Vietnam requested on Tuesday that China withdraw military equipment from the South China Sea, following media reports this month that China had installed missiles there.
“Vietnam requests that China, as a large country, shows its responsibility in maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea,” Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said in a statement, referring to the South China Sea.
China ‘installs cruise missiles on South China Sea outposts’
The…
UK manufacturers call for government action on boosting productivity
The UK government must “immediately” establish the new Industrial Strategy Council, a manufacturing trade body has said.
President Widodo’s only possible challenger in Indonesia’s next election may not even be able to run
Indonesian President Joko Widodo may find himself without a challenger in the next election.
While Prabowo Subianto – leader of the main opposition party and runner up in the 2014 election – has accepted his party’s endorsement, it’s uncertain if he can assemble a viable coalition to be nominated by an August deadline. Widodo is leading in opinion polls and wooing the former general, who’s seen as his only real competition.
The lack of a credible contender in next…
Strong smelling animal repellent leaves dozens of Kyoto temple visitors in pain
A strong chemical smell that prompted more than 20 visitors to complain of throat pain at a popular Kyoto temple last week may have been caused by an animal repellent spray used nearby, the city government said Monday.
A city contractor used the spray containing capsaicin, found in chilli peppers, near Nanzenji temple around the time the visitors complained of throat and other pain Wednesday morning, according to local authorities.
Police are investigating the incident as a possible case of…
Philippines, US hold biggest joint military drills seen during Duterte’s rule but swear they’re not aimed at China
US and Philippine forces have begun their largest annual military exercises under President Rodrigo Duterte, who wanted to scale down America’s military presence and involvement in combat drills as he sought closer ties with China and Russia.
The Balikatan exercises opened on Monday and were to involve combat drills in mock urban settings to train special forces in battling terrorists in cities following an Islamic State-linked siege on southern Marawi city last year.
After rising to…
North Korea warns US: don’t mistake our good mood for ‘weakness’ ahead of talks
North Korea warned the United States on Sunday not to misread peace overtures as a sign of weakness, accusing the Trump administration of deliberately provoking Pyongyang with tough talk and a show of military strength.
“It would not be conducive to addressing the issue if the US miscalculates the peace-loving intention of the DPRK [North Korea] as a sign of ‘weakness’ and continues to pursue its pressure and military threats,” a spokesman for the North Korean foreign…
Rusty people-smuggling ship carrying 127 Sri Lankans busted on route to Australia, New Zealand
Malaysia has arrested more than a dozen members of an alleged people smuggling syndicate after intercepting a ship carrying 127 Sri Lankan migrants believed to be bound for Australia and New Zealand, authorities said.
Maritime authorities on Tuesday halted a modified tanker named “Etra” in Malaysian territorial waters off southern Johor state, national police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said.
Nearly 100 Sri Lankan men, 24 women and nine children were aboard the ship, which was making…
Malaysia’s ruling party sacks two members for throwing their support behind Mahathir Mohamad
Malaysia’s most powerful political party expelled two key figures for throwing their support behind the opposition just days ahead of a closely-fought election, the state news agency reported on Saturday.
Prime Minister Najib Razak’s United Malays National Organisation (Umno) sacked the pair after they backed veteran former premier Mahathir Mohamad’s bid to take power in the May 9 polls at the head of an opposition alliance.
Mahathir, 92, wants to unseat former protég…
Four years after military coup, Thai protesters demand the junta hold an election in November
Hundreds gathered at a Bangkok university on Saturday to deliver an ultimatum to Thailand’s military government, the latest in a series of anti-government demonstrations that began earlier this year.
Thailand has been under military rule since a May 2014 coup which the army said was necessary to restore order after months of pro and anti-government protests.
The military had vowed to bring stability and reform what it said was Thailand’s corrupt political system.
Four years on,…
North Korea goes back to the future! Country winds its clocks forward 30 minutes in ‘first practical reunification step with South Korea’
North Korea went forward in time by 30 minutes on Saturday, state media said, to match its clocks with those of the South following last week’s inter-Korean summit.
Leader Kim Jong-un promised the move during the meeting at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula, when he and the South’s President Moon Jae-in pledged to pursue denuclearisation and a peace treaty.
Here’s why we shouldn’t believe Kim Jong-un’s promise to denuclearise
“The…