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Asia

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Thai protesters target would-be coup makers as rumours swirl

BANGKOK (REUTERS) – Thousands of Thai anti-government protesters called for an end to coups in the South-east Asian country on Friday (Nov 27) as months of street protests fuel rumours of another military takeover. The protesters demand the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, a former junta leader who seized power in the last coup […]

Fists and pig guts fly in Taiwan Parliament debate on US pork

TAIPEI (REUTERS) – Legislators from Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party threw pig guts and exchanged punches with other lawmakers in Parliament on Friday (Nov 27) as they tried to stop the premier from taking questions, in a bitter dispute over easing US pork imports. President Tsai Ing-wen announced in August that the government would, […]

China ends absolute poverty

WASHINGTON – China’s President Xi Jinping, and the Communist Party of China (CCP) have hitched their legitimacy and credibility to eradicating absolute poverty in China. And on Nov 23, Guizhou province announced that its last nine impoverished counties had been lifted out of poverty – officially marking the end of absolute poverty in China. Please […]

Reformative training for teen slashed during Chinatown brawl

SINGAPORE – A teenager who was involved in a brawl in Chinatown, which also resulted in his being injured, was sentenced on Friday (Nov 27) to at least a year of reformative training for being part of an unlawful assembly and other offences. Muhammed Shazryl Hykel Abdullah, 19, will be detained in a reformative training centre […]

Perak and Sabah to hold two by-elections simultaneously in January

PUTRAJAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – By-elections will be held simultaneously in the Gerik parliamentary ward in Perak and Bugaya state seat in Sabah. Election Commission (EC) chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh said on Friday (Nov 27) that nomination day for both by-elections would be on Jan 4, with early voting on Jan 12, polling on […]

South Korea braces for bed shortages as coronavirus cases near nine-month high

SEOUL (REUTERS) – South Korea reported more than 500 new coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day on Friday (Nov 27), a level not seen in nearly nine months, as a third wave of infections spread nationwide and the authorities scrambled to provide more hospital beds. The daily tally of 569 came a day after the […]

North Korea attempted to hack into South Korean coronavirus vaccine makers: Media

SEOUL (REUTERS) – South Korea’s intelligence agency foiled North Korean attempts to hack into South Korean companies developing coronavirus vaccines, the News1 agency reported on Friday (Nov 27), citing a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee.  Lawmaker Ha Tae-keung said after being briefed by the National Intelligence Service that the agency did not specify how many […]

US, Taiwan to push an alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative

TAIPEI (BLOOMBERG) – An informal US-led alliance to provide an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative will provide greater transparency to countries seeking funding to develop their infrastructure, Taiwan’s finance minister said. Taiwan and the United States are moving ahead with a plan to finance infrastructure and energy projects in Asia and Latin America, […]

Japan's capital sees prices fall most in over eight years as COVID-19 pain persists

TOKYO (Reuters) – Core consumer prices in Tokyo suffered their biggest annual drop in more than eight years, data showed on Friday, an indication the hit to consumption from the coronavirus crisis continued to heap deflationary pressure on the economy. The data, which is considered a leading indictor of nationwide price trends, reinforces market expectations […]