Japan’s embassy in South Korea has begun posting data on its website to show there is little difference in radiation levels between the two countries in its latest retort in a diplomatic and trade row rooted in wartime history.South Korea said last month that it will double the radiation testing of some Japanese food exports due to potential contamination from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.Explained: the legacy of war in AsiaThe embassy said the radiation reading in Seoul as of…
Protests planned as Trump administration deports Cambodians from US
Asian-American groups are objecting to the Trump administration’s efforts to step up deportations of Cambodians, as dozens of refugees with criminal convictions are being ordered to report to federal officials this week for removal.At least 20 people in California have been served notices to report to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to begin the deportation process, according to Ny Nourn, a San Francisco-based community advocate with the Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus…
Indonesia marks one year since deadly quake-tsunami disaster that left thousands dead
Indonesia on Saturday marked one year since a devastating earthquake and tsunami pounded the city of Palu, killing more than 4,000 people.Mass prayers are expected later in the day to remember victims of the 7.5 magnitude quake and subsequent deluge that razed swathes of the coastal city on Sulawesi island last September.Some 4,300 people were listed as dead or missing while nearly 60,000 people are still living in makeshift accommodation after their homes were destroyed, according to the Red…
Thinking big, living small: how people across Asia cope with tiny homes
SEOULJang Dae-ik, 27, chief financial officerJang lives in a 356 sq ft studio apartment near Dangsan station in central Seoul. Built in 2013, the flat costs about 120 million won (US$100,500). Jang has given his landlord a 180 million won deposit under Korea’s unique jeonse, or “key money”, leasing system. The lump sum, usually between 50 and 80 per cent of the property’s value, is handed over instead of monthly rent, and the full amount is returned when the tenant moves out, meaning the owner…
Japan’s prized Kobe beef will be DNA tested to guard against fakes
Japanese restaurants and butchers specialising in prized Kobe beef have welcomed the introduction of DNA tests to weed out inferior impostors.To protect the reputations and livelihoods of beef farmers, the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association will next month start collecting and storing samples from cattle registered with the organisation. In future, when a Kobe cow is slaughtered the DNA of the meat will be verified against the database and certified as genuine Kobe beef…
Death of Malay firefighter in temple riots ruled to be ‘criminal act’, risks heightening tensions
The death last year of a Malaysian firefighter after he responded to violent clashes over the proposed relocation of a Hindu temple was “a criminal act by two or more persons unknown”, the Coroner’s Court ruled on Friday.Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, 24, was injured during riots in November and taken to hospital, where he died three weeks later. The death of the Malay firefighter heightened tensions around race relations in multiracial Malaysia and Friday’s finding has the potential to further…
Australian PM plays down pivot to US, as Chinese academics push Beijing’s line in Australia
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has denied toeing Donald Trump’s line on Beijing, days after backing the US president’s stance that China should no longer be treated as a developing country under international trade rules.“Australia’s view is based on our national interest on all of these things and that’s what guides our own comments, our own discussions,” Morrison told reporters in New York on Thursday as he wrapped up a six-day visit to the United States.In a veiled reference to…
Singapore-backed student events app Get in data breach, leaving details of 30,000 users at risk
An event ticketing and payment app popular with university students across Asia and backed by Singapore’s state investment firm Temasek has suffered a second data breach, potentially exposing the personal details of more than 30,000 users in the city state.Get, which allows campus clubs and societies to list their social events and sell tickets, repaired the flaw after it was discovered earlier this month, a cybersecurity expert said, but it had yet to notify the users whose information may…
Saudi Arabia accuses Australia of ‘sympathising’ with Christchurch mosque killer
Saudi Arabia has accused the Australian government of racism and of supporting anti-Islamic terrorists like the alleged Christchurch shooter, in an extraordinary dispute that has erupted at the United Nations.Earlier this week, Australia led a coalition of countries condemning Saudi Arabia over a raft of human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearances and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.Australia’s ambassador to the UN, Sally Mansfield, delivered a statement…
Inside the Thai bars where ‘child entertainers’ are trafficked and put to work
A hug, a hand on her knee, a kiss on the cheek: teenage waitress Pim would not allow the customers to go any further at a karaoke bar in northern Thailand where she was found in a police raid.The 16-year-old was one of four teenage bar staff who were uncovered earlier this month in an anti-trafficking operation in Chiang Mai, a tourist hotspot with a well-established sex trade.The four girls, all under the age of 18, told social workers after the raid on two bars that they were not forced to…