TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s industrial output contracted in November and partially reversed the previous month’s gain, while retail sales slowed sharply as increasing global risks drag on demand and threaten the country’s export-reliant economy. The 1.1 percent month-on-month fall, pressured by a pullback in production of general purpose machinery, compared with a median market forecast […]
HIVARGAON/MUJAHIDPUR, INDIA (REUTERS) – A spike in the price of onions has led to the ouster of governments in Indian elections in the past. Now, prices of the staple have collapsed, and many impoverished farmers are saying they will make Prime Minister Narendra Modi pay in next year’s general election. Steep drops in recent weeks in […]
BEIJING/TIANJIN (XINHUA) – Construction of a traffic network surrounding Beijing’s new airport on the southern outskirts has gained momentum before the aviation hub is scheduled to start test operations by September next year. A subway linking Beijing’s urban districts with the airport, Beijing Daxing International Airport, is under construction, while a high-speed railway will be […]
MUMBAI (REUTERS) – A middle-aged Indian woman attacked her alleged stalker and cut off his genitals before rushing him to hospital to save his life, police said on Thursday (Dec 27). The accused woman on Tuesday asked two men to lure the 25-year-old to an isolated place in the suburbs of Mumbai where the three […]
BANGKOK (AFP) – A graft probe into the luxury watch collection of Thailand’s junta No. 2 was dropped on Thursday (Dec 27), sparking the ire of the public and political opponents of the military. The country’s anti-corruption agency cited “no grounds” for an investigation into the scandal surrounding Prawit Wongsuwan’s penchant for pricey timepieces, which captivated […]
SINGAPORE – When Mr Kevin Ang first assumed the post of principal at Bukit View Secondary School in October this year, he found its culture, history and traditions unfamiliar. But the school’s vision – to be a “dynamic institution that adds value to all” – struck a chord with him. “It aligns with my personal […]
BEIJING (Reuters) – The Chinese commerce ministry said on Thursday that China and the United States have made plans for a face-to-face meeting over trade in January. Consultations through “intensive” telephone calls will continue in the meantime, Gao Feng, spokesman at the commerce ministry, told reporters. Consultations have been steadily moving forward despite the Christmas […]
The alert level for Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano has been raised to the second highest level possible, after a series of eruptions. All flights around the volcano have been rerouted and a 5km exclusion zone has also been imposed. Indonesia’s disaster management agency (BNPB) said the alert level had been raised from level two to […]
JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Just four days after the tsunami devastated homes in Serang in the Indonesian province of Banten, floodwater engulfed two villages in the regency on Wednesday (Dec 26), inundating about 200 homes and displacing 1,818 people. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) attributed the 1m-deep floodwater to the Cikalumpang […]
Japan will resume commercial whaling from July in its waters and exclusive economic zone while ending its controversial hunts in the Antarctic, it said yesterday, as it announced its withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Australia and New Zealand welcomed the decision to abandon the Antarctic whale hunt, but expressed disappointment that Japan would […]