TOKYO (REUTERS) – The Japanese government overstated construction orders data received from builders for years, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday (Dec 15), an admission that could dent credibility of official statistics widely used by investors and economists. It was not clear why the government started the practice of rewriting the data. It is […]
SINGAPORE – Four men involved in a Telegram group linked to a notorious website that facilitates the sharing of lewd videos and images were arrested by the police, with one of them slapped with a prison sentence on Wednesday (Dec 15). Lincoln Anthony Fernandez was sentenced to eight weeks’ jail and given a fine of […]
BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) – China is urging solar companies to fight against trade policies from countries such as the United States and India that are creating challenges for the industry. Companies should use legal weapons to fight trade restrictions against solar products, while the industry should enhance its autonomy, resilience and credibility, Mr Wang Xin, deputy […]
HANOI (REUTERS) – A court in Vietnam jailed a journalist and prominent dissident for nine years on Tuesday (Dec 14) for anti-state activities, her lawyers and state media said, in a case that attracted the attention of international human rights groups. Pham Doan Trang, who published material widely on human rights and alleged police brutality […]
HONG KONG (REUTERS) – Britain has criticised China for its broadening use of a national security law in Hong Kong, detailing attacks on the city’s vaunted judiciary, civil society groups and foreign diplomats. “The erosion of liberty in Hong Kong is an affront to freedom and democracy,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in the publication […]
SEOUL (REUTERS) – South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum warned on Wednesday (Dec 15) that the government is considering reimposing strict distancing curbs, including a ban on gatherings and a curfew on dining in eateries. An official announcement is expected on Friday. South Korea reported 7,850 new Covid-19 cases for Tuesday, its highest daily total, as […]
HAMAMATSU, JAPAN (AFP) – Mr Tsuyoshi Hachisuka gently places skewered eel on a grill, preparing a much-loved Japanese delicacy that is now so endangered it commands eyewatering prices and the attention of international traffickers. Consumed worldwide, eel is particularly popular in Asia, and perhaps nowhere more so than Japan, where remains found in tombs show […]
SINGAPORE – The fact that three Workers’ Party leaders knew of former MP Raeesah Khan’s lie from Aug 8 would be “material information” that had to be disclosed to the party’s top leadership body only if they had – as she alleged – instructed her to take her lie to the grave, said Associate Professor Jamus […]
GENEVA (AFP) – The UN said on Tuesday (Dec 14) there were “credible allegations” of more than 100 extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in August, with most carried out by the country’s new rulers. United Nations deputy rights chief Nada Al-Nashif said she was deeply alarmed by continuing reports of such […]
HONG KONG (AFP) – Nearly 90,000 Hong Kongers have applied for resettlement in Britain under a new visa scheme offering a pathway to citizenship, London said Tuesday (Dec 14) as it issued a report condemning China’s crackdown on dissent in the former colony. Britain rolled out the visa scheme in January for more than five […]