JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – United States President Donald Trump’s Dec 31, 2018 signing of the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA) is a robust statement of America’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific and should be applauded. It is also well-timed amid the various challenges and opportunities that Asia provides to the US. Detractors of the […]
MANILA — A proposed law making its way through the Philippine Congress would consider children as young as 9 criminally responsible for their actions, drawing fierce opposition from rights advocates and opponents of President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly antidrug campaign. The justice panel in the House of Representatives hurriedly approved amendments on Monday to the country’s […]
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (AFP) – South Korea is seeking to recover the remains of an independence activist who assassinated Japan’s top colonial official to mark a key anniversary, potentially exacerbating historical disputes between the neighbours. South Korea and Japan are both US allies, democracies and market economies faced with an overbearing China and nuclear-armed North […]
Want to know Asia in detail? We bring you independent, insider insights on Asia through our vast network of overseas correspondents and veteran writers, who’ve been following the region for decades. We’ve been building this network over the years from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Indo-China region in South-east Asia, to China, Hong Kong, Japan and […]
TOKYO (AFP) – Japan’s omnipresent convenience stores are preparing to stop selling pornographic magazines before waves of tourists visit the nation for the Olympic Games and the Rugby World Cup. Industry leader 7-Eleven said on Tuesday (Jan 22) it would phase out sales of “adult” magazines by this summer, just ahead of the world rugby […]
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — When President Trump started the new year by suspending billions of dollars of security aid to Pakistan, one theory was that it would scare the Pakistani military into cooperating better with its American allies. The reality was that Pakistan already had a replacement sponsor lined up. Just two weeks later, the Pakistani […]
BEIJING (Reuters) – Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) has signed a preliminary agreement with China’s Tianjin Lishen to supply batteries for its new Shanghai car factory, as it aims to cut its reliance on Japan’s Panasonic (6752.T), two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. The companies had yet to reach a decision on how large […]
A Taiwanese hiker known for posting bikini clad photos from her summits has died after falling into a ravine during a solo trek. Gigi Wu managed to contact emergency services but bad weather delayed rescue operations, local media reports say. The 36-year-old is thought to have died of hypothermia. She was a popular figures on […]
SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) – A surprising rally for China’s yuan over the turn of the year has been cut short by widespread expectations that Beijing will ramp up policy easing in coming months to avert a sharper economic slowdown. The yuan CNY=CFXS has retreated to the weaker side of 6.8 per dollar this week, but […]
SINGAPORE (REUTERS) – An earthquake of magnitude 6 struck south of the city of Raba on Indonesia’s central island of Sumbawa on Tuesday (Jan 22), the US Geological Survey said. There was no immediate tsunami warning or reports of damage or casualties from the quake, which hit at a depth of 25km about 219km south […]