Category Archives: Asia Pacific

Article 23: China hits back at criticism of Hong Kong’s hardline new security law

Posted on by

Beijing dismisses chorus of concern from western governments over punitive new law as slander

China has accused western governments and the United Nations of slander after they criticised Hong Kong’s new national security law, which was rushed through the city’s pro-Beijing parliament this week.

The law, known as Article 23, covers newly defined acts of treason, espionage, theft of state secrets, sedition and foreign interference. Critics said it was ushering in a “new era of authoritarianism”, would further erode the rights and freedoms of residents, and would scare off international business and investment.

Continue reading...

Indonesia election: losing candidate files court challenge after Prabowo Subianto victory

Posted on by

Anies Baswedan has refused to concede and alleges there were ‘many problems’ with the vote

Losing Indonesian presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has filed a legal case at the constitutional court to challenge the outcome of last month’s election, won overwhelmingly by defence minister Prabowo Subianto.

Anies, a former Jakarta governor, said the aim of the case was to ensure democracy was improved and said there were many problems with the election that needed to be corrected.

Continue reading...

MLB star Shohei Ohtani’s translator fired after allegations of ‘massive theft’

Posted on by
  • Ippei Mizuhara admits to have run up gambling debts
  • Ohtani is world’s most famous baseball player

The interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, the biggest star in baseball and one of the most famous people in Japan, has been fired after lawyers for the player said there had been a “massive theft” from the slugger’s account.

ESPN reported that several sources said Ippei Mizuhara had run up large debts to a Californian bookmaker. Initially a spokesperson for the player said Ohtani had transferred $4.5m to cover Mizuhara’s debts. But when ESPN asked further questions, the spokesperson backed away from their claim and said Ohtani’s lawyers would soon make a statement.

Continue reading...

Japanese baseball fans bid farewell to ‘lucky charm’ Colonel Sanders statue

Posted on by

Effigy recovered in 2009 after being thrown into Osaka river by jubilant fans but is in poor state and will be disposed of

A plastic statue of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s founder, Colonel Sanders, that was a lucky charm for superstitious Japanese baseball fans has been “disposed of” 15 years after being dredged out of an Osaka river.

Jubilant supporters of Osaka’s Hanshin Tigers, known for being Japan’s most passionate baseball fans, flung the effigy – and themselves – into the Dotonbori River in 1985 after winning Japan’s version of the World Series.

Continue reading...

Tighter security laws may sap yet more foreign investment from Hong Kong

Posted on by

Latest legislative crackdown on dissent and international collaboration likely to scare off some businesses, say critics

Hong Kong was once Asia’s world city, a global financial hub and business gateway to China. But the passage of new national security laws is the latest sign the door is closing.

On Tuesday, article 23 was unanimously passed by Hong Kong’s unicameral, opposition-free parliament. The law covers newly defined acts of treason, espionage, theft of state secrets, sedition and foreign interference.

Continue reading...

Eight dead after South Korean tanker capsizes off Japan

Posted on by

Coastguard says chemical tanker was carrying 980 tonnes of acrylic acid but no leaks reported

Eight people died after a South Korean-flagged tanker capsized in rough seas off Japan, the coastguard said.

“They were confirmed dead at a hospital,” a spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday. One other person was in a non-life-threatening condition while two others remained missing.

Continue reading...

Prosecutors drop element of ‘prejudicing Australia’s national security’ in charge against Alexander Csergo

Posted on by

Sydney businessman formally enters not guilty plea in court for charge of reckless foreign interference

A Sydney businessman accused of foreign interference over a series of reports he wrote for two Chinese nationals did not act in a way that “prejudiced Australia’s national security”, a court has heard.

Alexander Csergo, 56, has spent nearly a year in custody after he was arrested at his Bondi home last April and charged with one count of foreign interference.

Continue reading...

EU says Hong Kong’s new security law could affect its status as a business hub

Posted on by

European Union joins chorus of criticism of Article 23, which includes harsh new penalties for offences such as insurrection, sedition and espionage

The European Union has sounded the alarm over Hong Kong’s new national security bill, saying it had the potential to “significantly” affect the work of the EU’s office and the territory’s status as a business hub.

On Tuesday Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously passed the new bill only two weeks after it was first presented, fast-tracking a major piece of legislation that critics say further threatens the city’s freedoms.

Continue reading...

Australians ‘shocked’ at death sentence imposed on Yang Hengjun, Penny Wong tells Chinese counterpart

Posted on by

Foreign affairs minister says she raised concerns about China’s human rights record during meeting with Wang Yi, including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong

The Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has told her visiting Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, that Australians are “shocked” at the suspended death sentence imposed on the writer Dr Yang Hengjun.

Wong raised the Australian citizen’s case – along with human rights more broadly – during a meeting that was largely aimed at stabilising the previously turbulent relationship with Australia’s largest trading partner.

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

Continue reading...

Cambodian prime minister bans musical vehicle horns to deter dancing

Posted on by

Police told to rip out tune-playing horns and replace them with standard ones after young people seen dancing to passing lorries

The Cambodian prime minister, Hun Manet, has ordered a ban on musical vehicle horns after videos posted on social media showed people dancing on roads and roadsides as passing lorries blasted rhythmic little tunes.

Hun Manet, who last year took over from his father, Hun Sen – who led Cambodia for 38 years, called on the ministry of public works and transportation and police across the country to immediately take action against any vehicle whose normal horn has been replaced by a tune-playing one by ripping it out and restoring the standard honking type.

Continue reading...

Shohei Ohtani: a Japanese baseball star so loved even Koreans flock to him

Posted on by

The Japanese star is considered one of the most talented players in history. Now he finds himself in an unfamiliar role as a cultural ambassador

The sport is American, the venue South Korean. But when the LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres open the Major League Baseball season with two games in Seoul this week, all eyes will be on a Japanese superstar: Shohei Ohtani.

It says much about Ohtani’s singular appeal that South Korean baseball fans are as excited about his imminent presence in the batter’s box at Gocheok Sky Dome as his legions of admirers in Japan.

The Associated Press contributed reporting

Continue reading...

Hong Kong lawmakers pass new measures to quash dissent

Posted on by

Critics say national security law cracking down on offences such as insurrection will further erode civil liberties

Hong Kong’s parliament has passed a controversial national security law granting the government more power to quash dissent, widely seen as the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown triggered by pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Critics of the safeguarding national security law, also known as article 23, say it will further erode the city’s rights and freedoms and usher in a new era of authoritarianism.

Continue reading...

Killing of teenager in China sparks debate about ‘left behind’ children

Posted on by

Death of 13-year-old boy has put spotlight on juvenile crime and the plight of children left behind by rural migrant workers

The killing of a 13-year-old boy in northern China last week, for which three boys are in police custody, has triggered a heated discussion in the media on juvenile crime and the plight of children left at home by migrant workers.

Police arrested three boys and took them into custody after they allegedly bullied and killed the junior high school student in the small city of Handan, in Hebei province, on 10 March, and then buried him in a shallow pit, state media reported. So far, no charges have been laid.

Continue reading...

Indonesia fishing village flooded with tide of rubbish after heavy rains

Posted on by

Teluk has one of country’s dirtiest beaches and the problem has worsened due to weather

An Indonesian fishing village has been inundated with tonnes of rubbish after recent heavy rains resulted in stronger tides.

Teluk, in the Indonesian province of Banten on the western edge of Java island, has one of the country’s dirtiest beaches. But the arrival of tonnes of rubbish on the shore has shocked residents.

Continue reading...

World’s largest solar manufacturer to cut one-third of workforce

Posted on by

China’s Longi looks to slash costs as renewable energy sector faces tough headwinds from inflation

The world’s largest solar manufacturer has slashed nearly a third of its workforce after a cost-cutting drive that included telling staff to only print in black and white fell short and as a chill ripples through the renewable energy sector.

China’s Longi is to cut as much as 30% of its workforce, in an acceleration of cost reductions that began late last year, Bloomberg reported.

Continue reading...

Tuvalu prime minister calls on Australia for sovereignty ‘guarantees’ over treaty

Posted on by

Feleti Teo tells the Guardian Tuvaluans fear last year’s treaty may give Australia too much say over the Pacific nation’s security

Tuvalu’s new prime minister, Feleti Teo, wants “guarantees” from Canberra that a landmark treaty with Australia will not undermine his country’s sovereignty.

Teo, who was appointed leader last month, told the Guardian a controversial security clause in the Falepili Union treaty has led to fears among Tuvaluans that Australia “might encroach on Tuvalu’s sovereignty”.

Continue reading...

Hong Kong court jails 12 for storming parliament in pro-democracy protests

Posted on by

Sentences of nearly seven years handed down over 2019 action that was pivotal moment in uprising against Chinese rule

A Hong Kong court has sentenced 12 people to jail terms of up to seven years over the storming of the city’s legislature in 2019 at the height of pro-democracy protests that challenged the Beijing-backed government.

It was the most violent episode in the initial stage of the huge protests that upended the city that year, with Beijing later imposing a sweeping national security law to snuff out dissent.

Continue reading...

Apple to pay $490m to settle claims it misled investors over sales in China

Posted on by

Company denied that Tim Cook deceived investors when he said iPhone sales were strong weeks before revenue warning

Apple has agreed to pay $490m to settle a class-action lawsuit led by the UK’s Norfolk county council.

The class action alleged chief executive Tim Cook misled investors about a steep downturn in iPhone’s sales in China that culminated in a jarring revision to the company’s revenue forecast.

Continue reading...

Squid Game actor O Yeong-su convicted of sexual harassment

Posted on by

The 79-year-old actor who won a Golden Glove for his role as Oh II-nam on the hit Netflix show has been handed a suspended prison sentence

South Korean actor O Yeong-su, who starred in the first season of the hit Netflix series Squid Game, was convicted on Friday on charges of sexual harassment and handed a suspended prison sentence, a court official said.

The Seongnam branch of the Suwon district court sentenced O to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, as well as 40 hours of attendance at a sexual violence treatment programme, the court official said by telephone.

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html.

Continue reading...

Boeing cockpit seat switch mishap reportedly led to Latam flight incident

Posted on by

New scrutiny of planemaker’s 787 Dreamliner over terrifying drop adds to safety crisis after cabin panel blowout on 737 Max 9 jet

Another Boeing jet is facing scrutiny after the planemaker reportedly told airlines to check the cockpit seats of 787 Dreamliners following a terrifying drop during a flight from Sydney to Auckland.

Dozens of people on Latam Airlines Flight 800 were said to have been hurt this week when the plane fell sharply, throwing passengers around the cabin.

Continue reading...