The Philippine foreign ministry’s decision to cancel all courtesy diplomatic passports after a former top diplomat using the document was turned away from Hong Kong has sparked incredulity and anger, with several ex-officials blaming President Rodrigo Duterte for his soft approach towards China. Former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario, who was unable to enter Hong Kong for a business meeting last Friday, said he could not “think of one good reason why this is happening”. “Instead of fully…
Lone slug held responsible for power outage that Japan caused disruptions for 12,000 rail passengers
A power outage that halted dozens of Japanese trains and delayed 12,000 passengers in a nation reputed for its efficient rail service has been blamed on a lone slug, according to the railway.The power failed on a couple of lines serving southern Japan operated by Kyushu Railway, known as JR Kyushu, on May 30.The company was forced to cancel 26 train journeys and delay other services, causing chaos in a country known for the punctuality of its transport systems.‘Snake on a train’ halts Japan…
Indonesian police arrest three suspects after deadly fire in illegal factory kills 30 people, including children
Police in Indonesia have arrested the owner and two managers of an unregulated factory in North Sumatra that was engulfed by a fire that killed 30 people, a spokesman said on Sunday.The three suspects could each face five years in prison if found guilty of negligence leading to deaths, said North Sumatra province police spokesman Tatan Dirsan Atmaja.The business was operating from a house in the North Sumatra district of Langkat and reportedly made match sticks and lighters.Its female employees…
Malaysia calls for justice over Rohingya refugee crisis
Malaysia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Saifuddin Abdullah called for justice to be brought to the perpetrators of the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar as Southeast Asian leaders gathered for a twice-yearly summit.The region’s leaders have faced pressure this week to take a tougher stance on Myanmar ahead of the gathering in Bangkok. The nation has been criticised for failing to ensure the safe repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims forced into Bangladesh.Malaysian Foreign Minister…
Philippines agrees to joint investigation with China into fishing boat’s sinking
China and the Philippines agreed to conduct a joint inquiry into the sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese vessel in disputed waters, President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman said on Saturday.The incident on June 9, when the two boats collided in the South China Sea, has sparked public outrage.Manila has accused the Chinese trawler of abandoning the vessel’s 22 Filipino crew members – later rescued by Vietnamese fishermen – but Beijing has rejected this.China states the trawler merely …
Narendra Modi and Indians stretch, bend to mark International Yoga Day
Prime Minister Narendra Modi practised various yoga poses alongside an estimated 40,000 people at an event on Friday to mark the fifth International Yoga Day in India’s eastern city of Ranchi.“We have to take the yoga movement to the next level … Diseases make the poor person poorer. We have to take yoga from the cities to the villages, to the jungles, to the poor and the adivasis (tribal people),” Modi told the gathering, adding, “Yoga belongs to everyone and everyone belongs to yoga.”The…
At least 30 dead in fire at Indonesia home used as matchstick factory
At least 30 people, including several children, were killed when a fire ripped through a home that doubled as a matchstick factory in Indonesia on Friday, authorities said.“We do not know what caused the fire but it has been extinguished,” the head of North Sumatra’s disaster agency Riadil Lubis told Asaid, adding that at least three children were among the victims.Pictures from the scene showed blackened corpses lying on top of each other, while TV footage showed plumes of black smoke…
Sri Lanka seeks US$1 billion loan from China as it recovers from Easter Sunday attacks
Sri Lanka is seeking a loan of nearly US$1 billion from China for energy and motorways as the island recovers from the devastating Easter Sunday bombings, the finance ministry said on Thursday.Talks are underway with China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to raise the new loan in addition to the US$1.2 billion obtained from international agencies this year, the ministry said.“We have been discussing with the AIIB to obtain nearly an additional US$1,000 million for further…
Myanmar schoolchildren breathe new life into disused bicycles from oBike, Ofo and Mobike languishing in ‘graveyards’
Thae Su Wai is beaming. The 11-year-old Myanmar student, a proud owner of a new bicycle, will no longer need to trudge 10km for two hours to and from lessons.“I’ll have more time to study and play with friends,” she said, as she excitedly wheels away her new bicycle at Nhaw Kone Village school near Yangon.Thae Su Wai is among the first 200 students to receive bicycles, shipped from Singapore and Malaysia, donated to give them access to education in a nation where more than half live in poverty…
Drone sightings force Singapore’s Changi airport to temporarily close runway, causing dozens of flight delays
Singapore’s main airport temporarily closed a runway after drones were spotted in the area, causing dozens of flights to be delayed, authorities said Wednesday.Changi Airport, one of Asia’s busiest hubs, closed one of its two runways for short periods from late Tuesday into early Wednesday after the drone sightings, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said.About 37 flights were delayed and one arriving in Singapore was diverted to neighbouring Malaysia, the agency said. Authorities have…