Indonesia said on Monday it had protested to Beijing over the presence of a Chinese coastguard vessel in its territorial waters near the disputed South China Sea, saying it marked a “violation of sovereignty”.The boat trespassed into Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone off the coast of the northern islands of Natuna, Indonesia’s foreign ministry said in a statement. It did not say when the incident occurred.“The foreign affairs ministry has summoned the Chinese ambassador in Jakarta and…
A ‘Christmas gift’: US vows to take action on any North Korea missile test
The United States would be very disappointed if North Korea tested a long-range or nuclear missile and would take appropriate action as a leading military and economic power, White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said on Sunday.Washington has many “tools in its tool kit” to respond to any such test, O’Brien said in an interview with ABC’s This Week.“We’ll reserve judgment but the United States will take action as we do in these situations,” he said. “If Kim Jong-un takes that…
Death toll from Typhoon Phanfone in the Philippines rises to 41, with 12 still missing
The number of deaths from a powerful storm that hit the Philippines over Christmas has climbed to 41, authorities said on Sunday, with tens of thousands still in evacuation centres.Typhoon Phanfone made landfall on Christmas Eve, lashing several islands in the central Visayas, including popular tourist destinations, with destructive winds and heavy rain. It continued to batter the country on Christmas Day, causing floods and landslides, and left the country on Saturday. The extent of the damage…
Koala stops cyclists to ask for water as Australia’s heatwave and bush fires continue
A desperate koala suffering in 40 degree-heat in Australia approached a group of cyclists to drink from a water bottle, according to media reports, as thousands of koalas are feared to have died from the intense heat and bush fires gripping the country, with the fire danger increasing on Saturday as temperatures soared.The cyclists near Adelaide saw the koala in the middle of the road and when they stopped, the koala approached them, appearing to ask for water, Anna Heusler told local media on…
Why do Singapore, Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur work so hard?
A typical working day for Singaporean office worker Shamir Osman lasts about nine and a half hours, so packed full of meetings and calls that he sometimes does not even get a chance to eat.The 39-year-old public relations manager’s hectic schedule is far from unusual in the city state, where the average working week lasts just shy of 45 hours – the second longest in the Asia-Pacific, according to a study of 40 cities done by office access control systems provider Kisi.How to avoid burnout: five…
Piracy incidents along Straits of Malacca and Singapore surge in 2019
Piracy has surged this year along Southeast Asia’s Straits of Malacca and Singapore, one of the world’s busiest trade routes, according to a watch group that tracks maritime security.Incidents along the shipping route rose from eight last year to 30 this year, according to data from ReCAAP ISC, a piracy information group with 20 member nations, mostly in Asia.That’s the highest figure since 2015, when 104 incidents were recorded, according to the group’s data.ReCAAP, also known as Regional…
Malaysian court bans Chinese-education lobby group’s protest against ‘Islamisation’ of schools
A Malaysian court on Friday banned a planned weekend protest, organised by a powerful lobby group for the country’s Chinese-medium schools, that officials had warned could stir up ethnic strife in the multiracial country.Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned last weekend that the event by the Dong Jiao Zong group had the potential to cause “chaos” as it pitted Malaysia’s minority Chinese community against the Malay-Muslim majority.Dong Jiao Zong’s primary aim for the protest on Saturday at a…
This Year in Asia: Huawei, Hong Kong protests, domestic workers and toxic masculinity in K-pop are our most-read stories from 2019
It’s been a big year, what with protests in Hong Kong, the regional fallout as Huawei became a target in the continuing joust for influence between the United States and China, and a spate of controversies everywhere from South Korea to the Philippines. Here are some of the stories that most resonated with readers over the past 12 months – some are quirky, others topical, and many deal with how the shifting tides of geopolitics affect all those who live in this endlessly fascinating continent…
Indonesia bus crash: death toll hits 35, search ends after all missing accounted for
Indonesian authorities on Thursday ended their search for victims on a bus that plunged into a ravine on Sumatra island after its brakes apparently malfunctioned, killing at least 35 people and injuring 13 others.The accident occurred just before midnight Monday on a winding road in Pagaralam.The bus, which was headed for the provincial capital of Palembang from neighbouring Bengkulu province, fell into a 80m-deep ravine (262-foot) and crashed into a fast-flowing river after the driver lost…
Abused, fighting for justice: the ordeals of Asia’s migrant domestic workers in 2019
There are more than 21 million migrant domestic workers filling the care gap in Asia and the Pacific, but despite their essential role and economic contribution, many face abuse and have few rights. Here are some of their stories.MISTREATED, SICK AND FIREDFilipino domestic worker in Hong Kong fired after employer found out she has cervical cancerFilipino domestic worker Baby Jane Allas was fired in February by her Hong Kong employers after having been diagnosed with stage-three cervical cancer…