treasurer has been working with the shadow treasurer closely on it, but they’ve dealt themselves out, for whatever reason…

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Māori language ‘at risk’ as a result of government policies, commissioner says

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Prof Rawinia Higgins tells the Guardian that te reo Māori is under threat from the rightwing coalition despite long-running efforts to revive it

New Zealand’s Māori language commissioner has described government policies to limit the use of the Indigenous language in the public service as “a risk” to the half-century effort to revive it.

“Any affront to the efforts that we have been making has to be taken seriously,” the commissioner, Prof Rawinia Higgins, told the Guardian. “We’re seeing a reaction – only from a small corner of people, but enough that we don’t want that to snowball.”

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China ‘testing us’ across the region, Biden tells leaders at Quad summit

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US president is recorded on hot mic singling out Beijing, saying it ‘continues to behave aggressively’ in areas including the South China Sea

Joe Biden has been recorded on a hot mic telling the leaders of Australia, India and Japan that an aggressive China is “testing us”, in remarks at a Quad summit that risked undercutting the group’s declaration that carefully avoided referring to Beijing by name.

The comments came as Biden opened a farewell summit in his home town of Wilmington, Delaware, with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida and Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese.

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Heavy rain triggers landslides and floods in northern Japan

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One person dead and several missing after deluge in Noto, still recovering from 1 January earthquake

Heavy rain pounded Japan’s north-central Noto region, triggering landslides and floods and leaving one person dead and several missing, officials have said.

The deluges caused swollen rivers to overflow, flooding homes and leaving some people stranded in a region still recovering from the deadly 1 January earthquake.

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US soldier Travis King sentenced for desertion after fleeing into North Korea

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Private was sentenced to 12 months of confinement and dishonourably discharged from army but has been released because of time already served

A US soldier who fled into North Korea last year has been sentenced to 12 months of confinement after pleading guilty to desertion as part of a plea agreement, his lawyer has said.

Because of good behaviour and time served, the soldier was released, the lawyer, Franklin Rosenblatt, said on Friday.

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Weather tracker: Shanghai hit by its ‘strongest typhoon in 75 years’

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More than 400,000 people evacuated, hundreds of flights cancelled and many roads shut due to flooding and winds

Typhoon Bebinca struck the east coast of China this week, making landfall near Shanghai, a city of almost 30 million people, on Monday. Bebinca developed into a typhoon to the east of the southern Japan islands late last week, before traveling westwards through the East China Sea and making landfall in Shanghai at approximately 7.30am local time (00.30BST).

The Chinese media say it is the strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai in 75 years. Wind speeds were reported to have reached just over 150km/h (about 94mph), making it equivalent to a category 1 hurricane, albeit just shy of a category 2 in strength. Before Bebinca, Shanghai had been hit directly by only two typhoons, one in 1949 and another in 2022, as they usually track further south.

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Tokyo demands answers over fatal stabbing of 10-year-old Japanese boy in China

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It is unclear if the suspect targeted the boy because he was Japanese, but there is concern that the incident could trigger a further deterioration in ties

Japan’s foreign minister, Yoko Kamikawa, has described as “despicable” the alleged killing in China of a 10-year-old Japanese boy and demanded that Chinese authorities do everything possible to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals living in the country.

The boy, who has not been named by Japanese media, died on Thursday, a day after he was allegedly stabbed about 200 metres from his school in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

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Australians stranded on Kokoda track resume walk after protests shut down sections

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Naoro village residents block sections of track and demand Papua New Guinea government release funds long promised for community projects

Australians walking the Kokoda track have had treks cancelled while others have been stalled for long periods on the historic route as protests by landowners closed sections of the trail.

A group of 64 walkers, including 52 Australians, were left stranded on Monday after frustrated landowners from Naoro village blocked off the track, demanding the Papua New Guinea government release funds earmarked for community livelihood development projects.

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Thai woman rescued after two hours trapped in four-metre python’s coils

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Arom Arunroj, 64, said she was doing the washing-up at about 8.30pm when the 20kg snake attacked her

A Thai woman has described being trapped in the coils of a 20kg (44lb) python for about two hours in her home before rescuers were able to free her.

Arom Arunroj, 64, was bitten several times by the snake, which had entered her home in Samut Prakan, a province south of Bangkok. She said she had been doing the washing-up at about 8.30pm when she suddenly felt something biting her leg. “I looked at it, and it was a snake,” she said in an interview broadcast on Thai media.

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West Papua rebels propose terms for release of New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens

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Announcement comes hours after rebels said the Indonesian army had bombed its headquarters where Mehrtens is being kept

Rebels in Indonesia’s West Papua region have proposed terms for the release of the New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens a year and seven months after he was detained.

It comes hours after the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) released a statement saying the Indonesian army bombed its headquarters in Alguru, which is where Mehrtens is being kept. The statement also said Mehrtens “survived the attack”.

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Planned Shein IPO needs closer scrutiny, says former Labour minister

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Trade committee head Liam Byrne wants checks on firm’s possible supply chain links to forced labour

A former minister has called on the government to closely scrutinise Shein for possible links to forced working as the China-founded fast-fashion retailer prepares for a stock market listing in London.

Liam Byrne, the Labour MP who heads parliament’s business and trade committee, said the UK should introduce new legislation to increase scrutiny of supply chains that may include products made in the Xinjiang region of north-western China.

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