The Philippines blamed Chinese fishermen on Monday for a massive loss of giant clams in a disputed shoal controlled by China’s coast guard in the South China Sea and urged an international inquiry into the amount of environmental damage in the area. The Philippine coast guard presented surveillance photographs of Chinese fishermen harvesting large numbers of giant clams for a …
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Philippine mayor accused of acting as Chinese asset amid investigation, tensions
A Philippine mayor faces accusations of acting as a Chinese asset amid a growing territorial dispute between the two countries. “No one knows her. We wonder where she came from. That’s why we are investigating this, together with the Bureau of Immigration, because of the questions about her citizenship,” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos told reporters this week. Alice Guo, the …
Read More »Lawmakers brawl as Taiwan's parliament descends into chaos
Taiwan’s parliament descended into a brawl on Friday as lawmakers disagreed over reforms in the chamber. Video of the melee appeared to show punches being thrown, a curtain in the chamber being ripped and a lawmaker who was crawling over other members falling on his head. He was rushed to the hospital. The fight came just days before the country’s …
Read More »Pakistan's military conducts successful test-fire of newly developed rocket system, army says
Pakistan’s military said it successfully test-fired Wednesday a short-range, indigenously developed rocket system meant to boost its ability to deter any offensive action from archenemy and neighbor India. According to a military statement, the Fatah-II Guided Rocket System has a range of 240 miles. It also has a state-of-the-art navigation system, unique trajectory, and maneuverable features. PAKISTAN, US DISCUSS HOW …
Read More »Singapore's new prime minister to be sworn in, marking end of Lee dynasty
Singapore’s deputy leader Lawrence Wong is set to be sworn in Wednesday as the nation’s fourth prime minister in a carefully planned political succession designed to ensure continuity and stability in the Asian financial hub. A U.S.-trained economist, Wong, 51, succeeds Lee Hsien Loong, 72, who stepped down after two decades at the helm. Lee’s resignation marked the end of …
Read More »Thai PM orders investigation after monarchy reform activist died in prison
Thailand’s prime minister on Wednesday offered his condolences to the family of a young activist who died in detention after a monthslong hunger strike, amid a public debate on the country’s justice system. Netiporn “Bung” Sanesangkhom, 28, died on Tuesday after suffering cardiac arrest while she was being detained at Bangkok’s Central Women’s Correctional Institution on charges that included defaming …
Read More »China's military monitors route taken by Filipino activists sailing toward disputed shoal
Chinese coast guard ships shadowed a group of Filipino activists and fishermen sailing on wooden boats toward a disputed shoal in the South China Sea which Beijing has fiercely guarded from what it regards as intruders. The Philippine coast guard deployed three patrol ships and a light plane to keep watch from a distance on the group of about 100 …
Read More »After dozens die in floods, Indonesia seeds clouds to block rainfall
Indonesian authorities seeded clouds on Wednesday, trying to prevent further rain and flash floods after deluges that hit the country’s Sumatra Island over the weekend left at least 59 people dead and another 16 missing. Monsoon rains triggered a landslide of mud and cold lava from Mount Marapi, eventually causing rivers to breach their banks. The deluge tore through mountainside …
Read More »Sumatran tiger on the loose, believed to have killed man in Indonesia
The hunt is underway for a Sumatran tiger believed to have attacked a man in western Indonesia, killing him.The victim was identified by CBS News as being 26 years old. He was found dead at a plantation in the Riau province on Sumatra island on Thursday afternoon with a missing right hand and bite wounds on his neck. Local authorities …
Read More »52 confirmed dead, 20 missing after flash floods devastate Indonesia’s Sumatra Island
Rescuers on Tuesday searched in rivers and the rubble of devastated villages for bodies, and whenever possible survivors, of flash floods that hit Indonesia’s Sumatra Island over the weekend. Monsoon rains and a landslide of mud and cold lava from Mount Marapi caused rivers to breach their banks. The deluge tore through mountainside villages in four districts in West Sumatra …
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